NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is a continuation of the previous thread who's link is below.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=395367

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Final 2nd Vote Results:

(These results were added to the vote talley from the other half of Provinces in the Country. In that first vote, low voter turnout caused a triumph of the Liberal Party, hence the majority.)

Protestant Traditionalist Party 30% 45 Seats
Constitution Party 30% 45 Seats
Royalist Party 20% 30 Seats
Liberal Party 15% 22 Seats
Reformist Party 5% 8 Seats


Final Parliament Seat Count:

Liberal Party:150
Constitution Party: 55
Protestant Traditionalist Party: 45
Royalist Party: 38
Reformist Party:12

Prime Minister: Charles Perigord (Liberal Party)
Loyal Opposition Leader: Gerhardt Volcker (Protestant Traditionalist Party)

The Prime Minister was selected by an internal vote of the Party holding the most seats.

Each Party that was not the Dominant Party was given the chance to declare alliance, opposition, or neutrality in respect to the Dominant Party. The Constitution Party and the Reformist Party declared Neutrality and the Protestant Traditionalist and Royalist Parties Declared whole hearted opposition. Therfore, an internal vote was conducted among the Royalist Party and the PTP. Volcker, the head of the PTP was selected by a vote of 55 to 28 which means many members of the Royalist Party voted for him also. It is quite apparant from the start that the Royalist Party is looking to either align itself in voting with the PTP or to merge with the PTP to form a more effective Opposition.

The Constitution Party is officially the second Largest Party in the Kingdom and achieved this by a massive ad campaign that cast them as sensible moderates in contrast to the Liberal Party and the PTP.

The Liberals options are thus: Recognize that their dominance is quite temporary due to the low voter turn out which boosted them into power which will likely not be repeated and do all possible to move thier measures through, or moderate themselves and form a more feasible permanent majority.

Whatever they do, Volcker is prepared to draw blood.
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*1st Session, Reichskamphian Royal Parliament*

It was rather gloomy outside and a pale gray light seeped in through the gigantic windows. The Parliament of Reichskamphen had chosen as its meeting place the Former Palace of the Arch Duke of Reichsburg, now called The Parliamentary Palace. It had been abandoned by the Arch Duke's family since 1806 when Napoleon's troops had marched on the Capitol and the people of the city had hung the King and stood the Arch Duke up before a firing squad. The Reichskamphian Parliament, set up in 1808 by the French, had been operating out of the Palace ever since. As time went on, the King solidified his power and the Parliament really had none of its own, yet it continued to meet. Now, the tables were slowly turning. This assembly had power.

The King, seldom seen in the past several years, was not present, but sent the Arch Duke von Oberhausen with his prepared statement and to sit in the Royal Box and Preside over the Parliament. The New Prime Minister descended the steps (The room was somewhat like an Ampitheatre) and walked onto the stage. "I, Charles Perigord, Prime Minister of Reichskamphen do, with the blessings of his Majesty the King..." he shot a false smile to the Arch Duke which was returned by a contemptuous glare, "do officially call to Order the 1st Session of the New Royal Parliament." The MP's all stood and clapped, some more vigorously than others to say the least.

An MP on the left side of the room stood up and said, "Prime Minister, permission to address the Parliament?"

"Granted."

"My name is Lucius Carlyle, I am the MP from Western Kaiserstadt, and a member of the Liberal Party. You should all have recieved a few weeks ago a copy of the Bill that I am submitting before you today." Several groans were heard from the right side of the room. "Titled RPR 001, it is the first Bill to be presented to this Parliament for a vote and calls for the immediate and complete repeal of the Ecclesiastical Protection act of 1682 which banned the Catholic Church from Reichskamphen and sentenced to death any Priest found within the land. It also seeks the immediate repeal of the Paisley ammendment which banned and removed the Anglican Church from the Kingdom only 10 years hence. I believe it is symbolic that this Bill, promoting freedom, should be the first one indroduced." When he sat down, the entire left side of the room stood up and clapped voraciously. On the Right side of the room, several people sat and glared at the men clapping while many from the Constitution Party also stood up and clapped.

Gerhardt Volcker, head of the Protestant Traditionalist Party then stood. "Permission to address the Parliament?"

"Granted."

He had striking eyes, black as night. His hair, of a similar shade, was combed backwards on his head and though his face was somewhat pale, it seemed to have a river of life just pulsing beneath the surface. "To begin the debate on this Bill, I would like to remind my colleages of the reason this law was put in place. In 1680, you will recall from your history lessons, King Franz the Fourth, a Romanist, was removed from the throne by a bloodless revolution which caused the ascent of King Friederich the Tenth...a Protestant. For the twelve years that the Romanist Franz ruled, 5,000 Protestants were burned at the stake by order of the Church of Rome and the King not only helped, but selected 2,000 others including the Protestant Arch Bishops of Reichsburg, Oberhausen, and Magdeburg to burn at the stake. These were great Martyrs for their faith. They went to the stake and died, because they refused to recant...the loved the Lord more than they loved their life. Millions died previous to that when our ancestors fought the Austrians and their allies to keep our lands Protestant. Our people were masacred by the hundreds of thousands during years of bloody fighting. Might I also remind you of the Ruler before the deposed King Franz...Queen Patricia...there is no formal count of how many Protestants she murdered, but she beats Franz's total ten times over by the best estimates. These laws were put in place to protect our country. These laws were put in place so that never again would there be this type of wholesale slaughter!"

The Right side of the room thundered with applause. Some on the left booed, and many in the Constitution Party seemed to begin to think.

"The Church of Rome is of no threat to us today! To continue a policy of hate and exclusion to Catholics does nothing but destroy freedom!" shouted out a Liberal MP.

"Have you ever heard of Andre-Allistaire Leipzig?" Volcker needled. If you need reminding, Leipzig was the Emperor of Greater Prussia who removed the ban on Catholicism and was obviously a Catholic himself. His regime was responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of Protestants and a wave of darkness and totalitarianism, the likes of which had not been seen since Franz, descended on this country while he ruled it. This was only 9 years ago. What about the Pax Maria, his Catholic Militia? They are a band of terrorists that even to this day kill Imperial officers and sabotage vehicles. They are infiltrating the highest ranks of our society and paying off Parliament members." He shot a sweeping stare at the entire left hand side of the room. "If you love your country..." he turned to the Consitution Party seats, "then keep them safe. Don't let the blood of the Martyrs have been spilled in vain."

The debate continued on for about a week until the vote finally went down.

151 Yeas
149 Neas

The motion passed by one vote. Volcker had managed to get the entire Constitution Party...except for one man...to vote his way. It was not much of a surprise to him. Though the CP members had alot of odd notions in their head, they still loved their country unlike the Liberals and would try to protect it. Nevertheless, the Law was through.

Catholicism...Anglicanism...were legal in Reichskamphen.

We appauld the Reickskamphen Parliament fr their wise decision.

OOC:

O_o

Thelasi tag for soon posting... holy crap, Reichs, what has gotten into you? First Iesus, now you! Soon I won't have any one to fight! GAGH!

bump

*Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

The Reichsburg Cathedral had been abandoned for 10 years. It had been an Anglican Church ever since Protestantism spread to Reichskamphen. Now, with the reintroduction of Roman Catholicism to the Kingdom, the Catholic Church purchased the Cathedral from the government.

After the Anglicans had been kicked out, a mob had been through the Church. All the paintings on the wall had been gone over with an opaque white paint. There were large burn marks in the centre of the stone floor where Priestly vestments and graven images had been thrown into a bonfire. The government came in and cleaned up afterwards, but the evidence was everywhere of what had happened. Huge slabs of wood covered the windows and kept most of the light out. For this reason, a couple rays of light peeked through a few of the cracks in the roof. The Altar had been completely removed alltogether. When Arch Bishop Herzenstein had toured the property shortly before purchase, he had found a half crushed Icon of Mary. In the new cathedral, that crushed Icon sits framed in his office. Rome poured hundreds of millions into the Cathedral just because of the publicity the opening of the first Cathedral would get in this staunchly Protestant country. The ornate architectural sculpture work, the gilding, the best parts of it rivaled St. Peters for beauty.

The Arch Bishop stood infront of a packed Church on the first day it was open and announced, "I hereby re-consecrate this Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Co-Redemptrix and Queen of Heaven, and to the one true Church, the Holy Roman Catholic Church."

Cardinal hughes, archbishop of Cherry Ridge leaned back in his office chair. His office offered him a view of St. Pius X CAthedral. He was glad about the return of Catholicism to Reichskamphen. A piece of paper sat on his desk.

On the top was the Diocesan seal-
http://www.dioceseofscranton.org/seal1_0.gif.

We donate the following painting to the new Archbishop, for placement within the cathedral. It should arrive by tomorrow.


Secret IC to the Archbishop
Check behind the painting before you hand it up. There is a check for 50,000 dollars. Only you can deposit it, no one else. Deposit it in the Burgundian International Bank. Gods Blessing, Cardinal Hughes.



ooc- Burgundian International Bank-
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=404580

The Holy Empire of Cav supports this new move by the Catholics.

*Reichsburg, Reichskamphen: Parliamentary Palace*

Gerhardt Volcker sat in his office parousing a copy of the Puritian Law Codes, also known as the Ecclesiastical Protection Act. It had been drafted in the late 1600's and ammended around 1720 to make the penalties more strict. That is when the infamous law was passed down that would give the death penalty to any Roman Catholic Priest found in the Empire. That Particular Article was the most repealed and reinstated law in the History of the Country. Three times previously it had been removed at the behest of certain monarchs or Parliaments and each time restored until the most recent time where it went down and the entire lawcodes with them.

"The only Article that they didn't repeal was the Article that they couldn't." Volcker mused. It was modeled on a similar law adopted in England called "The Williamite Revolution Settlement" and was a part of the 1720 ammendments. It stated that the Monarch of Reichskamphen could neither be, nor marry a Papist, and if any future goverment were to try to remove this law, the people of the nation would be absolved of their loyalty to that government. If they had revoked Article 26...Chaos would have errupted.

"His Majesty the King is on the phone for you." Volcker's secretary chimed in.

"Yes, I've been expecting the call. Put him through."

The King hadn't been seen out of the palace for years. He had become a recluse for the last quarter of his life and was very much running the country in a laissez-faire manner. Volcker had but one hope left, appeal his case to the King. The King's approval or rejection is not a necessary part of the process, but the King, if he is displeased with a law, can strike it down of his pure will at any time.

"Your majesty. The Liberal Party is destroying our Country. We can have democracy...but at the price of our livlihood? You seriously need to consider....."
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*Wooded, covered area several miles outside of Reichsburg*

"Get on your knees!" shouted an Imperial Guardsman. "You have all three been charged with High Treason."

"What!?" one man, dressed in noble attire shouted out. "I am the Duc d'Alpina! I support the King AND the Emperor!"

"You support the Liberal Party and Pax Maria." shouted the Captain of the Guard. "Your arrest warrants and death sentences were signed by the Emperor himself. We traced the money from your front company in Scotta all the way to the Pax Maria, and from the Pax Maria to the Liberal Party. Who else would want Catholicism legal in this country? Who else would love to see Rome put her iron tendrils around this land?"

"It's unGodly to profane the house of god with Arms and stop the Holy Mass!" the Noble in the middle shouted. "We are Catholics...but not criminals!"

"When I entered that building, and took you... I had no thought of God...my thought was of doing my duty. My duty is to my Emperor...then to my God." the Captain replied

The third man, dressed in a black robe timidly asserted, "What am I doing here? I am not a noble...I have no money to give to anyone."

"Alright, I lied, your death warrant wasn't signed by the Emperor, but your death is commanded by law. You were administering a Mass. The penalty is death."

"They repealed that law!"

"Not in my lawbook."

Three silenced shots pinged out, followed by silence and calm. The bodies were kicked into a deep pit and covered with dirt.

GPNN:

Nearly a year and a half after the Historic vote in Reichskamphen propelled a Liberal Parliament and Prime Minister to power and forever changed the political landscape of the Kingdom, the sovreign of Reichskamphen, King Marcus Antonius III, seldom seen in the last 10 years of his life, has passed away. He was 98.

He goes on record as the second longest ruling monarch in the history of Reichskamphen, having held the throne for nearly 50 years. It was actually King Marcus who was the catalyst for much controversy during the first 8 years of his reign when he separated from the Reich and founded the region of Greater Prussia.

Viktor Leipzig held the throne of Reichskamphen for 5 years while Marcus went into exhile, but after Viktor established the regional monarchy and was crowned Emperor, he abdicated in favour of Marcus, the last in the line of the traditional Royal Family of Reichskamphen, the Thompson Family, which has ruled for nearly 300 years.

His life was sad, always being overpowered and overturned by forces larger than he, normally the various Emperors.

But the true sadness comes in his death as he was the last of the Thompson line elligable to hold the throne under the laws of the Kingdom.

The Royal Family, fractured through decades of conflict, while scrambling to find an heir, is urging the Public to keep the Elected officials separate from the Royal power structure.

Gerhardt Volcker, The Minority leader in the Parliament, Head of the Paisley-backed Protestant Traditionalist Party and the self dubbed "Cheif Defender of the Crown", is seeming to insert himself into the power void, speaking with authority. Though he is not officially accorded the power he is wielding, the Royal Crown's power structure is certainly listening and falling in line.

Amid the protests of the Constitution Party, the Reformist Party, and the Liberal Party...Volcker strives to restore the Crown, through the law, the Parliament, and through a strong arm, to its former power and glory.

Elements of the UVF resistance movement that formed against Andre-Allistaire's government, former Armed Forces and Royal Guard, and even former Imperial Guard are gelling into what is being called the "First Brigade", essentially a paramilitary force that has been responsible for attacks agianst the Liberal Party and other forces opposed to the Crown. However, since the passing of the King, the First Brigade has been essential in preserving order in the streets as the City Police have barricaded themselves in thier precincts, leaving mobs to take to the streets. It is still unclear who is leading the First Brigade...or who that person answers to.

*Royal Palace: Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

"What the Hell is wrong with this city!?" shouted a Royal Guard Captain. He slammed his fist down on the mess table bouncing the plates of food into the air.

"I've been in the Royal Guard for about 15 years and I have seen more riots in this city than I can count on two sets of hands. Something is seriously wrong with these people." another officer agreed.

The King was dead...and there was no heir apparant. The Thompson line had effectively come to an end, and there were two dynamic opposing forces trying to throw themselves into the power vacuum. With the Liberal Party Head, and Prime Minister of Reichskamphen, Charles Perigord being declared the de-facto head of State...conservative supporters of the King and the Protestant Traditionalist Party took to the streets in a dual protest of Perigord and Memorium of their fallen Sovreign.

Reichsburg, a world unto itself, had many opposing and intertwining factions and both the Liberal Party and the PTP could point to Reichsburg as home territory. Therefore, when the Royalists took to the streets...the Liberals did also. The two mobs stood on either side of Cromwell Plaza, at the heart of downtown Reichsburg. Insults were hurled from side to side but no real harm was done until a loose cobblestone was pried from the street and hurled by the Liberals into the Royalists.

All Hell broke loose.

The word spread and within the hour the mob's size (both sides) had tripled. A few scuffled lightly in Cromwell Plaza, but the majority of either side was elsewhere. The Liberals were at the Gates of the Royal Palace...the Conservatives only a few blocks away at the Parliamentary Palace.

Gerhardt Volcker, the PTP head, had set himself up in the Royal Palace and begun, with the blessings of the remnants of the Royal family, to try to retain any power which had not already been taken by Perigord. The Liberal hordes were banging at the gates and attempts were being made to scale the walls of the Palace while the Royal Guard gathered strength.

All of a sudden, a deadly silence fell over the Liberal mob as Column after column of Royal Guardsmen filed accross the Ramparts, rifles at the ready.

"Disperse now, or be shot." came a flat command over the loudspeaker system. The liberals paused like deer in the headlights as the riflemen took aim.

"Fire!" douzains of men fell dead after the first volley struck and the mob began to turn in a retreat.

"Hold your fire." the call came out.

Upon hearing the shots, the Conservatives left their protest at the Parliamentary palace and rushed at the retreating liberals. The two waves of people crashed against one another with a brutal fury. The damage to the city alone would be in the tens of thousands.

The Palace gates opened and 50 mounted Royal Guard galloped down the Via Victoria towards the mob, Volcker's orders fresh in their ears.

"Kill everyone until they disperse. I have told my supporters to leave. If they have not, it is their own fault."

The horsemen drew their sabres and rode into the mob like huns slashing and beheading men in every direction. They drew their revolvers and shot indescriminately.

Within moments the entire mob had dispersed and the riot was put down.

Royal Guards based in the southern Fort Murat were released and Martial law was imposed on the city...with the exception of the Parliamentary Palace where Perigord resided.

The Papers the next day were touting Volcker as a hero whose quick necessary action saved the city.

*Parliamentary Palace: Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

"Nazis...all of them!" shouted Charles Perigord as he slammed morning paper down on his desk. "Nearly 100 people are dead."

"Mr. Prime Minister, the mob was turning violent." reasoned MP Pierre Lafontaine. "You know about the history in this city. If a mob is allowed to control it...then we might as well hang ourselves because they certainly will if they can beat us to it. The whole country will be flushed down the tubes if a mob is allowed to take Reichsburg...this was the only recourse."

"I'm surprised they didn't burn down the Cathedral...the biggots..." Perigord fumed.

"They didn't burn down the Cathedral because they were dispersed before they could only do about 1,000,000 Reichsmarks worth of damage." responded Lafontaine. "The people of the city think they can control it through brute force because the authorities haven't stopped them as completely as they could have."

"This is not what the Liberal Party stands for!" shouted Perigord as he jumped from his seat, pressing his palms upon the desk and leaning forward aggressively. "I would love to see those people march up to the Royal Palace right now and hang that son of a b**** Volcker! I want to see the people take justice into their hands because they are the ones who deserve to carry it out! I want the heads of powder faced aristorcrats on the spikes of these walls." he motioned to the steel gates and walls outside his window at the edge of the green. "If the biggots take to the streets...let them! The people will triumph over them! Sometimes the only way to clean a filthy city is with a river of blood."

MP Lafontaine stared on, aghast at what Perigord had said. "You're mad." He stood from his chair, righteously indignant. "The Liberal Party stands for freedom...from Protestant Kings...from meddling Catholic Cardinals...from the Imperial Guard...from religious government of any type. It stands for freedom from fear of death. And these mobs bring only fear and evil with them."

"Pierre." Perigord calmed a bit. "After this next election...we'll be lucky if we have 1/16th of the seats we do now. We need to hold on to what we have. If we can't do it through public opinion, we'll do it by force. It means that a few people may have to die so that the nation will be free from Christianity...from oppressive monarchies...from draconian lawcodes. After the guns fall silent...we will be what is left...and we will lead this country like educated rational men should."

Lafontaine slid his chair back into its position as he stood straighter than ever before. "Mr. Prime Minister, I can no longer serve in your party or in your Parliament. My formal papers of resignation will be on your desk tommorrow morning. Good Day."

The MP turned proudly and walked out.

There was now to be an election. In east Reichsburg, in the heart of Liberal Territory, there was to be an election to replace Lafontaine. If the PTP could manage to take the seat...it could be one step closer to removing the liberal majority.

Whatever happened...the competition would be fierce.

Early in the morning, a convoy of black Mercedes Limosines drove down the Via Victoria past the Parliamentary Palace and up to the gates of the Royal Palace. They were escorted by Royal Guard Armoured Vehicles and even a few Imperial Guardsmen. The bodies had been cleaned from the streets promptly, but the blood still stained the pavement and the cobblestoned streets, and rubble from damaged buildings and other structures lay strewn about.

As the Convoy passed under the King William Triumphal Arch, what was the gateway to the old Royal Palace, and then through the ruins of the old Royal Palace, leveled in the second Scottan War, the passengers inside began to reflect on the history of the great city and the country as a whole. 600 years of history gone and collapsed into rubble with a few artillery shells when a madman sought his way above all else. The Palace had been an icon of the Country, like the Eiffel Tower to France. The bigger and more important things are...the easier it is to eliminate them all together.

The importance of maintaining law was tantamount.

The limousines stopped infront of the entrance to the palace and 45 Royal and Imperial Guardsmen fanned out and secured the area. With little time spared, the chauffeur opened the door, allowing the passengers to exit. Arch Duke von Oberhausen and the Emperor Napoleon took quick strides as they were escorted into the building.

The gargantuan vaulted ceiling loomed high above them as they entered and were taken to the King's study. As they opened the doors, they found Gerhardt Volcker reviewing stacks of papers, all while typing and talking on the phone.

"We have returned." Arch Duke von Oberhausen announced, causing Volcker to sit up straight.

"Your Emminence...and Your Highness the Emperor...what an extreme honour." Volcker quickly ended his phone conversation, sat his things aside, and walked over to the two men. "Things are falling apart. I don't know how we are going to hold this city together. Rumours are circulating that the Liberals intend to mass on Cromwell Square tonight."

"You have taken the necessary precautions?" the Emperor enquired.

"I have ordered the Royal Guard to seal off the square at sunset." Volcker replied. "That nut-job Perigord is really starting to get to me. He has decided that he is the legitimate head of state and is ordering everyone about. He sent orders to the Royal Guard to stand down."

Oberhausen and Napoleon glanced at eachother knowingly.

"I overruled them."

"Gerhardt, you are the minority leader. In the death of the King, the Arch Chancellor assumes the duties of Monarch." Napoleon calmly stated.

Volcker walked back to the desk and sat down, inviting the two others to sit also. "Under the 1799 Consitution, you are correct. Under the revised 2010 Constitution signed by King Marcus, the Prime Minister assumes the role as head of state. If he is unable to fulfill those duties, it then passes to the Speaker of the Parliament, if he is also unable to perform the task, it goes to the Loyal Opposition Leader."

"So Perigord has the right to take the reigns." Oberhausen said authoritatively. "I certainly don't like it...but it's the law. We can't just send in Imperial Guard and have them shot. We have to obey and respect the law."

"I'm not going to lay down and let the hun take over our city...take over our country at a time of weakness!" Volcker puffed.

"You have already prevented that...and we will remember your work." the Emperor stated. "Now you must step aside or Civil War will break out."

"Civil War?" Gerhardt was dumbfounded.

"You think the entire city hasn't been talking about your scrap with Perigord?" Oberhausen said emphatically. "Some people want you to be King...and some people want your head on a platter. As for me, I want you to step aside. Your role now is to organize this family...to get the crown back into a position to legally trump these S.O.Bs."

A few hours later Volcker's signiture 1943 Armoured and revamped Rolls Royce Black limousine rolled out of the Palace gates and down the Via Victoria. Peoples' heads turned as they saw the iconic car with the very iconic man inside it. Children began to wave...and others began to openly cheer. The cheer spread up and down the street: "God Save Volcker!"

Gerhardt smiled a bit. Whatever Perigord could do...the people loved Volcker.

The Rolls Royce sped to the outskirts of the city to his Chateau at Montjardin where every noble from accross the Kingdom had come to participate in the post funeral gathering of the 2nd Estate (Nobility). This was certainly a gigantic nod to the growing stature and power of the greatest public figure in Reichskamphen besides the Arch Duke himself. Here, at this chateau, they would choose a King.

*The Volcker Estate: Montjardin, Reichskamphen*

"We've been here for two days." Volcker sighed. He sat at the head of the court of Nobles attempting to lead a discussion. A gavel was in his hand and the Nobles in the back were prattling along amongst themselves. Two people were having a fight in the back, and no one was paying attention.

"DAMMIT! GET YOURSELVES TOGETHER!" Volcker stood up and shouted, his jet black hair thrown aside by the sudden movement. His eyes froze everyone in the room to stone as they slowly sank into their chairs without a sound. "As it stands now, after two days of discussion we have concluded that the Thompson Royal Family is dead. Every relation is so obscure that selecting one would inevitably cause another to seek the throne. We don't need conflict or a civil war. The Paisleys have declined to accept the throne and there are no direct relatives of Viktor Leipzig in the family at all. Therefore, we are forced to search for a new King and a new family alltogether. My reccomendation is Arch Duke Dietrich von Oberhausen."

"He's the Emperor's man. We want a King, not a puppet!" shouted a noble in the back. Volcker nodded and a Guard quickly pulled the man from the room.

"The Arch Duke has served this Kingdom since 1956...since King Will the Great. He has served the Empire since its founding, and he has been a constant source of strength. He is respected around the world as a man of the highest calibur. He is the only viable option..."
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6 Months Later:

The Arch Duke, after having been approached by the Royal Family declined their request to accept the throne. 6 months after that, there was still no King. There was some squabbling between Duc Guillaume Richarde Lefebvre de Centreville and the Arch Duke von Kaiserstadt over the throne, but beyond that, little was known and the Nobles refused to meet again. There simply was no King.

It had been a tradition since King Nicholas III in 1904 that every ruling Monarch and Head of State of Reichskamphen would have his own personal Flag (generally the Royal Coat of Arms with his name embroidered on it) displayed below the national flag on every government building and every flag placed on the street by the government. Even during the interregnum of Lord High Protector Joseph, he put his own Coat of arms with his name to signify he ruled. Now, the Flags saying "Marcus III", the Old King, were replaced with flags bearing the name, "Arch Chancellor Dietrich von Oberhausen."

He didn't want to be the King as he had no heirs and could have none, but he was keeping the Kingdom safe by stepping up to the plate. The Royal Guard now carried Standards bearing the Arch Chancellor's Coat of Arms and wore Armbands with his name on them. He was King in all but title, but still, Perigord held the real power.

In Reichsburg and the Country as a whole, the Liberal Party did a complete face lift of itself to pull off a win in the Reichsburg election and maintain the seat it needed to keep the majority until the next election. More and more, the poor began to identify with the Liberal Party. It was a custom in the city to fly the two flags from your home like were done on government buildings, but on some homes, instead of the Arch Chancellor's standard, there was a Burgundy Flag with a Skyblue circle in the centre which read, "Charles Perigord".

Two months before the election, the Liberal Party was actually polling at 40% and growing due to the laws they passed in the Parliament. They created a welfare system, Social Security, National Healthcare, and all other manner of government hand out programmes in order to get the poor on their side. All the peasants knew was that they were getting a hand out...and they liked it. They followed blindly. No further restrictions were made on Christianity as that would be a death knell. It needed to be done slowly. In a country like Rk where the upper class is 15% of the Population, and the Middle Class is about 30%...and the rest are poor on paper (though not necessarily poor in actuallity as they eat off of their land and live good lives)...benefits aimed at the poor are bound to increase voter turnout.

Then, the election happened…and the unthinkable happened…the Liberal Party held on to their majority even though the PTP was coming up on their tail.

Final Parliament seats:

Liberal Party:150
-10 Seats +10 seats (Lost ten seats In the election, but gained 10 others)
Protestant Traditionalist Party: 100
-5 Seats +50 Seats (Lost 5 seats in the election, but gained 50 others)
Constitution Party: 30
-27 Seats +2 Seats (Lost 27 seats in the election, but gained 2 others)
Royalist Party: 18
-20 Seats (Lost 20 seats in the election and gained no others)
Reformist Party:2
-10 Seats (Lost 10 seats in the election and gained no others)


Within weeks, nearly 23 nobles from all over Reichskamphen had abdicated their positions of power, doffed their titles, and most of them moved to Allanea. The future looked dark. The Liberals still in power, no King, and the only authority figure worth listening to, the Arch Chancellor, is in his 90s and could die at any time. Uncertainty was the name of the game.

*Holy Reichsburg Cathedral: Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

Arch Bishop Herzenstein, the Patriarch of Reichsburg and Kaiserstadt, sat at his enormous, elaborately carved desk, staring out the window of his office, situated about 5 stories up and overlooking the Foreign Ministry and the Treasury. All the Churches and religious buildings were right in the heart of the government operations. Thats the way the city was built and thats the way it has always remained.

He was about to doze off when a knocking at his door gave him a start. "Come in." he called out.

A trim priest, dressed in all black with a white clerical collar, walked in and sat a stack of papers down on the Patriarch's desk. "Numbers." he said. "We've been getting alot of new people because of those missions we set up. That was a good move...but our revenews are not enough to support our expenditures yet. If it werent for the Cardinals in Cherry Ridge and other places financing us, we would be out of business."

"Did you hear the news?" Herzenstein asked him, completely ignoring the other topic.

"No."

"The Prime Minister wrote a letter to the Pope, a letter of appology for the treatment of Catholics in this country and stated definatively that Cardinals and the entirity of the Church would be welcome within our borders. His Holiness has made me a Cardinal, and the Primate of Reichskamphen."

"That's wonderful news."

"Indeed. It won't be long til we get a bigger say around here. If we play the lamb...we'll be doing well."

Message to Cardinal Herzenstein,
Congradulations Cardinal. If you need anymore finances contact the Burgundian Government Building. Ask them for papers dealing with "Pope Benedicts Mandate". God Bless, Cardinal Hughes

OOC: Sorry for going so fast, but I have a lot of ground to cover in a very short time.

Former Emperor of Greater Prussia, the Rev. Dr. Ian R.K. Paisley had been quite silent for the past few years. He was retired from Politics, and preaching in his own little Church in Balleymena, 20 miles north of Kamphstadt (South Rk).

Occasionally, reporters would visit him for comment on the issues of the day, but other than that, he had not been heard of. Despite that, the love and support of Dr. Paisley was still felt throughout the land as strongly as ever. But more increasingly, the support was only half hearted. The men and women of Reichskamphen were ever turning their eyes elsewhere.

Having observed the events of the Perigord Administration, Dr. Paisley decided it was time to come out of retirement.

After the repeal of the Ecclesiastical Protection act and the accompanying Puritain Lawcodes (the basis for the entire legal system of Rk) Perigord and his liberal Party forced through a new Constitution and a new set of laws. People who hadn't been to Reichskamphen since before the Perigord times would be hardpressed to find any familiarity with the place.

The society was always Puritanical, sometimes strictly and wholely, and sometimes just with Puritanic undertones...but the deference to God and his laws and the proper order of nature was always there. Now, Casinos were opening in all the big cities, especially in Reichsburg. Every sinful excess that could be wanted for was readily available in Reichsburg and the other large cities. Even the rural and country areas were being effected. Church attendance was at its lowest in nearly 100 years. Increasingly, the Mainline Protestant Denominations in Rk began turning towards modern rock music and youth driven services to try to attract the star-struck people back to the house of God. Some came, but these churches either intentionally or unintentionally taught a liberal false Gospel that played right into the policies of Perigord and seldom condemned them.

The people of the country who were still driven by tradition and increasingly identified protestantism with the lack thereof began turning to the Catholic Church.

The traditional religious divide of the Kingdom was thrown completely out the window. Unbelief skyrocketed from 2% to 15% and The conservative elements of the 20% Episcopal Population joined with Catholic Church leaving the divide as such:

Free Presbyterian Church: 35%
Roman Catholic Church:25%
Athiest/Agnostic:15%
Episcopalian (Anglican) Church: 10%
Presbyterian Church in Reichskamphen (PCR):7%
Royal Baptist Church: 5%
Non Denominational (Liberal):2%
Jewish/Non Christian:1%

As there was no official King with the power to veto Perigord's laws, try as the Royal family might, everything went through with great ease and the country was doing a complete about face.

Letters came in from Rome to Cardinal Herzenstein informing him that Four other Arch Bishops had been made Cardinals to accomidate the growing congregations in the Kingdom and also that Herzenstein would be remaining the Primate of Reichskamphen.

After much debate and discussion, the Emperor Napoleon himself broke with his policy of not intervening in internal affairs of nations and issued a round denounciation of Perigord. It had little effect on his growing popularity in Reichskamphen.

Volcker still fought in the Parliament...but his fighting meant nothing. The tides had turned. The Kingdom was lost.

Cardinal Hughes sat in his office. A young priest, dressed in a clerical suit and collar said,
"Cardinal, Reichskamphen now has five Cardinals."

Hughes pounded the table,
"Herzenstein better maintain control. WE don't need any liberal Catholics in GP, otherwise I might to to call Papa Ratzi and silence them. Thank God we have a Panzer Pope. He is probably one of the most qualified Popes in history."

"Of course" replied the priest.

"I am the sole archbishop in CR, so I can maintain watch over liberals personally. Everyone knows that I am the unofficial primate of Greater Prussia, since I can't be an official one wothout those Imperial Guard officers coming to get me. Wire Herzenstein a message."

"Yes Cardinal"

The priest ran out and wireds a secret message to Cardinal Herzenstein,

Your Eminence,
Cardinal Hughes has instructed me to tell you to crack down on liberals. It will strengthen the church. he also says that if you need any help, contact him or King Antonette.
In Gods Love,
Father Neil mcLaughlin

OOC: tag.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful your eyes were?"

"How could you? I just met you five minutes ago?"

"I should have told you five minutes ago."

A trim man in a gray suit walked arm in arm with a blonde lady who sported a very low-cut red dress. She was beautiful. He wasn't so much.

"So...can I buy you dinner?"

The woman shifted around anxiously, but then her expression softened. "Sure."

The two went into a small italian restaurant nearby. You could see them through the window talking, the man apparantly much more interested than the girl.

"Misty, have you ever heard of Charles Perigord?" the man asked, a little grin on his face.

"Yes." the woman was unsure what she should say.

"Well, I'm his top lieutenant in the Liberal Party. I'm actually the MP for this entire district we're in right now."

Now the woman was interested. Looking at them from the window outside, you could see the momentum had shifted and the man was a lot less persuant than he had needed to be before. The woman was all over him.

The check came and they paid the tab. As they walked out arm in arm, the woman whispered in his ear. "Hey...do you want to come back to my place?"

The man's face lit up. "Of course!"

A voice out in the darkness said, "Now."

"I know I'm coming now, when did you think I was planning to come?" the man said.

The woman looked at him confusedly.

Two men jumped out of the alley with submachineguns and, knocking the woman aside, pumped nearly 100 rounds into the Liberal MP's body. "Martin Kelsch...MP...thats him." one whispered to the other as they vanished back into the alley leaving the woman shrieking and shaking violently.

OOC: Hey, Will, remember the ideas I was throwing at you over AIM? Are we going to set it up or pretend it already existed?
==========================

Ministry of State Security

Gennandy Bondarenko, the Director of the Second Chief Directorate, was looking over the reports from his agents-in-place in Reichkamphen, monitoring the situation. He called up Ben Goodley, his best guy for the job.

"Yes, Director?" was his response, five minutes later.

"Ben, you compiled this rough stuff for me, right?" Gennandy said, holding the papers up.

"Yes, Sir, I did."

"I need you to do me a favour. Turn this into an SNIE for me to turn into Golovko and the Czar." Ben nodded.

"Yes, sir, right away." Bondarenko was looking over the data one more time before putting it in the burn slot. This is not going over well.

OOC: Assume it exists, but don't do anything Rash relating to this RP without advising me first.

IC: Three men stood outside the recieving Chambers of the Arch Chancellor, von Oberhausen. Cardinal Herzenstein, the Catholic Primate of Reichskamphen, Dr. Alan Cairns, the representative of the Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church, Ian Paisley, and the Duke of Kaiserstadt.

The Two religious leaders seldom made eye contact and a deathly silence was upon all three men.

Suddenly the doors opened and the Royal footman said formally, "His Emminence, the Arch Chancellor will see you now."

The three men walked in and bowed formally to von Oberhausen who was seated comfortably in a large chair that almost resembled a throne. Dr. Cairns, an old friend of Oberhausen's then stepped forward and spoke for the three. "Duke Alexander von Kaiserstadt, Myself, and Cardinal Herzenstein have come to make a petition." he said, deliberately putting the Cardinals name last. "We ask humbly that you reconsider taking up the Leipzig-Thompson House on the offer of the Throne of our fair Kingdom. Perigord is running rampant and though some here may enjoy some of his reforms he has made..." he glanced to Herzenstein who returned a somewhat cold gaze, "he threatens to make changes every single person in this room finds abhorrent." The three nodded in agreement. "The only way to stop him is by Royal veto...and because of the new constitution, you are unable to exercise Royal Authority in the absence of the King. Therefore the only solution is for you to accept the throne."

"Cardinal Herzenstein." Oberhausen called. The Cardinal perked up and stepped forward a moment. "Am I to understand that Rome is in support of the return of the Protestant Monarchy to the Kingdom?"

"No, your emminence, it is not. It is in support of your ascent to the throne, though because it is in support of returning stability to this land and preventing it from sliding into a moral oblivion. If there were a Catholic who could rule as well as you could, and who would be accepted in such a complete manner as you would be...Rome would support him. But there is not. You are the only hope for this Kingdom, and Pope Benedictus XVI sends his blessings to your reign assuming you do not place restrictions upon Catholicism."

"Dr. Cairns, will Dr. Paisley be giving his vocal support for me?"

"That he will." Replied Dr. Cairns.

"Duke Alexander."

"Yes, Emminence?" the Duke replied.

"What exactly is your purpose here?"

"I can explain that." Dr. Cairns interjected. "The Royal Family has decided to address your concernes about the lack of an heir with presenting you Alexander as a possible named heir. He may not be as well known as he should be, but by the time you pass away...may it not be for a while yet...he should be quite well recognized and accepted as heir."

"What are your thoughts?" Alexander inquired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Royal Guardsmen were pasting posters up all over the city with the Royal Coat of arms and the words, "King Dietrich von Oberhausen."

The only man strong enough to touch Perigord was soon to be corronated King. A Pall had set upon the Parliamentary Palace and the offices of the Liberal Party.

Duke Alexander of Kaiserstadt had been appointed the Arch Duke of Reichsburg and Heir apparant to the throne. The Arch Duchy of Reichsburg actually included Kaiserstadt because when the Arch Duchy Reichsburg was established, Kaiserstadt hadn't been founded. It wasn't until 1923 that the city sprang up. But upon his acceptance of the new title, a new Duke of Kaiserstadt needed to be appointed. This honour was visited upon Gerhardt Volcker who, in the beginning Oberhausen had shunned. Unbeknownst to most, Volcker was now second in line to the throne, right behind the Arch Duke of Reichsburg.

There was rejoicing in the street upon the announcement of the new King...but there was no rejoicing for the return to normalcy...or even the prospect thereof. It was unclear at this stage even what a King Dietrich von Oberhausen could do...or for that matter a King Gerhardt Volcker...or a King anyone.

OOC: Just writing this down for later use. It's no good to yall now, but when time allows, I will make it useful.


The Foremost Nobles of the Kingdom:
(1)=First in line for succession to throne
(*)=Also in line for succession to throne
(#)=Most influential Arch Duchy (The Land)
(+)=Most influential Arch Duke (The Person)
(P)=Paisleyite Noble
(V)=Viktorite Noble
(T) =Thompsonite Noble

Reichskamphen:

(1)(#)(V)Arch Duke von Reichsburg: Alexander Donath (Appointed, King Dietrich I) {Formerly the Duke of Kaiserstadt}

(*)(+)(P)Arch Duke von Kaiserstadt: Gerhardt Volcker (Appointed, King Dietrich I){Loyal Opposition Leader, Rk Parliament}

(P)Arch Duke von Oberhausen: Peter Karajan (Appointed, King Dietrich I)

(T)Arch Duke von Kamphstadt: Adolph Scharffenberger (Family Succession)

(P)Arch Duke von Essenburg: Robert Kendris (Appointed, King Dietrich I)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russapovia:

(#)(+)(T)Arch Duke von New Braunau: Frederic Kellerman (Family Succession){Made Marechal de l'Empire by Napoleon IV in 2002}

(V)Arch Duke von Katrinebourg: Franz Wurmser (Appointed, King Marcus II){Made Marechal de l'Empire by Napoleon IV in 2004}

(V)Arch Duke von Perringrad: Charles Verstehn (Appointed, King Viktor I)

(V)Arch Duke von Lentz: Francis Lamarque (Appointed, King Viktor I)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotta:

(#)(P)Arch Duke von Magdeburg: Michael Vohlgott (Appointed, King Viktor I)

(P)Arch Duke von Karlsbad: Heinrich Traupman

(*)(+)(T)Arch Duke von Centreville: Guillame Richard Lefebvre de Centreville (Family succession) {Captain of the Imperial Guard 1993-Present}

(P)Arch Duke von Catharpinstadt: Dieter Meintz (Appointed, King Viktor I)

(P)Arch Duke von Sanguedoc: Pietro Virany (Appointed, King William II)

OOC: Righto.
=============
Count Franz von Papen, the Foreign Minister, along with a few guards, and three members of the civilian populus, who know one really knew who they were. Franz thought they were MSS.

The party boarded a Gulfstream IV owned by the Crown and took off to Reichsburg to meet with the Crown...elect?... Papen didn't know what you would call it. He'd get a few hours sleep on the flight over. Technically, Reichskamphen and Derscon share a very large border, but Derscon is a very large nation.

Ah, well, I need it anyways. With that, he put back his chair and dozed off, to the envy of his guards and the "civilians."
=================
Over Reichskamphen

For once, there wasn't a military escort to go with the planes. Reichskamphen was really the only other nation in the world where air traffic was not either prohibited or scrutinized harshly.

As the Gulfstream was approaching Reichsburg, Colonel Goodman got on the comm.

Reichsburg ATC, this is Colonel Goodman. I've got the Foreign Minister
on board in to see the new King. I'm requesting Clearance to land.

The Air Traffic Control people in Reichsburg probably could identify Colonel Goodman by his voice. He was the main pilot in between Rekjyavich Andropov Military City and Reichsburg, so they would've known he was Dersconi, hence a friendly.

Plus, he piloted Crown Lines One, the call-sign of the Czar's jet, so he couldn't be a bad guy.
======================================
Reichsburg, Reichskamphen

Imperial Guards were wandering around the place nowadays, after the recent attacks. Captain Pierre Jean-Baptise La Salle was one of these guards. The streets were at an erie quiet right now. The calm before the storm, he thought to himself. He shook it off. For some reason, he was hungry. I need to find a good resturant around here. Technically, he was off-duty from patrols, but that mattered naught. He wasn't in uniform, but the hat said it all. His cell phone then rang.

"Hello?"

"Doctor Losseau? My wife is sick, I think she has the flu. Could you come down to check on it?" Captian La Salle froze for a split second, but regained his composture.

"I'm sorry, you must have a wrong number."

"Oh, sorry. Good day to you," and the line went dead.

Jesus, what is going on?

The King was not able to have a formal corronation. However, a small private service was broadcast to the country.

The Royal Guard was increasingly staying within its forts. There were only around 1000 Imperial Guardsmen in the city, and they were doing the work of the Royal Guard and the Royal Police who had also basically put their head in the sand and began hiding in their presincts.

The first action that the new King took was to seize the commanders of the Royal Guard, and the Chiefs of the Royal Police and have them executed in Cromwell Square...one and all. The official charge was "Treason by Negligence". Imperial Officers were transferred out of Napoleon's Armies and into the Kingdom's forces in order to strengthen the whole and to give them good leadership.

A small contingent of Imperial Guard escorted the Foreign Minister from the Airport, into Downtown Reichsburg, and finally onto Via Victoria heading past the Parliamentary Palace, the Headquarters of the Greater Prussian Imperial Guard, and heading toward the Royal Palace which was at the end of the road. As they drove down Via Victoria, they noticed a huge Billboard which had popped up since thier last visit. On one side, it said, "Grace and Peace unto the people of Reichsburg from His Holiness, Pope Benedictus XVI, and the One Holy, Apostolic, Roman Catholic Church" On the other side it was an advertizement for a casino or a gentlemans club. It was unclear which. Maybe it was both.

Once they entered the gates of the Royal Palace...they noticed a stark contrast between the inside and the outside. Inside, it was like the Reichsburg they remembered, preserved in a bubble. On the outside, even the beautiful traditional architecture was being profaned by ugly, square, steel buildings.

They were recieved soon after their entrance into the palace into the King's Study where Dietrich was sitting in his Chair. "Franz, good to see you. Quite a mess we have here eh?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon hearing that the Foreign Minister was at the Palace, Gerhardt Volcker decided he would make a courtesy call to the King so that he may also speak with Mr. von Papen. He packed up his breifcase and walked out of the office and the valet fetched his Car. He drove out and headed down the Via Victoria. As he approached the gates, he hit the breaks to stop, but the breaks didn't respond. He screamed out loud as the car slammed into the Palace gates, and burst into flames. The gates were designed to withstand being hit by a doubledecker bus so his small car simply burst open.

Volcker lifted his head up. He gazed into the burning wreck of his car with blury vision, his glasses broken on the ground beneath him. "Damn Papists" he muttered, unable to make too loud of a sound. As he looked around, still sitting on the ground, he saw five or six figures moving towards him. "Royal Guard! I am Gerhardt Volcker...I am injured...please help!"

The figures approached him and lifted him up. One man whispered to the other in a volume Volcker wouldn't hear. "It's not right to let a man die on his knees. We'll let him stand."

Each man carried an Ak-47 and wore camouflage. One man pulled out his pistol and leveled it at Volcker's head.

"What is that?" Volcker said. "Is that a...WAIT...NO!"

(Take it from here)

OOC: I shall.
===============
Captain La Salle, back on duty now, was doing his normal patrol routes when he heard the car wreck, immediately making him do a mad dash to the front gate.

When he arrived, he found Volcker being lifted up by the men. Instinct took hold of him.

He leveled his MP5A4, the 10mm version. It was louder (relatively), but it made a bigger hole, and that was always pleasent. He flipped the switch from full auto to semiauto and took aim.

The first doubletap went into the man with the pistol's temple, effectively turning his face into a pile of goo. La Salle rushed forward, still with his MP5 leveled at the terrorists. He managed to get another doubletap off, taking down another terrorist before they managed to turn and look.

Four left, he thought, his mind and body racing. He really wasn't thinking, per se. His training took over, as did it for most professional combatants. One leveled his AK just in time to see three 10mm bullets come right at him. Captain Pierre La Salle switched to triple burst now that Volcker was not being held up, but was instead on the ground.

One other terrorist managed to get a few shots off, but, as the AK was horribly inaccurate after the first three shots, they missed, earning him six rounds in the chest and three in the face.

One terrorist started running, but six rounds in the back effectively shattered his spinal cord. He's not going anywhere.

The Imperial Guard Captain got up from his crouched position, scanning the area. I know there was another one here. Keeping his weapon leveled, he reloaded his clip and approached the tree where Volcker was.

Right as the Captain was about to bend down and help the Opposition leader, two 7.62 rounds ended up in his right shoulder, jerking him off-balance. The sixth terrorist rose from behind a bush, leveled his weapon, took aim....

and was ripped apart by thirty 10mm rounds from the Captain's MP5A4. Fifteen Imperial Guards were now on the scene, after hearing the gunfire. The Captain sat down beside Volcker. THe Adrennaline Rush was gone, and now he felt the pain in his shoulder.

He'd be off duty for a little while, now.

As the officer laid in the hospital, nearly asleep and his arm bandaged, he heard a knock at the door. "Mind if I come in?" the sharp, gravely absolutely distinctive voice of Gerhardt Volcker called out.

He opened the door and entered the room. By the soldiers bedside, in a chair, laid his uniform pressed, cleaned, and folded with his pattern 1812 Shako sitting atop it.

Volcker walked over to the uniform in the chair and smiled at the soldier. He bent over and fumbled with the uniform for a moment before he held the tunic up for the officer to see. On it were now the Parliamentary Cross of Honour, the highest award bestowed upon one by the parliament, the Imperial Star of Valour, the Greater Prussian Equivalent of the Silver Star, and the Golden Arrow-Crown, the highest award for bravery that the King of Reichskamphen can give.

"You also have Colonel's stripes on the way." Volcker said with a smile. "If there is ever anything you need, let me know and you will have it within a moments asking of it."

Contrary to the popular image of the man, he was quite sunny and cheerful...even father-like in his disposition. "I wish I could stay for longer, but that Perrigord is at it again. He won't even give me a chance to get back on my feet before he tries some innane trick again."

With that the MP walked out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment that Dietrich von Oberhausen ascended the throne of Reichskamphen...one knew that this was not going to be a joyride. The first act that he took after selecting his heir was to change the system of Arch Duchies within the Kingdom that had remained untouched for nearly 150 years. He split the Arch Duchy of Reichsburg in two, creating the Arch Duchy of Reichsburg and the Arch Duchy of Kaiserstadt.

Now, he deemed it necessary to further change the system. After a subtraction from the Arch Duchy of Magdeburg, the Arch Duchy of Karlsbad was created.

Kamphstadt was actually a city divided by two countries within the Kingdom. Reichskamphen and Russapovia split the city. For this reason, he divided that Arch Duchy into two renaming the Russapovian side by its locally given name of Essenburg.

From subtracting from Three Arch Duchies he created the Arch Duchy of Katrinebourg, the hometown of the former treasonous Emperor. This was done in the interests of Getting more Paisleyite leaders in the council. Some he divided because he knew the Noble would huff off and leave allowing him to appoint another Paisleyite to the position.

The Royal Guard's numbers were now pushing 15,000 in Reichsburg and 10,000 in Kamphstadt. A growth of nearly 500%. They still didn't have enough men to do more than that.

Financed by the Crown, Gerhardt Volcker and the PTP began doing advertizement saturation campaigns. The Crown also did the same type of media blitz promoting the history and tradition of Reichskamphen and the causes of the Crown. Separately, Dr. Ian Paisley began preaching throughout the cities and countrysides of the Kingdom trying to reawaken the country. His newspaper adds were everywhere and he was in direct competition with the Catholic Church for the souls of the citizens.

Together, this push was called "The Revival Season".

If this didn't bring back order...then drastic measures were in order.

Moderate success was had by the media blitz, but only moderate. PTP numbers were up about 8%. Approval ratings for the King were up about 10% to a total of about 72%. A few Previously successful Catholic Parishes had to shut down in various places throughout the country after Paisley came through their town due to bankruptcy and 0 attendance situations. But on the whole, the situation was unchanged. More money was piped into the entire effort in the hopes that progress might continue. But on the assumption that it would not, King Dietrich assembled the Nobility, the 2nd Estate.

The gathering of the 2nd Estate took place under the Dome of the Royal Palace in the King's grand Ball Room. "Fellow nobles...we are now entering a new age." the King addressed them all. "In years hence, the civilian infrastructure and the authorities controlled by the central crown could be relied upon to keep the nation in order. Therefore being a titled noble meant alot of money and no work. Now, the civilian infrastructure is regeared to serve the Parliament...the authorities once controlled by the Crown, with a few exceptions now serve the Parliament. And if anything in this country serves the Parliament...it serves Perigord."

There were some mixed sounds, but mostly sounds of agreement and indignation about the state of affairs.

"We have at our fingertips more money than Parliament will ever have, but some of our resources they have taken. There is a Bill being debated in Parliament, as you all know...that would reduce this country to a Constitutional Monarchy and remove the sovreign power of the King and the Nobility. We believe that in time we can reassert ourselves in the political process...but we dont have the time. If we do not act now...the Reichskamphen we grew up with will be yanked out of our hands by this malicious devil. I don't care if there is a gin joint somewhere in Reichsburg. I don't care if there is a Catholic Church, or even a Casino somewhere on the outskirts. What I do care about is the very framework of this country being torn apart!"

The Nobles rose to cheer him. The Arch-Dukes, the highest nobles in the Kingdom, sat in the front rows.

"I have petitioned the Emperor to release 1,000,000 Royal Troops from their duties in the Imperial Guard. This request was granted and last week these troops matriculated into the Royal Army and the Royal Guard. Napoleon sent some of his best commanders to lead the troops and ensure we are successful.

The Bill will go up for voting in two days. In 9 hours, I will release a Royal Edict disbanding the Parliament indefinately and placing a retroactive veto on most of the motions that they passed. I will allow the Catholic Church to stay in the Country, and I will relax some of the Blue laws. We will give the people a responsible level of freedom. Less than they have now...but more than they had.

Now I advise you, after you leave here to make haste for your homes because you will have work to do to ensure we don't have a fullscale revolution on our hands. It should be 11 hours from now before we will see anything.

The Royal Army has already been strategically positioned and placed on standby incase there is a revolt in response to this. If there is none, they will not act.

I am asking you, the Nobles to take control of your districts. You have the legal authority to assume direct control of regional militias, police forces, county authorities etc. at any time. Now use it. Back in the old days we needed this system to keep the country going. Now we need it again. Play time is over. It's time to save our future."

There was a cheering in the hall so loud that it rattled the chandaliers above. Hats were thrown into the air. The prayer had been answered...someone was finally standing up to Perigord. Not just standing up to him...but pushing him down.

"And as for the Liberal Party...it shall be illeagal. It's leaders...I want their heads on a plate." The room broke into the wildest cheering yet. "I want their assets seized and distributed to the people as a gift of the crown. I want any taxes they collected seized and redistributed to the people. If we cannot pay them yet, give them vouchers...for the Parliament does not have a right to tax and we will duly return their money to them. By dawn tommorrow...our country will be back in our hands."

Pierre's eyes lit up when his uniform just got a bit heavier.

"Thank you, sir, and I'm glad to see you're doing okay." The Doc's said that he'd be able to leave in three days, and back on active duty a week afterwards. That was pleasing news.
===============
OOC: Not much I can do. When he gets better, I assume you'll assign him the proper protective detail.

*9:00AM Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

At Fort Murat, the southern base of the Royal Guard in Reichsburg, the gears were turning rapidly. Platoons of men ran here and there collecting weapons and other essentials while others prepared the Fort for what it was intended to do, but had never really done...serve as a defensive outpost. The number of people in the base had tripled since Napoleon released many soldiers and officers of the Imperial Guard into the Royal Guard. One could definately see that some men, though wearing regulation Royal Guard uniforms, were clad in Imperial Guard shakos with the distinctive black and white cockade. It was, perhaps, a statement about priorities.

The International Headquarters of the Imperial Guard on Via Victora was also preparing for the worst. For the first time, the soldiers manning the defenses of the Headquarters exceeded 100. It was well over 2,000 but most stayed out of sight so no one would suspect a thing. All the Imperial offices were well guarded and the Free Presbyterian Church of Reichsburg was assigned a special contingent of the Imperial Guard to protect it. In the event that anything went wrong, the Emperor would declare the Church the property of the Imperial Crown and that any attack thereupon would mean the wrath of the Empire would come down on the city.

Gendarmes, Royal Police, everyone was preparing for the worst.

At 11:00, the sun finally came out from behind the clouds and the warm light creeped accross the ancient city. As the rest of Reichskamphen began their lunch breaks, the Parliament was just being called to order.

*Parliamentary Palace*

"Let us come to order." Prime Minister Perigord said matter of factly. "We heard from the Constitution Party Yesterday, now we will start with the Protestant Traditionalist Party." Perigord begrudgingly glanced at Volcker as he stood to address the Parliament.

"If we pass this Bill," he began, "We may as well kiss our country goodbye. The only thing that has ever kept this country intact was a strong Monarchy. When past Kings have relied on Parliamentary Process alone, then the Kingdom fell into weakness and disarray. We need someone with the guts to make the tough calls, not a bunch of no-neck, lilly-livered weasels debating the pro's and cons of a single word, in a single sentence, of a single paragraph of a bill that was irrelevant to begin with."

"Volcker, you idiot, the King just had 35 people drug out and shot!" Perigord snapped back at him. Generally on the floor of the Parliament, Perigord didn't intrude into any discussion and kept civil like everyone else. Now he broke. "They were commanders of the Police and Royal Guard! We need decisionmaking power...but we dont need a dictator who will lord over us!"

"Because those 35 people are dead, you are safer. They were slackers, they were traitors in some cases, they were neglectful...they allowed the Guard to collapse. Now that they have been put to death and replaced with competant men, you are not in danger and I doubt anyone will be questioning the Guard's abilities again."

As he said that, the doors of the Parliament, locked for session, were kicked open. Wood splinters flew as screws and pieces of the lock also fell to the floor. Nearly 50 Royal Guardsmen marched down either side of the aisle and surrounded the legislators.

"See what I mean." Volcker said smiling.

At last, a man in a General's uniform walked in. "I, General Bernard Monthalon of His Majesty's Royal Guard dp hereby present you with the decree of his Majesty King Dietrich the First of Reichskamphen:" He opened a scroll.

"In order to preserve the Kingdom, I decree that the Parliament of Reichskamphen shall hereby be dissolved indefinately. It shall not meet in any form and shall have no power, legislative or otherwise. You shall all exit the Palace now and not come back. Your effects will be shipped to you.

Signed...Dietrich von Oberhausen, King of Reichskamphen."

As Monthalon closed the scroll, the Royal Guard lowered their rifles in a threatening posture. The legislators of the PTP smiled from ear to ear as the Liberal party walked past, dejected, afraid even for their lives if they spoke up.

Inside the fortresses of the city, the powers that be waited for what was to come.

"

Ridgian Embassy, Reichsburg

The OSS agent in the Ridgian Embassy looked over reports. He was the "Attache in charge of Motherland relations".

He thought,
Parliament dissolved, Gendarmes everywhere. I'd say RK's going back to normal. If it ever was normal.

He got a phone call from the Head of the OSS,
'By order of the King of CR, eliminate all liberals in the embassy."

"yes Sir"

He hung up, went outside to the garden. He found the Commander of the Guard there, a captain, and ordered him to show him the guard placements. (OSS agent is a colonel).
"Sir, thats classified"

"I'll find out on my own then."

"How will you do tha...."
The OSS agent pulled out his Beretta, and shot him in the head. There was one more liberal.

He ordered troops to follow him, and they went upstairs. They banged on the ambassadors door.
"Open up"
No answer.

They banged down the door, and shot the ambassador.

The OSS Agent was in charge of the embasst now.

The King of RK was notified, as was the CR government.

At exactly 12:00 Noon, a message from the King was broadcast on every radio and television station.

"People of Reichskamphen, the Parliament that was put into place has betrayed you. It has spoken of removing the power of the King...of removing the nobility...of turning this country upside down. It has allowed abominations of all kinds to enter this land and promised the prospect of Abortion on Demand, Gay Marriage and other such dispicable things. The Liberal Party is the enemy of the People and of the Crown. Therefore, to preserve this country, I have used my sovreign authority to indefinately dissolve the Parliament."

There was a collective gasp accross the entire nation as people everywhere came to grips with the new reality.

"I ask you as your King to remain in your homes. There are those among you who would like to see death and destruction fall upon our cities. Therefore, I declare this day a national Holiday. You are released from all obligations business and otherwise unless you are called by the Royal Government. You are ordered to stay in your homes. Therefore, only those who wish to do harm to our city will be out in the streets. I warn you, all who take to the streets against this government will be killed and their land confiscated. We cannot withstand division in this country.

As I do trust my subjects, I have ordered the Military and police to stay within their fortifications unless there is reason to come out. If no problems are caused, no problems will come and the travel ban will be lifted.

God Save Reichskamphen..."

The transmission ended.

*1248 Rou de Janvier 8th, Reichsburg*

"Prime Minister, get in here!" a woman shouted as she ushered the Prime Minister and his guards into her apartment. "You'll be safe."

"Thankyou." Perigord sighed. "I am safe for now, but maybe not for long."

"I own this complex. I have a secret chamber in the basement where we hid Catholic Priests for years. You will be safe there." the woman assured him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posters went up about the city explaining the situation and listing the Parliamentary reforms that would remain recognized by the King. One of them was allowing the Catholic Church to Remain in Reichskamphen.

At around 2:00 that day, 50 men took to the streets in Cromwell Square. 10 Minutes after the cameras in the square notified the government that the demonstration was taking place...before any news service had a word about it...King Dietrich signed the order to send out the Royal Guard. No warning was given...nor was there any quarter given. 25 Mounted Royal Guardsmen galloped down the Via Victoria from Fort Hood in the North and from the South came 30 Mounted Guardsmen up the Rou de la Grande Armee.

The Guardsmen on the walls of the Arch Duke's Palace on Cromwell Square stood motionless staring on at the protestors. As the Mounted Troops, making a pincer formation, came into sight, the order was finally given.

The Arch Duke's Guards lowered their rifles and opened up into the crowd without warning. Panic set into the Protestors and they began to run. As they turned to escape...they found themselves running into the Sabres of the Mounted Guardsmen. "OURRAH!" shouted the Captain of the Guard as he raised his sabre and decapitated a peasant. The sun glinted off of the 55 drawn swords like an undulating sea of metal before they found their marks in the bodies of the protestors. Blood sprayed everywhere as the sabres sliced and slashed through the peasants. Not one of them escaped alive. The mutilated and cut up bodies were hung up one and all on the paraphets of the Arch Duke's Palace for all the city and the world to see.

After that, there were three days of calm. The blood was cleaned up and the bodies were thrown in a ditch and buried. The birds sang again. The flowers were in bloom and the sun shone on the city. Businesses reopened and people sat in the cafes and talked as they had before. Life went on.
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"Prime Minister." the lady who was hiding him whispered. "Put this on." She threw him a raincoat, a fedora, and a pair of glasses. "We're leaving now."

They got into an old Volkswagen and began to drive out of the city. The scenes of the city at peace flew by, stabbing at Perigord who couldn't imagine that the country, let alone the city could get along without him.

"Turn on the Radio." Perigord muttered testily.
_______________________________________________________
::This is 1235 Am Royal Reichsburg Radio. Now back to R.L. Dabney...Liberals love to hate him.::

"As you all know by now I'm sure, the King has put a price on Charles Perigord's head. The Liberal Party has been outlawed and all Liberal MPs are called either to turn themselves in and serve jail time...or be caught and killed. Any Liberal Party MP who does not turn themselves in has been sentenced to death by order of the King. Finally someone taking some action."
_______________________________________________________

"Turn it off." Perigord ordered. He lowered his head, defeated.

"We didn't want to tell you til later." the lady who hid him sighed. "We didn't want to upset you."

OOC: ......
=============
Colonel Pierre La Salle woke up in his own bed, without a cast, and was fully refreshed. After the morning routine, he walked to the Imperial Guard headquarters, instead of driving, enjoying the first day of unrestricted movement.

Upon getting there, he reported to the base commander for his duty.

OOC: I didn't exactly mean go that far! I didn't get my assassination... :(

OOC: I have things up my sleeve. In due time.

IC: The Consitution Party, the Liberal Party, the Reformist Party...though they were all in vast disagreement on several issues...they were united on one accord. They opposed the dissolution of the Parliament and the actions of King Dietrich.

The day after the Parliament was dissolved, they defied the orders of King Dietrich and met in the woods outside Reichskamphen. The Protestant Traditionalist Party was not present...they didn't need to be. The Speaker of the Parliament, in lieu of Prime Minister Perigord, called the Parliament to order and placed before the Parliament, a measure upon which to vote: To Rebel or not to Rebel?

By an overwhelming majority, the Parliament voted to go into open Rebellion against the King. They stretched their tendrils out all accross the country and recruited everyone that they could. In Reichsburg, all was in order...but elsewhere it was a tossup as to whether or not a revolt could take place. The Royal Guard, the Imperial Guard, the Royal Armies all stood ready...now for whom would they fight?

OOC: Okay, gotchya. Now, give my man something to do. :p

The signal was given at 6:45 Am.

In Reichsburg, the streets filled with tens of thousands of men. There had been mob scenes in Reichsburg before...but this was a mob unlike it had ever witnessed. There was relatively little looting and disorder...merely a concentrated attack. The mob descended upon the Parliamentary Palace and within minutes had scaled its walls and gained entrance into the unguarded building. (Since the Parliament had been resolved, there was nothing that needed guarding) They began setting up defensive positions on the walls of the palace, in the courtyard, inside the Palace itself. The mob, it appeared to the casual observer to be a mob in any case, was preparing for a fight.

Right accross the street from the Parliamentary Palace was the Imperial Guard's International Headquarters and on the other side was Ford Hood, manned by thousands of Royal Guardsmen. This was not an easily tenable position the rebels had put themselves in.

Fort Hood was right infront of the Royal Palace, infact its purpose was to keep the palace safe from mobs such as these or from invading armies. Nearly two thousand people surrounded the fort and tried to gain entry. The orders from the Palace were to take no prisoners. Machineguns mounted on the walls of the fort opened up and mowed down scores of the rebels while others managed to escape and kneel right at the foundation of the fort where the machinegun's couldn't reach. Men with handheld machine pistols and sniper rifles sought to take care of them. "Grenades!" shouted the Commander of the Wall defenses. Immediately each defender threw a grenade into the mob. The explosions were deafening, sending dirt and blood and torn flesh flying everywhere. Finally the mob turned and retreated. The Guardsmen lifted up their rifles and began to cheer, watching the dirty ruffians scramble back towards the Parliamentary Palace.

Then a ball of fire, visible from miles away leapt into the morning air. An enormous explosion rocked Fort hood, collapsing two sides of the Penatgonal Shaped Fortress entirely, and knocking half off of a third one. While the mob distracted the defenders, a traitor within the guard had ignited the ammunition dump in the base. Of the 5,000 men maning the fort, only 500 survived. Men, torn in half were screaming for their mother when the rebels put them out of their misery with bullets to the head. The mob seized the weapons of the dead and continued on, opening up the armouries left in the fort and distributing the weapons among themselves. The 500 or so survivors of the Fort Hood Explosion were treated to differing fates. Nearly half of them were murdered when the rebels overtook the ruins of the fort. The other half fell back to the Palace and stood with its defenders. Some in the guard though of thier families. They believed the day to be lost and rebel rule inevitable. They didn't want themselves and their families to suffer and die because they supported the crown. Therefore they took arms against the King and their commrades in the guard.

With only 700 Guardsmen now defending the Palace, and the only other nearby source of Help, Fort Murat in the South being beseiged by the Mob, Emperor Napoleon decided this mob was a threat to the Empire itself. From his palace on the Western edge of the city came orders for the Imperial Guard to move in and put down the rebellion. Nearly 50,000 troops marched into the city. By 5 that afternoon, the rebels had been beaten back from the walls of the Palace and from their various outposts all over the city. Now only 300 embittered defenders shot at the Imperial Guard from behind the walls of the Parliamentary Palace. It was a simple matter to get rid of them, or so it seemed until mortarfire came from behind the walls along with anti-tank missiles, one of which found its mark on an Imperial Panzer.

"We're not risking our men." Duc Guillaume, the Captain of His Majesty's Imperial Guard, said as he surveyed the situation. Because the Headquarters were right accross the street from the Parliamentary Palace, the entire upper heirarchy of the Guard was there to direct the action. "Burn it to the ground." Guillaume said finitively.

Tanks and artillery batteries hurled incendiary shells into the 18th Century Palace. As it slowly burned to the ground, some rebels came out and surrendered themselves. The rest were killed when an Me-172 planted a 500lb Bomb in the centre of the Palace collapsing the entire fire-weakened structure.

The Royal Armies claimed victory in Reichsburg, but at a heavy price. Elsewhere, they were not so lucky.

In Kamphstadt, there was little work to be done for the rebels. The military governor of Kamphstadt sided with the old Parliament and within hours the entire Province had slipped out of the King's fingers. In Katrinebourg, the mob was successful in overtaking the city and establishing its control over the government. Nearly 1/4th of the Country was now in open rebellion against the King.

OOC: AHEM! *points to above post of mine*

OOC: Okay, gotchya. Now, give my man something to do.

"Michael" said King John, "This is a threat to my power"

"How so, Your majesty?"

"Your Majesty" John replied mocking Captain-General Michael McLaughlin,
"BECAUSE IF NAPOLEON IS KILLED WHO KNOWS WHERE BURGUNDY WILL GO!" he screamed. "Sorry about that"

"You are forgiven John"

"I want you to appoint a Colonel, and assemble an invasion force to help out Reichskamphen."

--------

A large brigade (roughly 5,000 men) marched onto ships. They were outfitted in camoflag matching Reichskamphen terrain. Colonel John Shivingston. rode on a white horse, and looked over his men.

"Very good" he commented to an aid, "These rebels should be very easy to take out." Or so he thought

The ships set sail, flying the Ridgian flag high and proud.
------
A few hours later

CODE TO REICHSKAMPHEN MILITARY COMMAND
This is Colonel Shivingston. We have 5,00 reenforcements for fighting agaisnt the rebels. Where do you need us to land?

GPNN

For those of you who are just tuning in, we are continuing with our coverage of the revolt of the Southern provinces.

The entire Arch-Duchy of Kamphstadt as well as several provinces of the Arch-Duchy of Kaiserstadt are now currently under rebel control. Royal Forces are, as of this report fighting in the city of Kaiserstadt itself to beat the rebels back out of the city.

The revolts in the Arch-Duchy of Reichsburg have been put down for the time being, but not without billions of dollars in damage to the ancient city along with the distruction of the Parliamentary Palace, a landmark of the city built in 1738. This was only done with the help of the Imperial Guard as the mob seemed to threaten the Emperor and the Imperial Palace and government.

It is still unclear who is leading the rebellion. The military governor of Kamphstadt, GeneralFeldMarschall Hans Niederlander, is obviously a large figure as it was by his efforts that Kamphstadt is now firmly in rebel control.

King Dietrich has petitioned the Emperor for military aide to crush the rebellion. His petition, 7 hours later has yet to be answered. GPNN believes that representatives of the King and the leadership of the rebellion may be in conference with the Emperor.

Wait...this just in...Kaiserstadt has fallen. The Royal Armies are in full retreat from the city after a crushing defeat by the rebels in the city square.

Intelligence indicates that that bulk of the Rebel Army is composed of what was Army Group South (approx. 250,000 men) under the command of FeldMarschall Niederlander. They seem to be giving the Royal Armies a run for their money. Our military analysts forecast that in nearly two to three hours rebel armies could finish off the Arch-Duchy of Kaiserstadt and threaten Reichsburg yet again. The good news is that the Arch Duke of Kaiserstadt is a guest of the King's in Reichsburg and is in no immediate danger due to the fall of his city unlike the Arch Duke of Kamphstadt who, along with his entire family, has turned up missing...assumed captured or killed by rebel forces.

Rebel forces have overtaken the land surrounding two Imperial Guard bases, each housing 50,000 troops, but not the bases themselves. Without orders from the Emperor or direct attack, though, the Imperial Guard has its hands tied and as the revolutionaries have not attacked the bases, the Guard remains silent, cautious, and above all inactive.

As we go into commerical break, we leave you with the images on the Sauvegarde river in Reichsburg of barges evacuating citizens up river and out of the city, the highways that are covered in cars trying to escape, and other assorted images of a city in panic, trying to escape the oncoming flood.

*Military Command Message*
Cherry Armada, land at Port Arthur, it is the last port in Royal hands and it is under heavy attack by the Rebel Army. Please assist!

___________________________________________________________

"Mr. Prime Minister!" a man stumbled into the shelter in which Charles Perigord was tucked away. "Half the country is in revolt! The Parliament has reconvened formally in Kamphstadt and within the next fortnight is going to set up in Kaiserstadt which is now in our hands!"

As the man came into the light, it became more clear that he was wearing a Royal Army uniform. He was blonde, in his late 20s to early 30's and had a blonde goatee. Perigord, suspicious of the uniform began to slowly reach for a battleknife that was behind him.

Then the man realized the uncomfort the uniform caused. "Mr. Prime Minister, there are 500,000 men of Army Group South who are fighting to bring Democracy to this country. I am one of them. I stand with you."

Perigord, now more relaxed inquired, "Do you have a car?"

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*Temporary Paliament Hall: City Hall, Kamphstadt*

The Speaker of the Parliament, Johnathan Lewis of the Constitution Party, stood at the podium and was addressing the assembly. This was the 3rd Meeting of the Reconvened Parliament, the first having orchestrated the revolt, the 2nd being after the revolt to solidify the gains, and the 3rd to establish a government over the rebel lands.

"Myself and the six members of the Committee of Revolutionary Activities organized the revolt which has now liberated, realistically and all exaggerations aside, about a third of the country. The estimations of one half are fantasy." Lewis had dark hair and was in his late 50's. There were laughlines around his eyes, and he was slightly heavy set, but there was nothing overly jolly about him. He was friendly when necessary, and extremely aggressive when necessary as well.

"We have now solidified the gains of the revolt through petition to individual military leaders. As of now, we have 546,000 troops fighting for us. That number can drastically decrease or increase depending on the situation. There is nothing we have that can be counted on for sure. What we can count on though, is our enemy. The Royal Guard now has roughly 1,000,000 troops due to the influx of former Imperial Guardsmen. They will not be switching sides. Royal Army Group North, and Royal Army Group Reichsburg have 600,000 men each, totaling 1,200,000 troops all together. Due to the nature of the revolt, they are going to keep troops posted everywhere, but even with that they can mass a mobile attack force of about 1,100,000 men...just more than twice our size. This also includes tens of thousands of Royal Guardsmen who are much better trained than our men.

Therefore it is incumbant on us to be good leaders and establish a solid government. As there has been no sign of Prime Minister Perigord, we must now move to select another leader so that there will be no confusion in the days ahead. The floor is open for nominations."

"Archibald Stanley, East Kaiserstadt MP, Liberal Party" the MP stood stating his name, office, and party affiliation. "I nominate Speaker Johnathan Lewis. He has lead the revolution and it is because of him that we are here today." The man then sat down.

"Do we have a second?" Lewis enquired.

"I second." said Constitution Party Chairman Brett Kling.

"Other nominations?" Lewis looked around the room.

There was silence. "Last call for other nominations."

Silence again. "Well, then...the floor is closed for nominations. As there is only one nominated Candidate, then a vote is not necessary."

One of the Supreme Court Judges who sided with the Revolution advanced, Bible in hand to swear in the new Prime Minister. As he was in mid walk, the doors to the chamber swung open. A Guard shouted in. "Presenting, Prime Minister Charles Perigord!"

A hush fell over the room as Perigord walked in calmly. All eyes were focused on him; some, in rage, some in thankfulness.

Immediately a Liberal MP stood up, "Mark Cusak, West Kamphstadt MP, Liberal Party. I motion that in light of recent developments, the procedure just undergone be stricken from the record. There is no longer any need for a replacement."

Archibald Stanley who had nominated Lewis stared a hole through Cusak as did several other Liberal MP's surprisingly. Most of the left side of the room stood and clapped as Perigord walked down the aisle. Not wishing to foster disunity, the Right and Middle stood up a few seconds later and clapped also. However, the hesitation did speak volumes.

As Perigord stepped up to the podium, Lewis shook his hand with relatively little emotion and stepped aside.

"Today," Perigord began, "Is the day we declare our government to the world. Today is the day we declare our government to be the official government of Reichskamphen. Make no mistake, if we seek only to be peaceful and separate, then the blood of the martyrs will have been spilt in vain. It is our solemn duty to depose the tyrannical monarchy and replace it with democracy...good cannot coexist peacefully with evil!"

There was an uproar of applause. Lewis put his head in his hand. 'Now we're done.' he thought to himself.

"We can draw up a constitution...but for now...let us not waste any time in bringing to vote the most pressing issue of all; declaring this Parliament to be the supreme and final governing authority of Reichskamphen!"
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*Press Release*

People of Reichskamphen and the World,

Today the Parliament of Reichskamphen has reconvened for the Third Time and has issued it's declaration of Republic. It is the belief of the Parliament that the official recognized authority to rule Reichskamphen nolonger rests in the Crown but solely in the Parliament and the Democratic Process.

The Parliament declares that Reichskamphen, the lands both directly under its control and under the control of the tyrannical Crown are to be a Democratic Republic and no sort of Monarchy will be tolerated within the borders of this Country ever again.

The Parliament also recognizes the Armies of the Crown to be armies of tyranny and occupation and declares that a state of war exists between the true government of the Republic and the rebels under Dietrich von Oberhausen who claim that they posess the authority to rule this land and that Dietrich von Oberhausen is its King.

We appeal to you, the people of Reichskamphen and the people and governments of the world to ensure that absolutism is vanquished in this realm. We ask the people of Reichskamphen to join the Republican Army, and we ask the people and governments of the world to come to our aide in saving our fair land.

The Servant of the People,

Prime Minister Charles Perigord

Colonel Shivingston thought to himslef, My great grandfather John Shivingston was a madman. I have to redeem the family name. I have to.
Ridgian troops hit the land proudly flying the Ridgian flag, and marched into the city. Immediatly the Colonel exclaimed,
"These Reichskamphen officers have to be more ruthless. I wills how them! Attack the rebel stronghold areas and leave no survivors. Take no prisoners."

"but sir..."

"JUST DO IT! We can't have these rebels runnnig rampant. Kill everyone, it will just solve a later problem."

Mortar shells were fired on the rebels, and 2,000 infantry men rushed forward, killing all rebels in there way.
_____
Behind the lines, Colonel Shivingston rode up to the highest ranking RK military personal.
"Sir, my men have already begun to attack those rebels. Colonel John Shivingston, reporting"

*Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

The great ancient Capitol was a ghost town now. Its shop windows were boarded up. Its apartments sat vacant. Only the brave few remained in the city along with the Royal Guard. Who were digging trenches round about it and preparing for the rebel advance.

News had been heard of the Collapse of the 3rd Royal Army to the south. It was confirmed that the Rebel Army was approaching the gates of Reichsburg at breakneck speed. They would be there within a days time. Reports indicated that two entire Brigades on the centre of the Royal line had turned against their commrades in revolt allowing the rebels in and facilitating the crushing defeat. There were nearly 20,000 Royalist dead alone.

*Royal Palace*
---------------------------------------------

"Gerhardt." the King called over to Gerhardt Volcker.

"Yes, Highness?" the Arch Duke of Kaiserstadt knelt at the King's bedside. Dietrich von Oberhausen lay prostrate in his bedclothes. The room was dimly lit, with only two candles at the bedside to provide any immediate illumination.

"Look out the window." the King whispered through violent coughs. "Is everyone gone?"

Volcker stared into the baren streets, abandoned suitcases and cars lined the Via Victoria, people simply left what they could not carry. Papers blew accross the empty streets, kicked up by a cold and unforgiving wind of change.

"The city has been evacuated." Volcker sighed painfully.

"Good." the King whispered. He began coughing again, this time bringing up a hankercheif to his face to cover his mouth. The crimson stain of blood on the hankerchief was clearly visible as small droplets also dotted the sides of the King's mouth.

"Majesty...I told you that you shouldn't have been reviewing the troops." Volcker told the ailing monarch.

"It was cold, I was tired, but the men needed me there. You and I both would be hanging on a tree now if it weren't for that." the King then coughed so violently he lost his breath. He gasped for air thrice, on the third time his breathing was restored.

"Now the time has come for you to reign, Dietrich. If it takes 100 years...defeat these rebels." the King admonished him. He fell back, and gapsed for air thrice again, but after the third time his breath was not restored. His eyes glazed over as the colour began to drain from his face. Volcker checked the Monarch's pulse.

"Dead." he muttered, defeated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ridgian Embassy, Reichsburg
The Agent in charge of the embassy saw the streets deserted.
"EVERYONE, MOVE OUT"
They had been waiting for the order, and they boarded the helicopters. The civilians, but a few military didn't. There were only fifty of them left.
The ran rode down the street to the Imperial palace. They asked a guard.
"I am captain Christopher Williams." the Captain said, saluting, "We will help in the defense of the king and Reichsburg." He didn't know about the king yet

"Thankyou so much, your help is very much appreciated." the Imperial Guard Captain replied. Then, the city speaker system hissed for a moment. The captain cocked his head in curiousity. A single, piercing siren sounded once to indicate that a message was to be broadcast. Then the rumbling voice of Volcker echoed accross the deserted city to any who were within his call. "Citizens and Soldiers of the Kingdom, King Dietrich the First is dead of natural causes. Let us pray for our country in its hour of need." He choked up, the man of iron and bullets choked on the last words he said to the city. "God Save the King!"

The speakers still on, the sound of a single gunshot reverberated on every floor and on every piece of glass in the city and was followed by the sound of a body falling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

As gray clouds began to waft over the cold, empty city, a flock of birds flew on the left side of the sky. A light rain misted the window panes of the Royal Palace and left the cobblestones in the streets slick and appearing much darker than usual. The Cathedral Bells tolled the one bell only as the last Priest in Reichsburg offered a Mass for the respite of the King's soul and even for Volcker as well.

The Free Presbyterian Church echoed the chorus until the bells of every church in the city rang in unison. Once divided by trifles...they were now united in defeat.
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"Citizens of the Empire." the television zoomed in on the face of Emperor Napoleon IV. His eyes, sunken from days of stress spoke volumes about the message he was about to deliver.

"Upon the request of the King of Reichskamphen, I with held military support from either side. My friend and Colleague and greatest advisor, King Dietrich wished that no man suffer for the state of Reichskamphen, for his own errors as a Monarch. Now, the greatest servant of the Empire has passed away. His work has done more for this Empire than every Emperor put together and I will avenge his death. The Empire of Greater Prussia will not tolerate apostacy and Liberalism within its borders."

Napoleon placed his palms flat down on the desk and leaned forward in an aggressive posture. The sweat dripping from his forehead, he spat out, "Charles Perigord, I WILL have your head delivered to me on a platter! From this moment, I hereby decree that the Liberal Party of Reichskamphen both the organization and its members to be enemies of the Greater Prussian Crown. I also declare that a state of war exists between the Greater Prussian Empire and the so-called Republic of Reichskamphen."

Napoleon leaned back in his chairs and patted the tips of his fingers together. "The days of rebellion in my lands are through." he said finally before the screen went black.

The two squads of RWC Marine Elites made their way stealthily across the Reichskamphen border, ever since news of the Liberal Partys' take-over King Conners had been planning and awaiting, when Emperor Napoleon had declared the Liberal Party enemies of Greater Prussia he knew that the time was ripe to strike out hard against the foul stench that now hung over the once beautiful country known as Reichskamphen.

The leaders of each squad nodded at eachother and they began moving toward the borderhouse, wondering if they would find the traditional and loyal Reichskamphen guard, or if they would meet their first victims.

Colonel Pierre Jean-Baptise La Salle was in command of two mechinized infantry brigades. His orders were to hold off the advancing heretic traitors as much as possible, then flee further into Reichskamphen.

"Joy," the Colonel sighed. Thankfully, he had enough M3 Bradley's to assemble three recon companies -- which he did.

"So, do you know if we have the BIRC uplinked?" One other Colonel shook his head.

"What the heck is BIRC?" Colonel La Salle looked up.

"Oh, right. It is something a colonel in the Dersconi Army showed my during my tour of duty over there. It's digital connection placed inside all of the mobile vehicles -- heck, their Force Warrior program is uplinking it to individual soliders -- that allows you to see everything. I don't know how to explain it, but it is like God Himself coming down and showing you what He sees and telling you what He knows." He sighed.

"Well, this will be fun."

On the island.....
Colonel Shivingston took off his helmet and knelt. He said a prayer, crossed himself and stood back up. "Its payback time" ooc- post rebel losses

Reichsburg
The 50 men all fired their weapons in salute to the king.
"Ok" he said sftly,
"Its payback time, a fight to the death."

In very short order, the CR troops were intercepted by Royal Army officers. they were taken by armoured convoy up to the front lines. Port Arthur was a medium sized commercial and fishing port, and at this point, the Crown's only link to the sea. Earlier in the day, a Republican incursion had driven the defenders out of the Easternmost suburbs of the city. However, the line was holding fast on a small area of rubbled housing on the outskirts of the city. The city resembled an old French fishing village or port in its style, In places there were still cobblestone streets and all. Most of the buildings were made with stone and provided good shelter generally.

The number of defenders was shrinking by the hour and the attackers seemed to keep coming out of nowhere. At 2 in the afternoon, on a one mile stretch of the front line, the Royal soldiers cocked their ears to hear the sound of multiple approaching tanks. Before they could do anything, artillery was screaming down on their position, shattering the rubble even further and thinning the defenders quite considerably. Air power was essentially useless. Half the Airforce revolted and half of it remained loyal and as opposed to assisting with ground ops, each side was trying to dessimate the other's airforce to gain superiority.

The tanks barrelled through the rubble sweeping away any defense as if it were nothing at all. Then the shock troops followed after, killing everything that didn't bow its knee to the revolution. When the troops of Cherry Ridge arrived, it was 2:30 and the city appeared untennable. "Please." the Royal Guard commander begged, "Send your men in there, it's the only chance we have to hold their advance. If we don't hurry, we'll be cut in two!"
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OOC: RWC, the people in the north will be royal guardsmen. If you are coming from there, thats who you'll meet. Feel free to take liberties. Your men are needed in Reichsburg or if you are doing covert Ops, in Kaiserstadt.

"When I am done, none will be left" he said confidently.
We ordered an artillery barrage, and then his troops swarmed the buildings, killing all in there way. They shot, and took some casualties- 60 men. Then then torched a few of the building.

ooc-
Post casualties. Sorry for shitty post, I have to go to school.

OOC: We're heading to Reichsburg, what is the exact situation there?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Squad members found tactical points around the booth each ready to unleash fire and brimstone if anything went amiss, the alpha squad leader approached the booth and peeked in unbeknownst to the two Royal Guards inside, he backed away silently and back into the brush giving the hand signals for ally and then for the squads to form back into their respective fireteams.

They had left the booth behind and had now been marching under the cover of night for what seemed like hours. The red dawn peeked over the horizon and they immediately made for the cover of a nearby forest, the squads took a break as the leaders figured their next points of action.

"How far from Reichsburg? I mean we shouldn't be too far we've been marching all night at damn near triple time." Squad Leader B said very quietly, Squad Leader A just nodded and pointed out Reichsburg on the map he pulled out, placing an x about 40 miles from Reichsburg on the map to indicate their position. He then pointed out a route that would slingshot them around the city and into a lesser traveled back road. That was their insertion point. He folded the map, took a drink out of his canteen, and gave the hand signals for the squads to reform and move out.

*Reichsburg, Reichskamphen*

The city was bare and devoid of civilian life. Abandoned animals wandered the streets, their owners in too much of a panic to carry them along. Nearly 75,000 Royal Guard troops were garrisoned in the city, preparing for the arrival of the Republican Army.

50,000 Imperial Guardsmen arrived from the North the day before and gave reports that more were on the way, maybe a day or two behind them. Fort Carson, the Imperial Guard base for Reichsburg, was preparing for doomsday.

The Royal Army was fighting 15 miles south of the city. You could hear the engines of the Recon vehicles the rebels sent out at night to scout the defenses of the city, and even more pronounced was the rumbling of cannon fire...the never ceasing rain of death. They were on a slow, fighting retreat and it was entirely possible that by sunrise the rebel columns would be at the gates.

The entire country seemed to have been turned upside down. There was no King, and the common belief was that Volcker was dead. The Arch Duke of Reichsburg, Alexander Donath, was the heir apparant to the throne and he took command in Reichsburg now. The Emperor himself was still within the palace walls. He declared he would fight 'til the last, and ordered the Palace guards to prepare for the defense of the city. Most of the Imperial Court had departed for safer lodgings in the North of Reichskamphen, away from the fighting, but the most loyal friends of the Emperor refused to leave. One such friend, the Duke of Hesse brought the Emperor sombre news. The 5th Royal Army had been shattered in another crushing defeat. The rebels would be at the city within the next few hours...not a day at all. Even now, rebel Cavalry patrols needled the defenders of the city, attacking then disappearing into the night.

The Civil Defense siren sounded and the Emperor Napoleon addressed the city over the speakers, "All soldiers, to the front!"

Colonel La Salle looked over the maps a little more when it hit him. He turned to another Colonel.

"There's other people here to defend the city, right?" The colonel nodded to him.

"Yes, there is." La Salle smirked.

"Excellent. Colonel Vauban, Colonel Zimmermann, tell your two brigades to advance toward the incoming rebels, and then immediately turn away from their approach." The two colonels looked at him funny.

"Okay," La Salle continued. "We are going to let them into the city." The two other colonels went wide-eyed, but Colonel La Salle held up his hands. "Let me explain. The other forces around Reichsburg will fight them. We, on the other hand, will come in from behind. But, Colonel Vauban, I want you to keep an Armored Company at the palace. It will be impossible to hold the city. Once you recieve orders, you are to have your men enter the palace and escort Emperor Napoleon and the body of King Dietrich to APCs and haul ass in the opposite direction of the rebel forces." Colonel Vauban nodded. "Good," La Salle continued. "Once our forces cannot hold on any longer, we will take one of two evasive manoeuvres; One, we will blitzkreig right through the rebel forces at top speed in order to escape, or two, the two brigades will go around on either side of the city. I am still unsure if I will have our Artillery Batallion demolish the city once the rebel forces take it. That I will leave to Napoleon's orders.

"Now get moving!"

"Yessir!" Colonel Vauban and Zimmermann saluted and ran off to relay their orders. La Salle hopped in his command vehicle, which was a Dersconi Sith Sentinel II Tank. He preffered these for their ability to withstand just about anything an opposing force could throw at them, including a direct hit with a SABOT round.

After about two and a half hours, La Salle's two brigades were invisible to the opposing force, allowing them a free ride into the city, to be fought off by the other divisions.

Dear Lord La Salle half-thought half-prayed. Please let those fighters be good at geurilla warfare.

The Ridgian Captain ordered his fifty men to the front. He passed Colonel La Salle and said,
"Colonel, I am Captain Christopher Williams. We are the only Ridgian troops left in Reichsburg after the embassy was evacuated. It is open for your use if need be. Good luck sir." he said Saluting. He was a young captain, and looked nervous.
The Captain was riding a horse he had managed to find in the embassy. Probably a ceremonial thing, he hoped it was used to the sound of bullets. the rest of his men, however, walked.

Colonel Pierre Jean-Baptise La Salle turned to the young Captain, his Parliamentary Cross of Honour, Imperial Star of Valour, and the Golden Arrow-Crown, along with his Colonel's stripes glimmering in the sun. (La Salle wore his dress uniform to boost the morale of the troops) The Colonel himself was young for his rank -- about thirty-three. Pierre returned Chris' salute.

"Captain Williams," the Colonel was saying to him. "First thing's first -- ditch the horse. The only thing it does for you is offer you a quick one way trip to the ground." He was done with his scolding, and went to being the fatherly-like commander.

"I need you to do me a favour. Have your men march up the lines. Be my reconassianse element. I don't want to send a Bradley out there -- it's too noticable. Once they reach within range of my artillery fire, radio back to me, and high-tail it the heck out of there. Once that is done, I want you behind me, in the city. I hope your men are good geurilla fighters."

He looked at the horse, and then jumped off it. He tied it to a tree.
"If the rebels advance, kill it. I will carry out your orders sir. Can you send this for me, if theres anyway possible sir?" he said, handing him a scrunched up envelope, "Its for my family and my fiance"

ooc- The captains wearing this- http://www.quartermastershop.com/images/0403_OFF_FRK_WITH_EPP.JPG

The Colonel pocketed the envelope. "I will guard this with my life, you have my word. But, Captain," he said, motioning to the Captian's uniform. "Stay behind. You will be spotted easily."

"But Colonel...." He decided to let it go though, knowing he wouldn't win. He tuned to his men,
"You heard the Colonel, go and do it!"

45 minutes later
"Sir" whispered a Corporal to the Sergeant, "What do we do now?"
"Radio back"
"Aye Aye sir"
To: Colonel La Salle
CC: Captain Williams
We are within range. We are getting the hell out of here. Rebels ARE within range! over and out
The Company began to make their way back.

The Colonel looked at his radio when the message came through. He picked up his radio to Colonel Vauban.

"Enemy approaching." He turned back to Captain Williams.

"Tell your men to stay out there and track them, but DO NOT GET SPOTTED!"

Stay out and follow them. Be careful. Don't get spotted

"Sir, is there anything else I can do?" he kenw that Reichsburg would fall, but not without a fight.

The Colonel shook his head.

"No, there is nothing except what I already told you. Good luck -- God be with you."

"And with you"

The Colonel nodded and looked at his maps. All his armored divisions were in place, and waiting for the rebel forces.

OOC: Grr @ Will.

the Marine Elites unit came to the city walls, finding a small liberal party encampment, but keeping themselves hidden.

The Squad Leaders motioned for their men to draw arms and prepare to fire, all of the men also noting the silencer hand signal being displayed. They placed the silencers on their weapons and took aim, the dropped hand was the signal t fire and a series of low whistling sounds was made as they pelted into the encampment leaving none alive.