NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC NOTE: Hey, It's been a while! Like two years since I last RPed. So, I will include a map of The Continental Valerian Empire (i.e. it does not include overseas territory of the empire) to give you a view of Valeria. I'll need to create a new Country Info Thread sometime soon, and I'm reviewing all my old files in case I need to edit them.

Oh yeah, and the various named divisions (i.e. Tabriz) on the map are states... they are part of the Valerian Empire.

Map of Valerian Empire:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f63/ValerianEmpire/MagnaValeria.gif

IC:

5:12 AM, January 21st, 2045 AD
Isangrad, The Valerian Empire

It was a sullen, rainy day in the capital of The Valerian Empire. Isangrad, with its Old City and New City along the River Vedus, will soon be awakening to the news that its emperor, His Imperial Majesty Tsar Alexander II of Borivich-Vassilakos-Seleukios has passed away of severe brain hemorrhaging. It was disturbing news, for the Emperor was a kind and benevolent ruler. His son, Alexander Alexandrovich, has managed to stay out of public view for as long as people can remember, and those few that already know of the emperor’s passing wonder what type of ruler the new emperor will be like.

The news was first received by the heir apparent to the Valerian throne, Alexander Alexandrovich. Even though he is a grown man at 38 years of age, the news of his father’s death brought him, his wife, and children into despondency. Even the guards, entrusted with the lives of the royal bloodline, were moved to tears as they saw the cold, limp, lifeless body of the emperor. Alexander II was known for his brilliance, his affability, and his kindheartedness towards everyone. He was pious, but open-minded to other beliefs and to every possible situation; he even declared that evolution was the most correct theory and should be the dogma of all education systems the world over (in concerns to Biology).

The news soon leaked outside of the Imperial palace, with its fusion of Greco-Roman architecture and bright Onion Domes. It poured out onto Victorialis Avenue, where the gentry and nobles made their homes, onto the grand Cherry Blossom Street Market of the Old City, onto St. Gregory Street where poor factory workers and well-to-do clergy both make their homes, and into the New City were impressive skyscrapers and modern buildings pierce the morning fog, up into the grey sky. The football players, whom were just about to practice for yet another season of footie, paused to see the morning news broadcast. Farmers on the outskirts of Isangrad, the massive metropolis of nearly 27 million souls, sipping fresh coffee for the long day ahead, paused as well. The Valerian Empire froze as the various channels said virtually the same line the Empire (and even the world) over.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, at 5:12 AM this morning, His Imperial Majesty, Tsar Alexander II, passed away from massive brain hemorrhaging. He suffered an aneurysm earlier at 3:39 AM this morning, and had his family at this bedside this morning to bid their farewells to perhaps one of the most enlightened rulers to reign over the nation. Alexander was 61 years old, and he was suffering from previous health problems such as a stroke just a year prior which left him partially paralyzed…”

Priests rushed out to ring solemn church bells, Rabbis declared a period of mourning, and Imams began to try and gather as many people as they can to hold prayer services, be they Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, or Muslims. It was barely 6:02 AM when people in their pajamas and nightgowns walked out in the chilly weather to pray for the dead emperor. The day was declared a day of mourning, and all businesses froze. The stock market was closed as if it were an impromptu holiday. The busy shops went silent. Cars remained in their driveways and garages. The materialistic aspects of society halted, and it exposed the spirit of the Valerian people. The news began going international to all nations around Earth and beyond Earth itself.

“My father… Dad… is dead…” Alexander Alexandrovich, the Crown Prince, muttered as he stared at the bluish cold face of his father; even a man like himself began shed tears. Just two years ago, the Empress, Madame Sophia Petrovgradsky, died, so it was another blow to the prince‘s psychological security. The Emperor had a stern face, although half of it was disabled by an earlier stroke. The Emperor Alexander had vibrant green-hazel eyes, and hazelnut hair that had become grey over the years. The Emperor was tall, too. His height was measured at 6 feet 5 inches, and he was athletic even in his old age; the emperor often was depressed since his stroke prevented him from playing basketball, running, horseback archery, and weightlifting, all things he enjoyed for decades. It was as he was wasting away and lost the will to live after he lost the ability to freely do what he pleased, and thus after the stroke, everyone knew that the Emperor did not have much longer to live, no matter how much everyone wanted to deny that fact. Finally the Emperor will rest, no longer crippled by a stroke, and no longer suffering from such a disability.

It was a sad day indeed for the empire of some 673.5 million people, whom all offered a prayer or two for the Emperor to rest in peace with his ancestors. Now, this week in January will be no ordinary week. It will be the week of a funeral, of mourning, of a coronation of a new emperor, of a celebration. Due 5 days from the emperor’s death (as according to Valerian tradition), the Heir Apparent will be crowned as the new Emperor. The Dead Emperor’s corpse will be displayed in an open coffin for two days in the massive Sankt Pavel Square near the Imperial Palace; on the third day will be the funeral procession and parade to the Borivich-Vassilakos-Seleukios Family Graveyard in the town of Borivich Selo; on the fourth will be more prayer and a feast to honor the dead emperor; on the fifth day after death will be the coronation ceremony of Alexander Alexandrovich, the son of Tsar Alexander II; the sixth and seventh final days will be a feast and festival to commemorate the new emperor.

Already, the morticians (after having the coroners verify the COD) whisked away the heavy husk of the Dead Emperor to prepare him for the coming two days of public display and for burial. The future Alexander III rested in his bedroom on his mahogany at 8:34 AM, luxurious bed alongside his wife, pondering about their future reign. Not only do they have to think about their reign, but marrying off their children too! They suddenly have to think about their future now that they will be placed upon the thrones as the new Emperor and Empress; the Dead Emperor has placed all responsibilities of the vibrant Valerian Empire on their shoulders.

“A hereditary monarchy,” said Benjamin Rinehart, with a grin crossing his already deeply creased face. “And at least semi-absolutist, it would seem. How very... quaint.”

“You would do well not to poke fun, Ben. That was us not so very long ago,” replied Charles Bradsworth, who was sitting behind his mahogany desk -- a ‘gift’ from the late Mr. Tarriff -- with a hand to his forehead. Being the premier of the National Assembly in the first republic Iansisle had ever known and trying to balance the constitution, the electorate, and the military was one of the most taxing jobs he could imagine. If it wasn’t escaped royalists smuggling opium, it was some Walmy ambassador professing the eternal friendship between Great Walmington and Ianapalis or an Effitian aero-raid.

“I suppose I just can’t see the reason behind sending an embassy to this ‘Emperor’ -- erm, Alexander.”

“This republic needs all the friends it can get,” said Bradsworth. “Even if they are not our ideological allies. The only thing keeping Valinon from bombing the Shield into oblivion is that March War and God only knows how much longer coincidence will protect us. The Larks are distant, the Imitorians more so, and even the Knootians are cool.”

“It’s just that -- well, this won’t look very good in print. ‘Bradsworth Government to Beg More Toleration from Dictators!’ And, of course, de Fenne is already putting the thumbscrews on over Gallaga policy. Madders won’t let us rest on labor issues, and the royalists are putting up a big stink about the whole ‘loyalty to the republic’ part of the constitution.

“Then what if the Valerians don’t even want to have anything to do with a revolutionaries, possibly regicides? We’ll make pretty big asses out of ourselves, putting forward like that without a safety net. I don’t know about you, Charles, but I rather like serving this country in what way I can and elections are coming up.”

“Ben,” said Bradsworth, holding up a hand. “Just stop. I’m not asking you to send an envoy to Magnus Valerius as a friend -- I’m telling you as the Premier.”

Rinehart was aghast. He didn’t meet Bradsworth’s eyes, but rather shuffled quietly out of his office without so much as a ‘Long live the Republic!’

Alexander III, Emperor of Magnus Valerius,

Please accept the condolences of the Iansislean Republic on your recent loss. Your father was a great man, well-admired on the Shield, and he will be missed and prayed for by everyone. We know that you will be a valiant successor, kind and humble in your regality.

It is perhaps worthy, then, that on this dawning of a new day for the Valerian Empire that we should seek to reconcile our two great nations. There has never been much contact between us, a lamentable fact. Therefore it is my honor to announce that, should you be gracious enough to accept him, we have sent Mr. Roger St. Claire [credentials enclosed] to represent the Gull Flag Republic at your coronation.

Best wishes in these troubled times,

B. Rinehart
Director of Foreign Affairs
The Iansislean Republic

OOC:

I've got an NSWiki for Magnus Valeria started. It's far from complete, but it's pretty interesting if you read the few articles that I have completed or am working on:

http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Magnus_Valerius

Hopefully I'll have a lot of more articles up this weekend when I have a lot more time to work on them. And, hopefully I'll have an article for each of the 81 monarchs of the Empire. :P

IC:

The body of Alexander II was in the mortuary, cold, lifeless. The Imperial Coffin Maker, Grigori Borbinskoy, sighed as he emblazoned the lid of the Tsar's coffin with the Imperial Double Eagle, an emblem that the people of Magnus Valerius have been using for centuries. The coffin was a magnificent display box in itself: its gold finishes, intricate carvings of the emperor and various onion-dome cathedrals and the like line its sides, and the inside was red velvet and silky soft. The Imperial Family certainly got their money's worth, and at 50,000 Crowns, this coffin was a masterpiece to house the remains of a worthy Tsar.

As Bobrinskoy finished up the coffin, the heir to the throne, the future Alexander III, was being measured and fitted for the coronation garments. The seamstresses giggled as they saw the Prince, standing half-naked in his boxers, quickly and eagerly measuring his armspan and the like to make sure that his finery he will wear during his coronation will not be too loose or too tight.

"Hurry this up already," he muttered with some anger. Alexander III was an angry person. Being much shorter than other people in the Borivich family, he also apparently inherited the bad temper of his grandfather, Tsar Alexander I The Mad. "Can you stop laughing? I don't know what is so funny about seeing your future overlord in his... his... underwear!" The remark by the emperor just fueled the laughter of the women and they muttered an old Valerian saying: "You can't know a person's true personality until he or she is undressed or drunk."

Alexander III's intial shock of his father's death wore off after lunch. He had a particular thought in his mind: Now I'M TSAR!!! The thought of being the lord over a thriving empire, with all the power to dominate the region, filled him with adrenalin. And now that his crippled father is dead, he could do as much as he pleased with his nation. He remembered when he played with toy regiments and navies, bashing apart the other armies of other nations in the region such as Hayastan-Kanaani, a "nation of hairy Armenians and conniving Phoenicians" (as Prince Alexander III would remark). The Court was grumbling about Alexander III's lack of common sense and his blatant bad temper. Another bad thing about this emperor was that he was pretty sickly. There are murmurings that some nobles want to dethrone Alexander and instead place his eighteen-year-old son, Prince Ivan, on the throne instead...

After the seamstresses have finished, Alexander III came down with a winter cold. He hacked loudly as his attendants quickly procured some tea and a nice warm bath ready to treat the heir apparent and future tsar. After he was done with tea, a couple of maids hurried him to his warm bath.

"I DON'T need your help!"Alexander III said as the maids undressed him and carried him into a luxurious marble bathtub, filled with hot suds and epsom salts. Alexander III coughed vigorously again and gave up, letting the young women relax him as he washed off the tiny amount of filth he picked up this day.

As the future emperor sat at the dinner table with his large family and his love of his life, his wife Catherine, he received word of an envoy from a guard, obviously drunk from the rum rations that were distributed to each and every soldier on this night. At first, the emperor-to-be was angered at the interruption of his supper, but then hearing the word that it was an envoy from Iansisle, Alexander III cooled down and regained his composure. He wondered where was Iansisle; Alexander III was a failure in geography and barely even knows the entirety of Valerian territories.

"Please welcome the envoy, bring him in, and offer him a seat at our fine table! I hope he likes beef, because that's the main course... and I hope he enjoys a good drink."

The guard corrected himself and the emperor, by saying that the envoy will come during the coronation. Alexander III smashed his fist into the guard's face in anger; he hated being wrong and being corrected. The guard backed off, and the letter from the Iansislian foreign ministry fell from his grasp. Alexander quickly scooped up the letter and carefully read the Shieldian letter before he nodded with satisfaction. After a good supper and a good drink, the emperor-to-be decided to send notification to The Gull Flag Republic.



B. Rinehart,

It is with the utmost pleasure that you have decided to send a representative of Iansisle to my coronation. My father had disconnected all diplomatic outlets due to his incompetence with them, so I will be gladly to accept any representative of Iansisle once again in our empire... so long if your "republican" ideals do not spread within our borders.

As an order before my coronation, I will have a diplomatic representative dispatched from my court to Iansisle to establish communications once again. His credentials are many, including a formal education in our nation's finest university for foreign affairs: Yeufemei Pavlovsky. He will leave for your nation as soon as I am coronated in five days.

I am looking forward to seeing Mr. Roger St. Claire at the ceremony.

His Imperial Highness, Prince Alexander III of House Borivich
Emperor-to-be of The Valerian Empire

January 22nd
Sankt Pavel Square
Isangrad, Magnus Valerius

"Alright boys, hoist it up on the cart!" a man shouted at the mortuary where the Dead Emperor's body was prepared for public display.

The imperial coffin, embellished with gold and ivory, and with various fanciful carvings, was loaded unto a horse-drawn carriage (as tradition demands it so). The Imperial Guards tasked with guarding the corpse entered into the funeral wagon and got ready to head out to Sankt Pavel Square. The funeral wagon was also something of splendor. It was furnished out of expensive cherrywood, with accents in gold and silver. The white horses were fine beasts of burden, almost as flawless as the coffin and the wagon.

The carriage pulled out at dawn before there were large crowds of people or bad traffic along the city's byways. The carriage came to a halt at Sankt Pavel Square. Emperor George I first started the idea of displaying the dead members of the Imperial Family at this site, and later Empress Victoria had the square paved and embellished with a mighty fountain, trees, and sculptures. The square was beautiful, with a huge fountain, many sculptures of heros and angels, and when the cherry trees bloomed, it was a place where many people will come to relax and take in the scenery amongst the Old City sector of Isangrad.

The guards lifted the coffin out of the funeral wagon and brought it to the 'area of public display'. They lifted the lid of the coffin, and the box revealed a peaceful Tsar Alexander II in eternal sleep. Overlooking the dead body was a statue of Jesus and Mary, another of St. Valerian, and not too far off was one of Emperor George I.

The two days of public display had begun, and already some people up in the early morning came to view the emperor and bid their farewells to a fine ruler, someone who was once a credit to Magnus Valerius.

Day 3
January 23rd

The second and final day of open, public display of the dead emperor. A choir, sent by the Catholic Cardinal of Isangrad, began singing Miserere and other sorts of religious hymns and psalms to honor the emperor. The crowds could not have been bigger, as the city was swarming with mourners from all over the country. People wanted to see the dead emperor just once before he is buried, and it has been estimated that 2.5 million people will see the emperor's body before the period of mourning was completed.

The future emperor, the son of Alexander II, the would-be Alexander III, was occupying himself in preparing for the throne. He has been spending his time thinking about what he will do once he is seated upon the throne of the great empire, thinking about how he should govern his subjects. Alexander III was thinking of making an iron-fisted policy out of his reign, tightening the emperor's grip on the millions of Valerian subjects. This has leaked to the upper echelons of society and the various nobles close to the Imperial Family, and such plans of authority have been met with disgust from all around. "He wants to be an absolute ruler, just as how it has been in the past... do you think he is trustworthy?" one noble commented from behind a plain, white mask; he was in a masquerade party that the new emperor was holding in his own honor. "I don't know, maybe we should try and make his son, Ivan, the emperor... but this might take work..." said a second noble, hiding behing a mask of a pig.

Ivan Borivich was Alexander III's son, and the new heir to the Valerian throne. At 18 years of age, he was showing signs of great brilliance, far surpassing Alexander III's own agendas and trains of thoughts. Ivan seemed to be more fitting for the throne of the empire than his father, and it seems that perhaps this will be a sign of future tension and perhaps strife and chaos within the empire. With political lines already backing Prince Ivan in favor of Alexander III, the future of the empire has been forecast, and the future on the horizon will no doubt be bloody.

Alexander III's ineptitude has reached the ears of some nobles far off in the Province of Baden, which has always thought of seceding from the empire. An underground movement was forming: hooded men congregated in a shady area of the city of Zellburg, and they were there to discuss plans of a full-fledged revolt from Magnus Valerius.

"Vwe musts fight for our freidom!" said one plotter in a heavy German accent. "Jawohl! This vill be ze age, vhere Baden vill return to its former glory..."

The meeting continued in secrecy, and when the Badenese plotters left, they had secured funds and a figurehead from unidentified sources for the movement to begin... it will no doubt become a widespread movement in a matter of months with the large amounts of funds that the movement will be receiving, for it is known that major Badenese noble houses have supported the idea of revolt.

Roger St. Claire, accredited emissary of the Gull Flag Republic, attended the second day of the Emperor's funeral. It was not *quite* an intentional snub to miss the first day -- Ianapalis' orders to St Claire that he was to respect local custom, no matter how backwards it might seem to him were still in effect -- but St Claire still wasn’t quite sure why he had even been sent out to such a reactionary old monarchy in the first place. He was even trying to comply with the Foreign Office’s restriction on revolutionary propagandizing, but he had worn his red and green cockade for the last four years, and nothing could make him take it off now.

“Requiem in terra pax,” murmured St. Claire under his breath, before raising his head and moving off to one side, where stood his Valerian escort. “Thank you. I appreciate the chance to offer my final respects.”

OOC:

Sorry for the wait. Had two midterms last Friday, so my mind was elsewhere last week.

IC:

As the day progressed, thousands of people crowded the square to take a glimpse of the dead emperor for one last time before he is sent away to Borivich Selo for burial. Finally, at twilight, the coffin was closed and whisked away to the mortuary to be examined for any possible damages before it was to be put on parade on the following day. Grumbling citizens, now seeing the past emperor dead, wonder how the new monarch, Alexander III will fare. Many are saying that he will be inept - "...after all, he did try to shy away from the public. I also heard that he gets into drunken fights and fights in general quite easily."

It will be likely that stability in the realm will decrease once the emperor's reign begins to take off... The future of Magnus Valerius becomes cloudier with each passing moment, with the only certainty is that violence will overtake the nation soon.

Already, plans for revolt in the state of Baden has begun to disseminate throughout high-ranking social orders in secret. It may be a matter of just months before the movement for "freedom" gets going. Money from the accounts of many high-ranking noble families within the state of Baden have begun to funnel into a single account, which baffles Valerian officials. Since the officials don't really care much about this sudden movement of cash, no one blew a whistle or alarmed the Ministry of Internal Affairs about such a happening.

Day 4
January 24th
Isangrad, Magnus Valerius

The morning started out gloomily. Rain began to sprinkle the streets of Isangrad and the funeral parade was going under last-minute preparations. The funeral carriage, with the dead emperor’s body within, was checked and readied for the parade today. The parade will last for a few hours as the carriage makes its way to Borivich Selo, the hometown of the imperial family. The imperial period of morning is over, so kids and workers may return to their goings on, such as school and the like.

Prince Ivan, the eldest son of the future emperor Alexander III, drove to school in his Audi S4. He went to public school, and the Imperial Family had made it a policy for the children of the family to head to public schools ever since Emperor Meijis sent his children to public schools. Ivan was a senior at Candar High School, and that school is one of the most prestigious public schools in Isangrad. There are a significant number of east Asians within the school, and Ivan has been keeping a secret from his father for a long time: he had been dating a young east Asian girl for the past six months. It was against tradition to mingle with “unfit” people in terms of serious relationships, and if Ivan’s father found out, he would be furious and brand young Ivan as a pervert. The thing is… Ivan was madly in love with the girl. She was a Korean-Valerian by the name of Esther Kim. Her father was a grocer, and she came from a lower-middle class family. Ivan was hoping to marry her someday, but it might be problematic with his staunch traditionalist of a father.

Ivan’s fraternal twin sister, Constantina, also had her problems with the man of the household. She was a cheerleader, and was voted “Hottie of Candar High School”. She believes her father tries to restrict her from showing off her beauty, and the whole idea of “saving her for a rightful husband” sort of thing made her angry. She wanted to find a man for love, not to be married off to some nobleman’s spoiled son. She was riding in her brother’s Audi with him when she started a conversation.

“I think dad’s being a pain in the ass… he, like, tries to dominate our lives as if we aren’t even, like, human… as if we are his pets, yeah?” Constantina sighed.

“You said it,” replied Ivan. “I want her so bad but..”

“Oh, you mean the Korean girl? Yeah, she’s good for you. Both of you get along so good.”

“Yeah… I know dad won’t let me have her though.”

As the imperial progeny began their school day, the future emperor sat with his wife in their fancy, brand-new imported Bentley and were to be part of the motorcade accompanying the dead tsar to his final resting place. Alexander III was irritable as usual, insulting the driver of the Bentley and cussing out various event organizers on how bad of a job they were doing. But, at last the parade began.

It was 8:30 AM.

The carriage pulled out with the motorcade of imperial officials surrounding it (the emperor included). The parade started off at a crawl, since the parade included marching bands and regiments of soldiers and street performers. Crowds of people massed to watch the solemn parade head out from Isangrad and went northeast towards the hills that overlook the city. A pass lay through the hills, and this pass leads on towards Borivich Selo, the town of the imperial family. The parade took several hours. Along the way, people said prayers, farewells, threw rose petals and watched silently as the procession made its way on the 50-mile journey to Borivich Selo.

The procession arrived at the Imperial Graveyard in Borivich Selo at 12:00. The future emperor and his wife dined at a local, upscale restaurant as the casket containing the remains of the emperor were wheeled up in place over the gravesite. At 12:45, Alexander III came back, apparently furious over the terrible service at the restaurant.

“Damn servers! Goddamn cooks! I told them that I wanted Japanese-style green tea! And then he brings me VALERIAN-style green tea! Their caviar wasn’t prized Russian caviar, but worthless Turkish caviar… I never even knew Turkey was in that business, but I see why: they make terrible caviar producers…”

While the emperor continued to gripe about his “terrible dining experience”, the Eastern Orthodox priest in his monastic robes, and all of the extended family members of the Borivich family (minus the kids) gathered for the interment of the casket into the ground. Guards kept away unwanted paparazzi and guests, since this ceremony was totally private. As the casket was brought into place by two imperial guards, however, one had begin suffering from an seizure and collapsed. The coffin fell and flew open. Inside was the emperor’s body, but what was strange was that the body was desiccated; yesterday, it was just fine, thanks to masterful embalming, but today it was oddly dried out. The attendees to the funeral gasped in horror and murmured amongst themselves.

”This is a bad omen…”
“Our beloved Tsar Alexander II’s body is as dry as a prune’s! And it wasn’t like this yesterday.”
“What can this mean?”

Alexander the Third, however, began taking out his anger on the guard suffering from the seizure, kicking and yelling at him.

”What the fu-… Why did you dishonor your nation, you bastard! Pray that you die today!”[

The other guard had to forcefully restrain Alexander from bludgeoning the guard to death with a scepter that was to be a prop for the burial. But, finally after all the drama, the priest recited the funeral rites and Alexander II was buried at 1:24 PM.

The future tsar headed back with his entourage. At the same time, Ivan Borivich skipped school with his sister and they brought home their loves. Ivan brought home his girlfriend, Esther Kim, while Constantina brought home a high school soccer player, Raoul De La Croix. They were hoping that they can be alone for awhile, but their parents will be around and will be looking for them when dinner rolls around.

“Your house is… what dreams are made of.” Esther said as she looked at the various paintings and artifacts flamboyantly laid out in the palace halls.

Ivan hugged her close and whispered, “Yeah, it is… when I become tsar, it will be all mine too.”

“Really?” Esther said. “I wonder what you could do with all this stuff. You’re really rich, well, compared to me and my family. My dad makes enough Crowns for us to live decently, but we don’t have a palace or a huge garden or anything like that.”

Ivan said with a hint of sadness, “I hope… I hope we can stay together. Imagine, if we can share all this someday. We are meant to be together. But… but my father might get mad to think that I would marry you.”

“Why?” Esther said with a glimmer in her eyes. She and Ivan gazed upon each other as Ivan brought her to his side, pulling her with his arm around her shoulders.

“Well, he thinks I should marry someone in my class and someone who is Valerian. He is a traditionalist, but I hope I can change things around, somehow, maybe. Like, you know, maybe I can abolish that old law.”

“Well, you’re smart, so I think you’ll figure it all out,” Esther replied with a smile. “Just make sure that we will someday get married, ok?”

Ivan smiled and kissed her. He brought her into his room and then closed the door behind him. He was, however, dumb enough not to lock the door behind them.

Constantina, on the other hand, was in the elaborate marble hot tub in the private spa of the royal family with Raoul. The spa and pool overlooked the imperial garden, which was in the back of the palace. She cuddled silently with Raoul as they viewed the garden and its wildlife. There were several varieties of birds, such as the Valerian Bee Eater, a yellow songbird that is common around the state of Valeria.

The future tsar rolled up into the long secluded driveway of the Valerian Imperial Palace. He wasn’t expecting his two eldest children, the “paragons of Valeria”, to be going against tradition in their own ways, let alone to have been home from school early. Alexander III and his wife, Yekaterina, relaxed for a moment, sharing a spot of tea and cookies. However, Alexander noticed the hot tub active in the back and peered out to find his daughter with a young man from high school in there. His face turned red like a beet, and after a few expletives, he surprised Constantina and began to chew her out. Raoul made his exit and Constantina began bawling.

It was 5:00 PM.

The Funeral Dinner (as Valerian tradition demands on the night of the 4th day of mourning) rolled around, and Alexander III was wondering where Ivan was. He wandered to his room, to find Ivan asleep, cuddling Esther. They were in Ivan’s bed, naked, after having made love a while before. Alexander III was infuriated, thinking that his heir might end up “tainting” the royal bloodline with “Asiatic” ancestry. He smashed a chair to the side of the door into the wall and began shouting at the top of his lungs.

“YOU!!! How can you think of insulting your ancestors and mixing our bloodline with someone like that… Mongol you are with! If I could, I would kill you. You disgrace the Borivich-Vassilakos-Seleukios family, the House Borivich!!! Now, get you and your… temptress dressed. Take her home; I do not want to see her on the premises again!”

Alexander III slammed the door, leaving a heartbroken Ivan and Esther alone for awhile. They remained silent and melancholic for fifteen minutes before Ivan got up and began to dress himself. He combed his light hair with its golden highlights and helped Esther ready herself again.

“Don’t worry…We’ll stay together. I’ll find a way to get past my dad,” whispered Ivan to Esther.

“I hope… I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And so is the drama of the Imperial Family. It looks like Alexander III has created tension with his son, and this may lead to one thing and another. Maybe Alexander III’s reign will be as short as many will believe.

And tomorrow is only the day of the coronation of Alexander III…

Day 5
January 25th
Isangrad, Magnus Valerius

Today was another holiday for the workers of Magnus Valerius. It was not due to a death, however. The new emperor of Mangus Valerius was to be coroneted this day. Alexander, son of Alexander II, will be made into Alexander III, the 3rd Borivich emperor of Magnus Valerius and The Valerian Empire. Not many people are cheerful about Alexander III, however, as the rumor of his choleric temper leaked through the schools and news reels. The stability of the country under his rule was in question.

It was bright and sunny, but an ominous wind was bringing in rain clouds from the west. The new emperor was busy getting his coronation garments on and making sure that he and his wife were looking at their best. In the meantime, the ancient coronation hall on Baradok Hill next to Saint Daniel's Cathedral was filling up with all the important people with connections, such as nobles, foreign ministers, Valerian pop stars and socialites. The Patriarch of the Valerian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Feodor III, awaited at the end of the procession hall with the thrones for His and Her Majesties, not to mention the crowns for the new tsar and the tsarina. The hall was of a beautiful ivory marble, with frescoes of Christ and various other important figures in Valeria's past; there are too many to mention, but they all are excellent crafts from Valeria's artisans, past and present. The hall was very tall, with the ceiling around 50 feet above the heads of the crowds of people. Large, intricate windows allowed sunlight to shine in the hall, designed to make every inch of space in the hall look golden.

Ivan and Constantina, still depressed from their run-in with their father yesterday, sat melancholically to the right side with their younger siblings. A small contingent of imperial guards accompanied them and stood stoically, guarding the future of the empire.

To: His Imperial Majesty Alexander III

From: The Holy Synod of the Archregimancy

Your Majesty,

While it is not common practice for the nations of the Dreamed Realm to note the affairs of ordinary physical reality, we were nonetheless saddened to hear of the passing of your father, and our Orthodox brother, Tsar Alexander.

With so few nations following the true Orthodox path in this day and age, the Holy Synod will be instructing each of its constituent monasteries to recite a panakhida in memory of the late Emperor in the coming days.

Furthermore, in a virtually unprecedented step, the Holy Synod would like to send Metropolitan Kyrill of Solovetsky, who is also the coach of the national football team in World Cup 27 qualification, as its representative to the coronation service should Patriarch Feodor III be agreeable.

We apologise deeply for not having sent a representative to the funeral of such a noble Orthodox emperor, but with it being Great Lent in the Archregimancy, we're somewhat distracted from the affairs of physical reality right now.

Yours in Christ,

The Holy Synod of the Archregimancy

A bookish character sits in an office inside the Imperial Palace. His thick glasses, balding head, and ruddy complexion are well-known amongst the government of the Valerian Empire. He is Peter Rimsky, handler of all letters sent to the emperor. He handled the mails of Alexander II in his final years and he is now poised to handle the new tsar's letters. Since today is the day of coronation, Rimsky's new job had just begun. He reviewed the letter sent by the Archregimancy, an imagined realm apparently populated by Eastern Orthodox monks and the like. He quickly relayed the message to the emperor (who was still waiting for the ceremony to begin) and then brought back his response.

To the Holy Synod,

I, Alexander III, Soon-To-Be Emperor of The Valerian Empire and Shorehaven, far too many places to mention, hereby do accept your condolences in this time of loss. I proclaim that Metropolitan Kyrill of Solovetsky be given much hospitality once he arrives to witness my coronation. His Holiness Patriarch Feodor III is glad to extend a hand to our Orthodox brothers in the imagined realms.

Yours,

Tsar Alexander III
Ruler of The Valerian Empire and Shorehaven


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The coronation ceremony was about to begin. Alexander III was dressed in long, luxurious silk robes, traditional of an emperor who is about to be coroneted. His wife was wearing a flashy dress, and she was wearing her best pearls and earrings. She was always rather fashion-conscious and often wore gaudy outfits, even when she went grocery shopping.

Patriarch Feodor announced the commencement with a few words.

"By the grace of God, I hereby hold the crown of our future emperor. Our beloved Tsar Alexander II passed away recently, with dignity, with fame, with love of the people, and after suffering a severe stroke. He brought us prosperity and peace, love and happiness, and stability. Here, I offer up his crown, blessed by the Holy Church. It awaits atop an empty throne for its rightful bearer and liege. As God and the fates will it, Alexander II's eldest child and only son, Alexander, shall be crowned and occupy the rightful throne."

A military band occupying the area behind the Patriarch began playing a theme picked by Alexander III to be played on his coronation. Surprisingly, it was the coronation theme (http://media.vad1.com/temporary_url_20051216rpszw/tchaikovsky-festival-coronation-march-cincinnati_pops-erich_kunzel-1987.mp3) composed by Tchaikovsky and used by Alexander III of Russia. After the coronation, a full orchestra is planned to play this as well, along with the national anthem.

The double doors open at the opposite end of the cathedral, with a few guards lining up along the sides of the aisle. Alexander III and his wife stepped in among the awe of the crowd. A new ruler, a new era. And this era was to be short and gruesome for the empire...