NationStates Jolt Archive

A great prophet arose amongst a crowd and said," The gods are displeased if we don't return to the ways of old their wrath shall destroy us all. If we return to the Old Religion our salvation shall be assured and we all shall be gifted in this life and the afterlife. Forget this false religion turn back to the gods of your ancestors remember your roots and do not fear on the field of battle or in a fight for then you shall cross the rainbow bridge and go to Valhalla."

The crowd cheered people began to convert back to the old religion many nobles converted and a growing percentage of the people were converting. The Christians began to fear for such a large part of the population would seize control of the government and take to the old ways.

Cardinal Paul said," Remain faithful to Christ for he died to save us all. As it is said 'Blessed are they who suffer for me for they shall be saved' stay faithful shall and heaven shall be yours."

In Valgard the capital a atmosphere of civil war was brewing as the nobles and the people began demanding the emperor abdicate or convert to the Old Norse religion. Finally after weeks of pressure and riots the emperor converted but he said," We are all sons and daughters of this land and we must not harm those that do not convert."

Against the emperor’s wishes hundreds of Christians were being persecuted in order to convert them. The emperor tried to stop it but they were too great in numbers to stop. Christians were being forced to flee or to convert to the Old Religion. The Christians began to fight for their right to stay in Scandinva and practice their faith. Civil war was growing intimate the emperor sensed this and tried with all his might to stop the fighting and meet little success.

Official Statement from the Napoleonic Catholic Church
We take a very good look at this situation and are somewhat displeased at the direction the Odinists are taking in their mass conversion. We are curious to the point of why necessarily such steps are made. Asatru and Christianity can coexist, we must no forget the transgressions of Christianity, but instead seek to instead forgive and heal them. Asatru, the Old Religions, is a growing force, we understand, but reformation and rethinking, along with cooperation and compromise, is needed.

We will shelter persecuted Catholics within France is they chose to, and make sure they are well taken care of. We plead to both the Odinists and to the Scandinavian government to firstly make concessions to both sides and allow Christianity and Asatru to be practiced alongside one another, and further, make sure that freedom of choice in religion is held sacred.

We would be willing to aid the Scandinavian government in this endeavor, we have much funds dedicated to such things as law and order, and would be willing to send one of our glorious knighthoods of chevaliers to help protect Catholics and Christians and also keep the peace between the growing conflict between the Asatru and Christians.

God bless, for state and truth,
Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis
Bishop of Rouen, papabile, and leader of the Napoleonic Catholic Church
http://www.sweet-transvestites.com/images/bios/curry/3mousquetaires.jpg

*Brusca smiles*
It is good, your nation can now reclaim it's traditions and rites as the Old Ones intended.
Eostre will be joyful that her bringing of the spring has also brought a new nation's understanding of it's heritage and the wisdom that they should return to where they belong.
I commend the Emperor for such a brave and noble move, a seat has been placed in the great hall for when his time comes to join Odin's mighty warriors.

Brusca
Valkyrja fo the Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

The emperor ordered the army to stop the persecutions. Through show of force they stopped the persecutions. But slowly the old religion changed the culture and ever more followers and held great influence.

Brusca follows the nations return to the old ways with interest and reports back to her fellow Norse nations at the rainbow bridge.

Scandinvans,
We at the Rainbow Bridge are delighted in the way your nation is returning to us and we commend the way in which the emperor is handling the situation.
Brusca
Valkyrja of the Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

The emperor ordered the army to stop the persecutions. Through show of force they stopped the persecutions. But slowly the old religion changed the culture and ever more followers and held great influence.
Telegraphed Comment
Perhaps you have considered our plea and offer?
- Cardinal du Plessis

Cardinal du Plessis
Of the glorious Napoleonic Empire.
I believe that it would be better to leave this nation to sort out it's own problems.
The Emperor and his armies seem to have everything under contral, so to bring in outside 'help' may enflame emotions and cause more bloodshed.
(And I notice with disdain that you do not offer other religions protection.)

What if the Christians and your chevaliers begin to fight back? Would that not then encourage others to come to the Old religons aid? Surely such escalation would do this nation and it's peopel no good at all.....

Cardinal du Plessis
Of the glorious Napoleonic Empire.
I believe that it would be better to leave this nation to sort out it's own problems.
The Emperor and his armies seem to have everything under contral, so to bring in outside 'help' may enflame emotions and cause more bloodshed.
(And I notice with disdain that you do not offer other religions protection.)

What if the Christians and your chevaliers begin to fight back? Would that not then encourage others to come to the Old religons aid? Surely such escalation would do this nation and it's peopel no good at all.....
[OOC: Ah. Exactly the response I was looking for. Especially the noting of his arrogance.]

Telegraphed Reply
Glorious? I appreciate the flattery, but I am not so much sure it will be appreciated by my superior.

But, let's not dwell on that, we have a much more pressing issue, that of your misgivings about the offer I maid personally to the Emperor of the Scandinavians. While that may be the case, we still fear that perhaps tensions over this conflict may flare once more again. Considering the extreme haste that this situation came to, its almost hard to believe it could just happen like that, without any sort of the normal sorts of conflicts. It seems highly suspicious also that only in just a few days, tensions can be fixed. The conclusion that putting the evidence together has brought is like that of apartheid Africa. There is extreme tensions between these two population, but it has only flared up, for the first time. The first time, and note that that is usually the precursor to a larger outbreak.

We understand that the Emperor has all the authority in his own nation, and we would never want to break that, which is why this was more of an offer. We presented our analysis of the situation, and then gave a possible solution. We were not, "taking the situation into our own hands," so to speak. Aid in the form of law enfrocement assistance is really no so uncommon in this world. Our budget can certainly support it, and with the sanction of the State I can mandate this for the Scandinavians if they so please. It is a supplementary package.

Now, your next, "comment" was slightly inflammatory to suggest that my arrogance allowed me to close my window only to protect those of my religion. Well, first to note is the misunderstanding we have. I offered sanctuary here in France for the Catholic refugees only, but the reason for this is the extremely strict immigration laws set down by the former Prime Minister. These are strictly enforced, and even I cannot bypass them so, so I can only expend my resources sparingly. I would also like to note that my protection went to all Christians under the jurisdiction of the two knighthoods that are under my direct control, the chevaliers I wished to send. There was not a need to protect the Odinists, because they were the one's causing the persecution. You do not protect the aggressor.

A second note of mine, is my note of your own arrogance in the fact that you cannot accept you fall to the same sort of path you yourself had accused me of. When there was an escalating situation, madame Brusca, between these two religious factions, you were extremely quick to praise and condone the situation as soon as possible, even when it was at its height. May I quote:


It is good, your nation can now reclaim it's traditions and rites as the Old Ones intended.
Eostre will be joyful that her bringing of the spring has also brought a new nation's understanding of it's heritage and the wisdom that they should return to where they belong.
I commend the Emperor for such a brave and noble move, a seat has been placed in the great hall for when his time comes to join Odin's mighty warriors.
Would I also note that you made a poor analysis of the situation, considering that you commended the Emperor, yet he tried first to stop the conversion, and then the persecution. All in all, he is still of the faith of Christ, and opposed to the force of Asatru in his nation.

Now, in the situation that the Christians and the chevaliers I would order to protect them would fight back, tell me, is it really so ignoble to protect yourself from persecution? I would like to note your arrogance that your people are so innocent to this, that they are so noble and would never commit wrong, but even I have admitted that in all sectors, corruption exists, even with my own church, the reason I am a papabile, and seek to eliminate the corruption within my faith. I am not suggesting any sort of cleansing, as we saw in the example of Yugoslavia, where Serbian or Muslim minorities massacred the other in different parts of the torn nation. My people have a right to protect themselves.

Even further, the chevaliers would not, and can not, under extreme punishment, disobey my direct order and considering these punishments would be repelled from taking any sort of action of the sort. My orders are to keep the peace and stop the persecution should it ever break out again. It is not to bring down the Asatru presence.

Now, if fighting back brought support to the Asatru, that really doesn't make much sense, since what you seem to be saying is that the more powerful the Asatru presence becomes, the more escalated the situation may become. While I can agree, the Odinists are gaining more power as we speak through mass conversion across the nation. Escalation, is inevitable.

Or perhaps you mean it could cause civil war over it. Considering the shrinking minority that Christians are, it would be horribly one-sided. The chevaliers, as I said, would only act in self-defense or defense of their charges, the Christian population. So, if the Asatru wanted a war, we would protect our Christian brothers from massacre. That is our duty, and even you would agree that we must remain loyal to fellow faithful, and that is our duty to God in any of his forms.

God bless, for state and truth,
Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis
Bishop of Rouen, papabile, and leader of the Napoleonic Catholic Church

Cardinal du Plessis,
In your arrogance, you believe that I called YOU Glorious?
I called your Nation Glorious.
It is not for me to make that judgement upon someone I do not know, it is for your Lord to decide what you are when the time comes for you to meet him.

It has taken me some time to read through your posturing and blustering, but (and please feel free to correct me, as you no doubt will, if I am wrong), I judge your words to tell me the following.

Firts that your noble Knights are to be supplied to the, now, Heratic Emperor, who has denounced his 'true faith' and turned his back upon your Lord, simply because a few of the worshippers of the Old religion began to show their discontent?
It was infact that very action that began the escalation of the conversion of this Nordic country back to their true roots.
Had the Emperor not embrased the Old ways and returned to them, I am sure that he could have quickly returned his nation back to the Catholic Doctrine and once again opressed his people who do not see it as their religion.

Cardinal, the Worshippers of the Old ones are an open people (when it comes to religion), we are happy to allow other religions to be embrased by those who wish to do so.
When was the last time you saw the Valkyrja'a war horses storming into anothers country because they did not agree with that nations religions?
We have some of your faith in the Alliance, the question of what or who they choose to follow has never arrison.
We have many friends who are most devoute christians, the question of religion also did not arrise in our dealings with them and their friendship with us.

This my dear Cardinal, is an isolated incident born from years of having to hold back a nations true feelings and I am not suprised that it has come to blows.
Unlike yourself, if the need be felt, I am sure that the Norse Alliance would offer a peace keeping force that would protect ALL of this nations peoples, no matter who or what they choose as their object of worship.

Brusca.
Valkyrja of the Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

Cardinal du Plessis,
In your arrogance, you believe that I called YOU Glorious?
I called your Nation Glorious.
It is not for me to make that judgement upon someone I do not know, it is for your Lord to decide what you are when the time comes for you to meet him.
You mistake what I mean by "flattery." It is our philosophy to put state above individual, so thus, praising our empire is indeed flattery for all of us to put in it. I find no offense in your statement, which I come to see as a misunderstanding of our philosophy and culture.

It has taken me some time to read through your posturing and blustering, but (and please feel free to correct me, as you no doubt will, if I am wrong), I judge your words to tell me the following.

Firts that your noble Knights are to be supplied to the, now, Heratic Emperor, who has denounced his 'true faith' and turned his back upon your Lord, simply because a few of the worshippers of the Old religion began to show their discontent?
The emperor, last I had seen, was still of the Christian faith, if not Catholic. He has not announced, from my records, that he has converted to Asatru. Now, I have never referred to the Asatru as heretics, only as those of a different faith. I have not condemned this faith, and find little need to. I do not care about Asatru practices, what I care about is Asatru treatment of Christians and Catholics in Scandinavia.

It was infact that very action that began the escalation of the conversion of this Nordic country back to their true roots.
Oh? I took no action, I only sent an offer to the Emperor. What action do you refer to

Had the Emperor not embrased the Old ways and returned to them, I am sure that he could have quickly returned his nation back to the Catholic Doctrine and once again opressed his people who do not see it as their religion.
The Emperor has never embraced Asatru. He is still Christian by all accounts that we have, unless he can say otherwise. He was never specified as Catholic, and that was never our motivation. What we want to do is prevent a reverse oppression by the Asatru practicioners.

Cardinal, the Worshippers of the Old ones are an open people (when it comes to religion), we are happy to allow other religions to be embrased by those who wish to do so.
I wish I could say the same for the entire body of my faith, as well as yours. But such rose tinted glasses only blind us to the truth that no religion is truly fully accepted, and all have their own sorts of dogma. There was a large outbreak of tensions here, and we are here to suggest a way prevent another one.

When was the last time you saw the Valkyrja'a war horses storming into anothers country because they did not agree with that nations religions?
Not really relevant, but no, I have not. Are you suggesting that our chevaliers are to come in like the cavalry? We are law enforcement supplementation, not a miltiary force.

We have some of your faith in the Alliance, the question of what or who they choose to follow has never arrison.
We have many friends who are most devoute christians, the question of religion also did not arrise in our dealings with them and their friendship with us.
You have proven yourself accepting, but does that prove that the Odinists here will be so forgiving, considering their empirical actions? No, it does not, unfortunate as that may be.

This my dear Cardinal, is an isolated incident born from years of having to hold back a nations true feelings and I am not suprised that it has come to blows.
Is isolation excuse for oppression?

Unlike yourself, if the need be felt, I am sure that the Norse Alliance would offer a peace keeping force that would protect ALL of this nations peoples, no matter who or what they choose as their object of worship.
We offered to keep the peace between both factions and faiths. But you see, the problem was that there was no reason to protect the Asatru factions. They were the aggressors. Do you really want us to protect the ones causing the tensions through their actions? We are not trying to isolate and completely apartheid the Christians. But as in the example of South Africa, there is one group of people being oppressed here, and they are the ones needed protection. We are not so much offering protection now that the situation has calmed itself, as much as we are a supplementation of law enforcement to prevent another outbreak. Prevention is the best cure.

I do not mean to sound argumentative, but I am trying to alleviate misunderstandings, and hopefully present this in the clearest form to both you and the Emperor, as we need to understand fully what is being said here.

- Cardinal Du Plessis

I could continue this discussion, picking up more miss understandings on your side of the words I have spoken, but I will not.
There is one thing we do agree on though, we must both wait on the words of the Emperor as I have other matters that I am dealing with on his behalf, which will be affected by what he has to say.
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

Cardinal Du Plessis,
I had a most enlightening conversation with one of the Emperor's aids this morning. It seems that he has made his decision.
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

Cardinal Du Plessis,
I had a most enlightening conversation with one of the Emperor's aids this morning. It seems that he has made his decision.
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge
Reply
Decision? I'd hate to make you the intermediary, as perhaps he wants to announe it himself, but if you could spare a few words, what exactly was this decision made upon? In any case, I do thank you for your eternal patience, even when I myself succumbed to lapses of courtesy. Words exchanged are forgotten, their weight only lasts for the issue at hand. Now, for this issue, I will wait for the Emperor himself, unless you note otherwise.

- Cardinal du Plessis

Cardinal du Plessis,
I think that we must really wait for the Emperor, or at least his spokesperson.
It is not my place to say such things, I only speak on behalf of those who ask me to and the Scandinvans have not.
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

A spokesmen of the emperor said,” For untold centuries the emperor has ruled Scandinava. They have never called upon strange foreigners the only foreigners who we have called upon for aid are those who are bonded through blood or alliance. The emperor has also been now fully initiated into the Old Religion. That is all.”

"The Church of Alexandria has been incorporating Old Religion praactices and is hoping to be reinstated as the official national religion. The Church emphasises that Christians and Asatru can coexsist and even (as in our case) worship together."

-Edward Placard
King of the Land of Alex (Pretender)
Guardian of the Church of Alexandria

Cardinal du Plessis,
I believe the Emperor's official statement has clarified the situation?


Edward Placard,
Your religion sounds most intrigueing.
For many centuries now, we have co-existed with other forms of religion and it has been my job to look at these religions and speak with their spiritual leaders, but I have never seen one that could truely be joined with ours.
Please, as Guardian of the Church of Alexandria, tell me how you are doing this?
A private message would be most welcome, if you do not wish to discuss this matter here, though in the current situation that Scandinava, finds itself, it may be helpful to them also.
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge

Excellent to see another nation adopt the ways of our Nordic forefathers.
Walvater Wotan!

Reinhard Deitrich
Religion Adviser
Grand Duchy of Wertenburg

Perhaps Wartenburg you should concider joining us at the rainbow bridge?
It seems far more suited to one such as yourself than your present region?
Brusca
Valkyrja of The Norse Alliance
The Rainbow Bridge