Risban
22-06-2005, 01:13
How does an empire die? Does it collapse in a single, terrible moment? No... No. But there comes a time when its people no longer believe in it. Then, and only then, does an empire begin to die.
A great civilisation is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.
((This is an Open RP when I say "Open", which will probably be the third post. I'm posting the backstory now. This is cataloging a lot of what I've RPed in the past few months, and events leading up to what will be the fall of the Grand Imperium of Risban into total civil war. This is modern tech, and ONLY modern tech.
The OOC Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=429417) ))
1999: The Grand Imperium of Risban, Halls of the Imperial Parliament
(Flashback: Six years ago)
It was a time of corruption in Risban. The Grand Imperium had been the dominant force in the Consortium of Shadows for centuries, using military might to accomplish that. And even in the day and age of freedom and democracy, where the media saw everything on a global scale, slavery still existed in Risban. Those under Risbanian authority served Risbanian authority. The Emperor was considered a madman by politicians in other countries such as Green Sun, Zeitz, and even the corrupt dictatorship of Fat Flan. But people did nothing; they knew that it would be too costly to destroy Risban from without. They waited for it to come from within.
Men, the majority of them old, sat in the Halls of the Imperial Parliament, the Emperor Julius Ilia Graffias sitting on a throne in front of the hall. It was a time of celebration in the Empire. Almost the entire region known as the Consortium of Shadows was under the control of either Risban or an ally. The Risban Empire was growing, but at a certain cost...
A man dressed in ceremonial robes marking him an Imperial Senator stepped forward, hands raised towards the group of leaders. "Leaders of Risban! It is a great time for our empire. Camos, Hantul, and Pelamor are under the flag of the Grand Imperium! And now returns Robinson Scorpius, conquerer of Tanzanasty! Hail Scorpius Tanzanastius!"
A man stepped forward, dressed in what looked to be an expensive quite. He was young; in his early twenties... And yet he was one of the most powerful men in the Grand Imperium of Risban. He was Count Robinson Antares Scorpius, a member of the Imperial Parliament, a trustee of the large Scorpius Corporation, and the youngest admiral in the Imperial Navy.
He raised his hand to speak.
"Honorable fathers of Risban, I thank you for your gratitude and honor. However, I have come before you not as a soldier from our conquests, but at a politician and philosopher who hopes to sway your minds. I cannot do this alone, so I ask the Emperor if a friend may speak for me," said Scorpius, bowing to Emperor Graffias.
The Emperor nodded his head, and a man stepped forward. Emperor Graffias' eyes narrowed into slits, and several senators stepped forward in anger. This man was a Hantulian; people who were often slaves and forced laborers. It was not fit for a Hantulian to speak in Parliament.
"Hantulian! Hantulian!" Thus was the angeredchant...
"Greetings Risbans," smiled the man, whose name was Daniel Black. "Born a Hantulian, I aligned with Risban by choice."
"Slave," hissed a random lord.
"Born a slave, I won my freedom," countered Black calmly. "This is a great time for the Empire to prove itself! Fellow Risbans, I am a philosopher and a teacher. As a teacher, I know that when I have tried to teach a lesson a hundred times and still the pupil does not understand, then I come to the conclusion that something is wrong either with the lesson or with the teacher. For centuries the Grand Imperium of Risban has called the people in Pelamor, Camos, Hantul, and Tanzanasty barbarians and terrorists, calling them beneath us. One thousand times we have taught these accused terrorists and barbarians what it means to wage war with the Grand Imperium or threaten our people. We have bombed their cities, we have cut off their oil, we have assasinated their leaders, we have enslaved their youth. Their dead are buried, and the slaves die slowly. But the hatred in them never dies along with those dead and enslaved. It never dies. Their hate means more wars and terrorist attacks. Wars mean tributes and taxes, torn from our cities and provinces. Taxes! Hunger. Drafts. Death. Have you any idea how costly and wasteful this is? And yet the answer is simple! Risban must have no more war."
Count Richard Pelias scoffed at Black, stepping forward. "No wars? Your friends continuously attack our people, and you say no wars? Treasonous speech! These barbaric terrorists have clearly proven their goals: To destroy Risban and our entire way of life!"
Black smiled, nodding his head towards Pelias. "And yet the answer to that problem is simple: Give them something else to do. Let us turn my 'friends' from terrorists into useful citizens. Give them land and businesses. Train them. Do this and I assure you that they will one day become useful citizens to Risban," said Black. "Many of their land is useful for industries such as farming."
Lord Richard Gaius Zorag stepped forward. This man was incredibly the incredibly wealthy owner of the Zorag Corporation, one of the top three businesses in Risban... "Yes, I agree... Let them work as farmers, but as slaves. That is the way it has always been in the Empire."
At this Count Scorpius stepped forward, motioning Daniel Black back. The young Admiral smiled as he addressed the Parliament. "Lord Zorag here used to have over 15,000 slaves. Now he has none! Where did they go? They were all sold or freed! Why? Because in this day and age it is no longer profitable and no longer considered right to possess slaves. They don't work as hard as people who are free and paid. So, I say let us do what is both profitable and right: Let us give the people of Camos, Pelamor, Hantul, and Tanzanasty the gift of Risban Freedom! We can accept them as equals. We can strengthen our empire through liberty!"
People in Parliament began to cheer, but were quieted when Theodore Waller, chancellor of Parliament, stepped from his place beside the Emperor's throne to the center platform.
"Emperor Graffias has asked me this: When has Risban ever been more powerful? I say in answer to our Emperor: Never! And what is it that has kept our Grand Imperium in power? Our strength! Our might! Our military!"
Waller looked around, narrowing his eyes at Scorpius.
"Freedom, peace, equality.... Who uses these words excepts Hantulians, slaves, or radical liberals? Behind Mr. Black and his people are the Wanderslebens, hundreds of thousands of them, waiting for a moment of weakness to strike out at our empire. If we allow these terrorists all the rights of Risban citizenship, our enemies will say it is because we are too weak to destroy them. Then they will invade us from every border! We'll have the armies of Green Sun, Hamanistan, Zeitz, Tomnaboley, Slade Craven, and Pelamor pouring in on us frome everywhere. It will be the end of the Grand Imperium. It will be the end of Risban!"
"The end of Risban? Only when our people no longer believe in us will Risban end," said one of the oldest men in the Parliament, Charles Regulus MacBryan, standing. He stood tall, not leaning on the cane he held as he addressed the entire Hall. "Honorable Fathers of Risban, I have lived under three Emperors, and during all this time our empire has grown, and changed. Next year we will change into a new millenium. This is the law of life: Change with the tide or drown in it. Grow or die. And you, senators and lords, are the heart of Risban. Our people speak through you; our empire moves by your will. Move! Speak up! Let the entire world hear us. Let the world know that Risban will not drown! There are millions like these people waiting throughout the region, sitting at our gates. If we do not open the gates for them, they will breal them down themselves and destroy us. But, instead, let us grow ever bigger, ever greater, into this new millenium. Let us take them among us, not as slaves but as citizens! Let the heart of the Grand Imperium grow with us. Honorable leaders, we have changed the world...Can we not change ourselves?"
People sat in awe and silence, stunned for a moment as Charles Regulus MacBryan retook his seat. Suddenly a cheer erupted from the crowd, followed by many others. They were cheers for change. Cheers for an end to war and slavery. Cheers for Risban.
Emperor Julius Ilia Graffia sat in his throne, glaring as members of Parliament surrounded and clapped for Scorpius. The Emperor turned and left the Halls of Parliament, followed by his closest allies. He, obviously, was not thrilled with this change at all.
2000: Coup in Imperial Risban
Emperor Julius Ilia Graffia had barricaded himself in his office as soon as the alarms began, with him a group of loyalists consisting of Margaux Ecves, Theodore Waller, Henri Pavter, and Lucy Potter. His bodyguards, the High Guards of Risban commonly known as Lictors, had turned on him, claiming that the Emperor was an evil tyrant. They aligned themselves with Count Robinson Antares Scorpius, whom the Order of the Scorpion deemed the 'chosen one' that would bring a golden age to the Grand Imperium of Risban.
It did not take long at all for the Lictors and army to break into the office and arrest Graffia and his loyalist leaders. They were arrested and imprisoned. Charles Regulus MacBryan, High Imperator of the Courts, crowned Robinson Antares Scorpius emperor; the youngest emperor in a century.
The next day, Graffia and his loyalists were executed for treason. Their supporters throughout Risban attempted to flee on large ships. Unfortunately for them, they assumed it would be safe to sail into the waters of the Fiefdom of Nehm. The Nehmec navy fired on the refugee ships, killing the traitors.
Emperor Scorpius had become supreme ruler of Risban, and with him the empire began to change and evolve into something it had never been before. The Risban Age of Isolationism and Terror was at an end. A golden age was now attainable.
A great civilisation is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.
((This is an Open RP when I say "Open", which will probably be the third post. I'm posting the backstory now. This is cataloging a lot of what I've RPed in the past few months, and events leading up to what will be the fall of the Grand Imperium of Risban into total civil war. This is modern tech, and ONLY modern tech.
The OOC Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=429417) ))
1999: The Grand Imperium of Risban, Halls of the Imperial Parliament
(Flashback: Six years ago)
It was a time of corruption in Risban. The Grand Imperium had been the dominant force in the Consortium of Shadows for centuries, using military might to accomplish that. And even in the day and age of freedom and democracy, where the media saw everything on a global scale, slavery still existed in Risban. Those under Risbanian authority served Risbanian authority. The Emperor was considered a madman by politicians in other countries such as Green Sun, Zeitz, and even the corrupt dictatorship of Fat Flan. But people did nothing; they knew that it would be too costly to destroy Risban from without. They waited for it to come from within.
Men, the majority of them old, sat in the Halls of the Imperial Parliament, the Emperor Julius Ilia Graffias sitting on a throne in front of the hall. It was a time of celebration in the Empire. Almost the entire region known as the Consortium of Shadows was under the control of either Risban or an ally. The Risban Empire was growing, but at a certain cost...
A man dressed in ceremonial robes marking him an Imperial Senator stepped forward, hands raised towards the group of leaders. "Leaders of Risban! It is a great time for our empire. Camos, Hantul, and Pelamor are under the flag of the Grand Imperium! And now returns Robinson Scorpius, conquerer of Tanzanasty! Hail Scorpius Tanzanastius!"
A man stepped forward, dressed in what looked to be an expensive quite. He was young; in his early twenties... And yet he was one of the most powerful men in the Grand Imperium of Risban. He was Count Robinson Antares Scorpius, a member of the Imperial Parliament, a trustee of the large Scorpius Corporation, and the youngest admiral in the Imperial Navy.
He raised his hand to speak.
"Honorable fathers of Risban, I thank you for your gratitude and honor. However, I have come before you not as a soldier from our conquests, but at a politician and philosopher who hopes to sway your minds. I cannot do this alone, so I ask the Emperor if a friend may speak for me," said Scorpius, bowing to Emperor Graffias.
The Emperor nodded his head, and a man stepped forward. Emperor Graffias' eyes narrowed into slits, and several senators stepped forward in anger. This man was a Hantulian; people who were often slaves and forced laborers. It was not fit for a Hantulian to speak in Parliament.
"Hantulian! Hantulian!" Thus was the angeredchant...
"Greetings Risbans," smiled the man, whose name was Daniel Black. "Born a Hantulian, I aligned with Risban by choice."
"Slave," hissed a random lord.
"Born a slave, I won my freedom," countered Black calmly. "This is a great time for the Empire to prove itself! Fellow Risbans, I am a philosopher and a teacher. As a teacher, I know that when I have tried to teach a lesson a hundred times and still the pupil does not understand, then I come to the conclusion that something is wrong either with the lesson or with the teacher. For centuries the Grand Imperium of Risban has called the people in Pelamor, Camos, Hantul, and Tanzanasty barbarians and terrorists, calling them beneath us. One thousand times we have taught these accused terrorists and barbarians what it means to wage war with the Grand Imperium or threaten our people. We have bombed their cities, we have cut off their oil, we have assasinated their leaders, we have enslaved their youth. Their dead are buried, and the slaves die slowly. But the hatred in them never dies along with those dead and enslaved. It never dies. Their hate means more wars and terrorist attacks. Wars mean tributes and taxes, torn from our cities and provinces. Taxes! Hunger. Drafts. Death. Have you any idea how costly and wasteful this is? And yet the answer is simple! Risban must have no more war."
Count Richard Pelias scoffed at Black, stepping forward. "No wars? Your friends continuously attack our people, and you say no wars? Treasonous speech! These barbaric terrorists have clearly proven their goals: To destroy Risban and our entire way of life!"
Black smiled, nodding his head towards Pelias. "And yet the answer to that problem is simple: Give them something else to do. Let us turn my 'friends' from terrorists into useful citizens. Give them land and businesses. Train them. Do this and I assure you that they will one day become useful citizens to Risban," said Black. "Many of their land is useful for industries such as farming."
Lord Richard Gaius Zorag stepped forward. This man was incredibly the incredibly wealthy owner of the Zorag Corporation, one of the top three businesses in Risban... "Yes, I agree... Let them work as farmers, but as slaves. That is the way it has always been in the Empire."
At this Count Scorpius stepped forward, motioning Daniel Black back. The young Admiral smiled as he addressed the Parliament. "Lord Zorag here used to have over 15,000 slaves. Now he has none! Where did they go? They were all sold or freed! Why? Because in this day and age it is no longer profitable and no longer considered right to possess slaves. They don't work as hard as people who are free and paid. So, I say let us do what is both profitable and right: Let us give the people of Camos, Pelamor, Hantul, and Tanzanasty the gift of Risban Freedom! We can accept them as equals. We can strengthen our empire through liberty!"
People in Parliament began to cheer, but were quieted when Theodore Waller, chancellor of Parliament, stepped from his place beside the Emperor's throne to the center platform.
"Emperor Graffias has asked me this: When has Risban ever been more powerful? I say in answer to our Emperor: Never! And what is it that has kept our Grand Imperium in power? Our strength! Our might! Our military!"
Waller looked around, narrowing his eyes at Scorpius.
"Freedom, peace, equality.... Who uses these words excepts Hantulians, slaves, or radical liberals? Behind Mr. Black and his people are the Wanderslebens, hundreds of thousands of them, waiting for a moment of weakness to strike out at our empire. If we allow these terrorists all the rights of Risban citizenship, our enemies will say it is because we are too weak to destroy them. Then they will invade us from every border! We'll have the armies of Green Sun, Hamanistan, Zeitz, Tomnaboley, Slade Craven, and Pelamor pouring in on us frome everywhere. It will be the end of the Grand Imperium. It will be the end of Risban!"
"The end of Risban? Only when our people no longer believe in us will Risban end," said one of the oldest men in the Parliament, Charles Regulus MacBryan, standing. He stood tall, not leaning on the cane he held as he addressed the entire Hall. "Honorable Fathers of Risban, I have lived under three Emperors, and during all this time our empire has grown, and changed. Next year we will change into a new millenium. This is the law of life: Change with the tide or drown in it. Grow or die. And you, senators and lords, are the heart of Risban. Our people speak through you; our empire moves by your will. Move! Speak up! Let the entire world hear us. Let the world know that Risban will not drown! There are millions like these people waiting throughout the region, sitting at our gates. If we do not open the gates for them, they will breal them down themselves and destroy us. But, instead, let us grow ever bigger, ever greater, into this new millenium. Let us take them among us, not as slaves but as citizens! Let the heart of the Grand Imperium grow with us. Honorable leaders, we have changed the world...Can we not change ourselves?"
People sat in awe and silence, stunned for a moment as Charles Regulus MacBryan retook his seat. Suddenly a cheer erupted from the crowd, followed by many others. They were cheers for change. Cheers for an end to war and slavery. Cheers for Risban.
Emperor Julius Ilia Graffia sat in his throne, glaring as members of Parliament surrounded and clapped for Scorpius. The Emperor turned and left the Halls of Parliament, followed by his closest allies. He, obviously, was not thrilled with this change at all.
2000: Coup in Imperial Risban
Emperor Julius Ilia Graffia had barricaded himself in his office as soon as the alarms began, with him a group of loyalists consisting of Margaux Ecves, Theodore Waller, Henri Pavter, and Lucy Potter. His bodyguards, the High Guards of Risban commonly known as Lictors, had turned on him, claiming that the Emperor was an evil tyrant. They aligned themselves with Count Robinson Antares Scorpius, whom the Order of the Scorpion deemed the 'chosen one' that would bring a golden age to the Grand Imperium of Risban.
It did not take long at all for the Lictors and army to break into the office and arrest Graffia and his loyalist leaders. They were arrested and imprisoned. Charles Regulus MacBryan, High Imperator of the Courts, crowned Robinson Antares Scorpius emperor; the youngest emperor in a century.
The next day, Graffia and his loyalists were executed for treason. Their supporters throughout Risban attempted to flee on large ships. Unfortunately for them, they assumed it would be safe to sail into the waters of the Fiefdom of Nehm. The Nehmec navy fired on the refugee ships, killing the traitors.
Emperor Scorpius had become supreme ruler of Risban, and with him the empire began to change and evolve into something it had never been before. The Risban Age of Isolationism and Terror was at an end. A golden age was now attainable.