Forever Future 1.7 PBEM game

[Solarius Scorch]

CODE CIVIL DES FRANÇAIS
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS AND DUTIES

To be known to all free citizens in the Kingdom.

We, Napoleon Bonaparte, King of France, Protector of Froide-Savoie, Lord of the Frozen Sea, Immortal Ruler of the Alps, et caetera, et caetera,
faced with this time of struggle and dissent,
as well as the confusing and inconsistent code of laws that the citizens live by,
in recognition of the fact that the Kingdom is like a body and not a Hydra, thus needing only one Head and one Heart,
introduce a thorough reform of the Kingdom:

1. All persons, things, actions and procedures in the Kingdom of France will be governed by law, not custom. Only published laws will have any real power, and no law shall be kept in secret from the citizens. Ex post facto laws are also prohibited.
2. All administration shall be taken care of by the French Royal Bureaucracy. All other administration systems, including those of Our vassals, will be incorporated into this French Royal Bureaucracy or they will perish.
3. All military forces will be commanded directly by the King, and all military commanders will be appointed by the King. Our vassals will be allowed to keep honour guard, but local law enforcement will be conducted by the Gendarmerie.
4. We will resume the position of the King whose words is absolute and irrevocable, to ensure the well-being of France and therefore all citizens.
5. Our Vassals shall form a Parliament, whose task will be to create specific laws and to pass all relevant information to the King. All members of the Parliament shall be protected by royal immunity, so that they wouldn't fear repercussions for what they say.
6. Any dissent, protest or ignorance towards these just laws will be rooted out and punished with utmost diligence, to protect the Kingdom and pave the way to a brighter future for everyone.

signed,
Napoleon I Bonaparte
Le Roi Soleil

in the French Year 7621

[Max_Smirnov]

Cleopatra couldn't sleep. It was almost funny. As an immortal, she used to sleep for decades, even centuries at a time. That was the tradeoff for such a long existence. It was also a matter of Power. The less energy, the less she could remain awake. She had known of Prince's death the instant it happened; just like every other immortal ruler, she absorbed a part of his power. It was like a narcotic. And her own country was growing in power too, adding to her energy as well. The last millenium seemed longer than the six before it combined.

She looked out the window of her palace and shivered despite the warm night. Her existence was tied to this world, for good or bad. And even if nobody kills her directly, she couldn't outlast her country or this world. Most of the time had already passed; just over two millenia remained till the absolute deadline. If the world survives that long. She created a perfect kingdom, with its castles, knights and plate armor, that lasted for twenty eight centuries. But that long sunny summer was nearing its end. Even if her kingdom lasted, Napoleon already entered a new age, and the seemingly-eternal Celtic Empire was running out of time as well. The world was changing, changing at an increased pace. The industrial revolution was exploding all around, and the Theban scientists were starting to unlock the secrets of physics. Even if she gave up this race, the others wouldn't. So it was either this route of the fall of Egypt. Too bad she was vaguely aware where this race was leading, and for the first time in over seven millenia, she felt genuinely scared. Cannons made her uneasy, but they were just the very beginning. The Japanese weren't going to stop, and Napoleon, he had already found a scientist who envisioned the next generation of warfare, above and beyond anything Leonardo could have invented. Speaking of which...

"You may come out. I was aware of your presence all the time."

A shift in the shadows, a faint gleam of a dagger.

"You don't really want to kill me," she said with more force, focusing her Power. The air shimmered slightly as the Snakes of the Nile became almost visible for a split-second. Every ruler had their own magic; Prince's was that of hope, deception and time-control. Hers was much more subtle. She simply made everyone around her think more like her. And how could you raise a blade against a person whom you truly understand?

The dagger clattered upon the marble floor. Not a grizzled professional, obviously. A suicide trooper. More easily controlled. It worked both ways though.

"Remove your mask," she adressed the small, lean figure, dressed in black. The assassin did so, revealing short, blonde hair and a delicate face. It was just a girl, sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. "And let's have a talk. Why don't you pour us some wine. Please."

The girl hesistated, but finally listened. What else was there to do?

After a few minutes, they sat by the table, the girl silent and dark, the queen thoughtful and not paying any heed to her nakedness.

"I'm sure Azuria knew you couldn't have succeeded. But it was the next logical step, after I ignored her deeds. She killed Leonardo, she killed many of my important servants, and yet, I haven't reacted. I guess she's getting desperate. Just like Hanekawa... Sharing the secret of enlightened governance with Gandhi, just to spite me, for no gain whatsoever. Does she even realize who he is? That he had conquered thousands of worlds? That he lived for millions of years? I guess not..."

"For him, this is just a game. Because, in a way, this is a game. The biggest there is. Eight immortal rulers. Ten thousands years. Only one winner. What is the prize, I don't know. I guess I have forgotten or stopped to care thousands of years ago. All that matters to me, is Egypt, and our vision of the world. My vision of how it should look like..."

The girl kept silent; what there was to say?

"Eight rulers, now seven. One had just died. The first of us. The Prince of Persia. But... It's too big of a game not to bend the rules. Everyone is doing that. I have relinquished five per cent of my power towards Azuria. She was so weak it took six millenia for her to even wake up for the first time. Napoleon and the Prince invested in women to keep them company. I can understand why; you cannot possibly realize the loneliness I feel. Merlin went even further, becoming an invisible wizard and summoning powerful immortal servants, like Arturia, who currently holds at least half of his power. Gandhi and Stalin are playing it straight, more or less. I can even feel the presence of the unnamed shadow over Rome, he hadn't revealed himself, he keeps his country under a shroud of secrecy, but he is definitely there."

"The problem is, I can't put a finger on the Japanese. There is only Haruhi, and she had appeared very recently. What's more, her power is far too weak, on a level of a strong servant. Nowhere close to what should be expected of such a powerful player. Are they genuine? I mean... Are they genuine idigenous people of this world? With no will to steer them?"

Cleopatra stood up at walked over to the map. The assassin's eyes were following her perfect form.

"I have thought of it a while ago. See, this is the Southern Kingdom. It used to be a huge gap. So much perfect land with no immortal ruler there. Such thing couldn't be. And finally, I have found an immortal living there. His people are calling themselves Jamaicans and are living in the gentle lands between Akhim, El-Amarna, Sakha and Armant. They're primitive tribals. His power levels are minuscle, but if he decided not to take place in this great race... Just to live and let live, never built a civilization, never choose the path to power and destruction... Yes. That could account for the eight ruler. What about the Japanese then?"

"But it doesn't really matter, does it. It won't change the dark fate that awaits us all. But the summer didn't end yet. Come here."

---

A few years later.



The children are always the first ones to adapt.
It had been mere weeks since Asaak was seized by the Egyptians, and the coastal town was still gloomy and silent. Yet, a dark haired Persian boy, eight or nine years old, was building a sand castle just beside the wall of the governor's palace, not caring about the traces of blood still reminding of the fate that met Japanese clerks and magistrates that used to rule here.

"Hey, it ain't half bad. You build the walls low and thick to withstand cannons."

The Persian kid raised his head to see another boy, around his age, blonde and strikingly beautiful. He was grinning and holding hands on his hips.

"Get lost. I haven't given you permission to play with me."

"I don't need one. I'm your rightful ruler. I could have you beheaded if I only said one word!"

The Persian boy snorted. "Fat lie. The Prince is dead, besides, I listen only to myself."

"The Prince was my uncle. I'm Feyd Heliconnen, son of the almighty Baron Heliconnen and Prince's sister," boasted the blonde.

"So you are... So what," shrugged the Persian, not seeming afraid in the slightest. "You still need my permission to play with me."

The young Heliconnen laughed, then approached the sand castle and placed a sizeable gem on top of it. "How about that?"

"That's better."

"See, I can also show you how my dad would build these walls. I have seen it in his papers."

"All right, show me."

Feyd smiled; he managed to impress that unruly and curious boy. And he loved to impress people. Too bad most of them were too easily impressed, taking away the fun.

---

The sun was already setting when the two boys were sitting on the beach. They keep eachother's company for the whole day.

"So, who are your parents?"

"Dead. Your father's cannons killed them. When I grow up, I will kill him."

Feyd laughed. "I'd like see you try. Well, you would probably have a chance if you passed his guards. He's old and fat. Heh, you Persians are quite spirited people."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're just like my mom. After the Japanese killed her brother, she swore vengeance to them. She had led my father to Prince's secret fortress. He took all his treasures, documents, maps, everything. And this ring. I'm the heir of Persia now."

"Cool. Is that true that she's no longer immortal? That's why she hides from the public?"

"Yeah. Apparently when the Prince died, his magic is gone as well. She's an old woman now."

"I don't care about magic."

"Hehehe, me neither. Hey, I want you to become my servant."

"I'm no-one's servant."

"It's a trade. You want to kill my father, right? If you become my servant, you may have a chance. Without it, without your parents, you will surely perish and never carry out your revenge," grinned Feyd.

"I'll think about it."

"Do you have a name?"

"My name no longer matters. But I was also called The Son of a Blind Man. Since my father was blind. He mouthed off to some Japanese scum and was blinded."

"That's too long. From now on, you shall be known as Blindson."

"Fair enough."



A painting depicting whom the Blindson eventually became

[Eerion]

Here comes the big report (turn 165)!


Ahri, daughter of Hanekawa displaying her powers of a Goddess.


“Date Hidemune
The Persian war report

As it was ordered we have moved the forces of Asaak even before the fall of Persis. As anticipated the enemy choose it as a second target, considering the Ectabana a heavily defended fortress even before it was actually true. Due to the miscalculation of evacuation plans the enemy managed to lay hands on our plans on ours factory concepts. On top of that, instead of destroying the city in the same way as they did with Persis, a stronghold is being build on a penisula leading to Asaak. Based on its military and economical capabilities it is most likely a taunt toward our forces or they plan on maintaining a force there to hinder our further conquest plans. Whichever it is it does not change the fact that Ectabana is and have to be heavily fortified in the future.
Persepolis defences also increase rapidly, as they face not only the threat of Egyptian invasion, but Indian as well. The skirmishes have already begun in order to claim the control over the river. Another huge war may outbreak there soon and we must be prepared for it.
The situation looks grim, but steady. We will withstand their invasion, yet for a returning strike the reinforcements from mainland are more than needed.
All hail Nekomimi! All hail Nippon!

Latest informations – the huge naval army is sailing toward the shores of Nippon. We do not posess any information is there any army aboard, yet the highest possible risk should be considered and countermeasures taken.”

“They... are laughing in our faces!” Ahri crushed the report in her hand. The paper caught fire immediately, yet her hand was perfectly fine as if nothing happened. “These pathetic fools are getting too full of themselves!”
“It is only a matter of time. It was a long period of preparations, but it is almost complete” Haruhi responded calmly.
“Too late! Everything is happening too late! What if these northern scumbags are going to land here? If their forces are big enough we may lose a city or two in the process. That’s not even a slap in the face of our country! It’s far worse!” Young girl stopped to catch a breath. “And it’s only because my mother was taking everything too easy!”
“Hanekawa reformed the military, what strengthened our defences greatly, but it happened before you were ever born. And there was no navy required, as we couldn’t support it properly. Our mines were still under construction and without factories we couldn’t do much. But now...”
“Now we are going to lose a lot before returning the strike. Our oil support crumbled the very moment the informations about Egyptian fleet entering the Sea of Japan arrived on continent. Was this also planned by my mother? To make sure our people live in constant fear of the enemy?” Ahri answered angrily, as her gesticulation became wilder and wilder.
“An unarmed strike is worth nothing. I’m...” Suzumiya stopped for a moment trying to find a proper word “glad you think about your people and can criticise even your mother now, but... you still have much to learn”.
“How to bend so the enemy can fu.ck my royal ass? That’s what I have to learn?”
“Do not get too full of yourself kid.” The face of a Haruhi showed the sign of annoyance. “Do not forget that I am the one who created you. You’re a thousand years too young to oppose me”
“Then kill me. But my words are true and you know things could get solved better. It’s because she... played her little game it ended up like this.”
Haruhi burst out in laughter. “We all are playing our little games, even you. But if you have a better idea, tell me what we should do. What Nippon should do.”
“Some of the garrisons are obsolete. We have muskets, pikemen and some cannons yet you still can find phalanx and archers as a part of city defences. It has to be changed! But before that... fleet. We must create a fleet that will eradicate the enemy forces. On the sea and in Persia. They have to be afraid of entering our waters.”
“Do you know how much work is it going to take?”
“Send people to our factories. Even all of them if needed. We have built them for that reason, haven’t we? We do not have time anymore. A sacrifices are bound to happen for the sake of our defences.”
“Oh. I like that one. I wonder if your mother will appreciate it too.”
“As if I care. Enemy are at our very gates while she went to kill enemy leader personally and then visit the eastern parts of the country. Perfect timing!”
“The leader of Persians could not be killed by a mere man. A God’s creation is needed to kill another God’s creation.”
“He could escape. No one would care, as he has no force to reclaim his cities. Egyptians are much bigger issue than that.”
“So be it. Your orders will be sent to every city tomorrow morning. From now on every capable city is bound to produce the fleet to defend our waters and help reclaim the Persia.” Haruhi summarised everything. “But there are more things that should be taken care of. Look at this one”

The sketch regarding Japanese factory - the first one in the world!

“Iga Motoharu
The leader of the Russian Infiltration Division

Enemy develops rapidly. Their grounds are swarmed with better and better equipped soldiers. We do not have enough information if they are preparing for invasion or it is a response to the constantly increasing power of other northern countries. Whichever it is, everything happens in the northern part of the country. The south is rather peaceful what is definitely a good sign for our Italian allies. Still we have to be wary, as apparently whole north (world, not Russia) is undergoing the militarisation and being left behind may pose a great threat to our country.

All hail Nekomimi!
All hail Nippon!”

The member of the Russian Infiltration Division

“So my plans shall take care of this issue too. Heavily armed we shall remain safe and be able to continue with the conquest plans. Simple as that” Nekomimi stated proudly.
“But there is one thing you need to pay attention too. Iga claimed their forces are well equipped. Our recent leaks mentioned that Napoleons scientists revamped the concept of muskets. Their new creation, called rifle, is way more deadly. Egypt shall claim such weapon in a short time. On the other hand recent events greatly reduced our income. And your shipbuilding orders will lower our scientific output even more. Soon our whole army shall become obsolete including the great fleet you wish to create. Is this what you want?” As Haruhi was speaking, the face of Ahri was looked more and more troubled. She started to walk around, moving her fluffy tails in random directions. The goddess noticed it always happened when the youngster considered few options at time. Apparently she was good at thinking about several things at once.
“Then we shall use the concept the Date created. It should make up for less tradesman.”
“Can you deal with the outcome of this change? People are bound to rebel. For hundreds of years they were ruled by a Goddesses. And now... what? How do you wish to explain it?”
“I am a Goddess too. Nothing changes here. The whole country needs to be reorganised and it’s true some shall oppose, but that shouldn’t be an issue. We enforce this on people today and tomorrow it will be natural for them.”
Haruhi rose her brew. This was an obvious simplification, yet undoubtly it could be done that way.
“And when do you want to reform the country?” She asked.
“When the time is right. It should happen pretty soon, but I cannot tell you exactly.”
“Hmm... so you’re not thinking only straightforward, do you?”
“Do not underestimate me” Ahri grinned.
“And what if your mother opposes this idea?”
“She shouldn’t. It is easy to notice we need these changes sooner or later. However if somehow she shall complain... I will have to put an end to her time as a ruler.”
“Do you think you can do that? She is the embodiment of Nippon.”
“And so am I. I am the Japan. Do not even try to question that!” Young girl yelled. They looked into each other eyes for some time, but after half a minute or so, Haruhi averted her gaze.
“You are the ruler here. Few years ago you were a heir by the name. Now you become a ruler through your actions. I only hope Hanekawa won’t oppose. I do not wish her harm.”
“Neither do I. She is my mother after all. Even if she tends to be foolish at times.”
“Hane. I am not sure how, but looks that we have overextended a little bit here.” Suzumiya thought to herself. She looked at another report. “What do you think about this one?” she asked.

Hattori Hanzo
The head of Information Gathering department

Young lady. I am writing this report as the Empress ordered me to. Usually everything was going directly to the ears of the empress, but in past few years it became too much for the head of a ruler. Because of that decision, more and more informations are processed by us and only the most important, like the one from the Iga clan earlier, are given directly to you. The rest is being collected by us, and it is my responsibility to provide you with a summary. I promise with my head that no important data is being left behind in this process.
Overall I shall start with the north. French empire is now a fact. Apparently they were thinking about the same concept Date Masamune did, but they implemented it as soon as possible. As of now they are more than ready to challenge any empire on any possible field. Be it science, production capabilities or income. I suppose the time of their neutrality is slowly coming to an end. And I pray that they shall not become an enemies of us, as it would put us at the gravely disadvantage.
Egyptians on the other hand stick to the concept of the ruling queen. There was an attempt of overthrowing her by her younger sister, but apparently it failed miserably. Thanks to their new institute in Thebes they are still the greatest scientific nation in the world and their deeds in Persia and Sea of Japan proves that on the other fields they do not lack much.
The Celts are eating from the hand of Cleopatra. Our actions in Persia made their allies very generous, what few hundreds years ago, when their alliance formed was unimaginable. Thanks to that the conquest of India is speeding up. The army of Gandhi slowly starts to crumble and it is only a matter of time before our neighbour cease to exist and a new extremely powerful nation wage a war on us. Of course they may bite the hand that feeds then at one point, however, for now it is highly unlikely and we should consider them rather hostile. Hopefully the future can bring some change.
Rome is undergoing a great militarisation. Our diplomats are unsure whether the threat of the north is slowly become greater or they finally decided to reclaim the captured cities. Whichever it is, we should act carefully. Their help is one of our priorities, but so is maintaining peace with Russia. At least for now.
Remains of Persia are defending pathetically. It is only thanks to the Egyptians that this weak nation still exists. However, without any leader or mass recruitment possibilities they are bound to fall sooner or later.
Russians and Indians were mentioned before, therefore I have nothing more to add.
If any important news reach my ears I shall process them to you Immediately.
Faithful servant of Nippon.”

Hattori Hanzo. A legendary ninja in the service of the Empress.

“This is a clever one. He wrote he serves Nippon. Not me or my mother.” Ahri noticed.
“Hanzo is one of the best in the world. Of course he does not want stupid mistakes. But what do you think about it?”
“As he said... nothing very important for us. Except the Celts, however, we are in no position, diplomatically or any other way, to interfere with their actions, especially between them and Egypt.”
“And what about India?” Haruhi kept on questioning the heir.
“They simply conquer the weaker ones. We are doing the same. I have no rights to complain here. Also their objectives are perfectly clear. The question is shall they try to claim the peak with their own strength or serving as a faithful dog of Cleopatra?”
“It is unknown and for now, unimportant.”
“True. There is so much to do. Egyptians in sea of Japan, Egyptians in Persia, Egyptians in far eastern colonies. They’re everywhere. Time to make sure they learn their lesson how trespassing ends.”
Haruhi looked at Ahri. “Two years can make one hell of a difference” she thought. “Especially with the way we educated her. She shall become the devil of the south. Hopefully only for our enemies.”

[Max_Smirnov]

---

T H E . T H E B A N
i s s u e . 2000

april 2863 (AD 713)
Printed in Rottschild's Print Shop

---

Glory to Her Immortal Majesty, Queen Cleopatra!
Long live Duke Chalis, the Theban Commissioner!
The Queen choses Theban Royal Mead!

---

The Tough Stance Towards Japan Is Unlikely To Change

But is it a good business to Egypt? Many people are afraid of further angering the most industrialized country in the world. One of our reporters managed to reach Izaak Silverberg, the Chairman of the East India Company. "The Japanese policy of conquest and plunder is a threat to the interests of the Company and the economic well-being of our Kingdom as a whole," are Chairman's words. "With the emergency powers, invested in the Company by the Queen, we have put Japan under naval blockade. We estimate their trade revenues dropped by as much as one third at least. We also put any merchant who wishes to trade with the Japanese under a heavy tax. Shall the southerners continue to encroach into our spheres of influence, this policy is unlikely to change."
While some people remain doubtful about the vast amount of power the Company holds, there is no shade of doubt that it keeps delivering immense amounts of money to Luxor and the royal treasury. And how this could be a bad thing?

---

Famous Scientist Knighted!

Never before a man was knighted for achievements not related to warfare. Yet, it seems the star of Sir Niutonis shines so brightly that it was able to overcome even this limitation. After his most famous work, On Gravity explained why don't we fall off the Earth into space and why the Galileis' model of our Solar System is true and how it all works - using just Mathematics - there was no end of accolades for the brightest scientist of our times.
When asked about his comments about being knighted, the Provost of the Theban Institute said: "It's about damned time. Now get off my face, I have no time for this".
Spirited as ever, and undoutedly busy with unlocking some new secrets of nature!

---

Exclusive Interview With Arturia! Only In The Theban!

After many years of tries, we were finally able to pull enough strings for our reporter to reach Arturia; with the recent sharing of the techniques of building factories with the Celts, it was possible to add one more little condition to the trade. We even managed to get the elusive Empress to pose for a sketch, which is presented below thanks to our unmatched printing techniques!

Empress Arturia (EA): "So what is the purpose of this questioning."

The Theban (TT): "Your fame is beyond measure, oh Empress, yet so little is known about you as a person. You never divulge your opinions or views. People want to understand you better."

EA: "There is nothing to understand. My only concern and objective is the well-being of Brittania."

TT: "Your achievements in that area are beyond measure. Yet, it is widely known that some of your own men question your methods, even amongst the highest circles of power."

EA: "I'm only doing what needs to be done. Any treachery will be dealt with extreme prejudice. If people fail to understand the reasons behind my actions, they will understand the language of violence."

TT: "Isn't this a somewhat extreme point of view?"

EA: "It's the only logical point of view. My duty is to uphold the Empire, and its good trumps the good of any single person. I have heard such questions many times before. Why is it so damned hard to understand!"

TT: "...Fair enough. Your ruthlesness is widely known. Yet, people want to know about your personal life."

EA: "My what?"

TT: "Personal life. Your hobbies, likes and dislikes, friends, things like that."

EA: "I have no time for trivialties such as those."

TT: "It's hard to believe! Those are traits of any person."

EA: "I'm not a person. I'm an Empress."

TT: "Isn't it a bit too huge burden to bear? No human can live like this. I'm sure you have some human side to you, like..."

EA: "I will bear it, rest assured. This is the path I have chosen long ago. Frankly, I'm growing tired of this conversation. It is only for the sake of Britannia's alliance with Egypt I have agreed to it, but I'm just loosing time here. This is frankly insulting to be tricked into such an useless talk."

TT: "Yet, you're an owner of the most fabulous arena and kitchen in the world... And the most fabulous harem, too..."

EA: "Purely representative functions! This conversation is over! Begone! Go question someone on your level, that pedophile Haruhi maybe!..."

Our reporter managed to escape with his head, but it seems securing the next opportunity to interview the Empress may be hard. But we here at the Theban won't stop trying to deliver you the most fresh and exclusive content!

[Max_Smirnov]

765 AD. The Battle of Jaipur.



The campaign in India was entering its tenth year. Ten years in the saddle, always on the move, striking where the enemy was weakest, retreating, maneuvring, using all her cunning and ruthlessness. The Indian cities were falling one after another, their strongest fortresses becoming isolated and cut from supplies. Her own losses, she kept them at minimum. Not like she had any choice. Now, at the gates of Jaipur, farther to the south than she had managed to get ever before, her forces were nothing like the proud army she commanded at Delhi. Not at all. A rag-tag band of mercenaries, slavers and grim butchers. They were here only for profit, and that suited her. The lords and governors of the Empire couldn't be trusted anymore. Even the fear wasn't working. They knew well she just couldn't run the Empire without their help. The Empire, it seemed, nobody cared about anymore. Nobody but her. Honorable people like Sir Lancelot were nowhere to be found nowadays.

"That changes nothing," she said. "I will fight for Brittania even single handedly, if that's what it takes. As long as I have my sword and the power to kill those that oppose the dream I was entrusted with."

"Were you saying anything, my gorgeous Lady?" asked a female voice, eerily resembling her own.

Arturia blinked and looked at the newcomer. "Just talking to myself... Clone." She straightened herself and looked at the harbour city visible behind the rolling plain of dunes. "Are our soldiers ready?"

Her mirror image. So little people she could still trust. And even the Empress of Brittania couldn't do everything by herself. And so, Merlin appeared again and created this... person. Of sorts. Her copy. Less powerful, a mere shadow, but strangely talented at controlling the scum that passed for Arturia's army nowadays.



"The defenders are less numerous than we anticipated," said Mordred, pointing with her sword. "Just a few hundreds of pikemen. The soldiers are convinced that Jaipur's riches and slaves are worth the risk."

"It doesn't matter, as long as they fight. The grander case prevails. Commence the attack," said the Empress, mounting her horse and unsheathing the Excalibur once more.

The clone bowed, smiling. "It shall be done, my dear Lady."



Jaipur was burning. The slavers weren't that great soldiers. Sometimes, a sacrifice needs to be made to break the lines. They were unwilling to make any. After the initial retreat, the Indian pikemen fortified themselves in a stone palace and warded off any attempts at rooting them out. So far.

"Cowards!" cried Arturia. "Does your Empress have to do everything alone?!?" Her elite guards, just a dozen knights and Mordred, managed to break into the fortress, and although they were badly outnumbered, no human, it seemed, could survive facing the immortal ruler of Brittania. The bodies were piling up at her feet, and her dark sword feasted upon fresh blood. But even now, after the spirit of Indians was broken, Arturia's soldiers were unwilling to join the fray. Those not busy with plundering were just surrounding the place, looking, looking at her, as she walked down the stairs. Something finally gave in, and Arturia's face contorted with anger. She started to walk towards the crowd, sword in her hand.

"Useless. You're just useless! You thieving rats, I expect you to at least fight! I've had enough, you do not deserve to serve Brittania! You do not deserve to l..." She paused and coughed blood. Something was wrong. Something was making speech impossible. She looked down and saw a bloody tip of a blade protruding from her belly. Slowly, painfully she turned her head. Only to see her mirror image, smiling.

"Even the hardest armor has its soft spots, doesn't it?"

"Mor...dred. Why?" Arturia grimaced. There was no anger on her face anymore, just pure surprise.

"You were becoming a liability to Brittania. Everyone hates you. Everyone. This is counterproductive. It's better for the monster to die, so a new, better..."

Arturia turned forcefully, and the steel blade shattered inside her body like it was made of glass. Her hand shot up and her gauntlet grasped at her clone's throat, claws ripping flesh, blood gushing from the wound.

"No."

Her copy was, of course, unable to answer, green eyes bulging in pain and fear. Arturia clenched her fist and ripped out her throat, letting the limp, armor-clad body to tumble down the stairs. Then she stumbled. Her own blood was flowing freely. Not only that, her power was waning as well. Looks she wasn't immune to harm anymore...

"Gah," she said, spitting more blood and leaning heavily on her sword.

"She's wounded! Kill her! Kill the beast while she's weakened!" cried someone. The crowd wavered. "Thousand gold pieces for her head!" cried someone else. The soldiers started to converge, run towards the Empress, raising their weapons. "She's almost dead already!"

"I..." gasped Arturia. "I... AIN'T DEAD YET!" she screamed, and rushed to meet them, leaving a trail of her own blood in her wake.



"And lo, the rule of Empress Arturia had cometh to an end," said a hooded figure, observing the city from a distant hill. He shook his head, then produced a crystal globe out of his long robes. It was slowly filling with light. "What was given, shall be returned. And Brittania has to move forward." With those words, the old man turned around and disappeared into the twilight, like he was a mere mirage born of the fleeting desert sand.

---

A click of a hammer being cocked, a clang of chains. In the falling darkness, more strangers appeared upon the dunes. "This operation costed five hundred thousand shekels, more than any of you is going to see in your lives, so don't screw this up," groaned their fat leader, his dark complexion and a six-shooter he was holding immediately betraying his Western origins, even if his attire was that of a Celtic or Indian Slaver. "You see anyone who's not one of us, bullet to the head. Just a little more, and we're going to be filthy rich."

[Solarius Scorch]

Ships leaving the port of Zion to join the Great Armada.

---

LES AFFAIRES POLITIQUES

Paris, Rue de la Roquette 71
27th Brumaire, 792

---

Five months ago the royal forces reached Pompeii, a medium-sized town in the small Republic of Rome. Our readers are bound to have heard about it some time ago already, since the bombardment of said town has become the top subject of any conversation, from the high society to the lowest labourers. However, the actual reasons for the action, as well as the greater political picture surrounding them, remain the source of much speculation and sometimes slander against His Majesty. Within this article, we aim to sufficiently explain the war, investigate its roots and shed some light on the future of France.

The Romans are ancient people, whose civilization reaches back to the earliest times. Although their impact on the grand scheme of things is relatively insignificant, they enjoy a sizeable piece of arable land. Their life is quite idyllic by our standards, as the climate is mild, the fish are plentiful and their government rarely has any real influence on them. Their cheerful disposition, beauty of their women and intellectual talents of their men are confirmed by the Japanese, who come visit Rome, Pompeii and Apollonia en masse. If it weren't for the bitter war against Russian pirates and warlords, their life would be quite pleasant, if simple and modest.

However, this picture that most of us French have about the Romans, if we do have any, is crumbling apart. The humongous Japanese empire that lies to the west casts a long shadow on Rome, both in terms of political and cultural power. According to our famous traveller Alexis Tocqueville, who is in the middle of his trip around the world, roughly a quarter the Romans have already converted to haruhism, with the majority of towns mimicking their larger Japanese analogues in architecture and business practice. While their government is stable and even popular, the consul - whom Mr. Tocqueville failed to meet in person, sadly - remains a distant figure, reportedly detached from the everyday politics and pursuing his own unfathomable goals, leaving his people to the Japanese cultural invasion.

Mr. Francois Bougard, a lecturer in the Royal School of Officers and Landlords, confirms these conclusions. "The Romans are out of the picture already, and have been a long time", he says. "Between the Russian attacks - which, let us not forget, would surely caused their fall if it wasn't for the Goddess' aid - and the Japanese reign of souls they were reduced to a lesser nation that cannot exist forever. There can be no future for them, whether we subjugate them or not."

Then Mr. Bougard explains his view further: "The land of Rome is a price of contest between several major powers. It's not only the Japanese and the Russians who are interested in it. Let us not forget that Egypt's hunger for new land and riches, caused by its rapid industrial development, is unlikely to be satisfied by Persia alone, and Rome is the next logical target. We must understand that His Majesty's actions are the realisation of our national ambition and interests, but ultimately also a gift to the Roman citizens. Since Rome is already doomed to fall before one or another power, it is our duty to protect its people from becoming fanatical slaves of the Goddess or quite ordinary slaves of the Russians, or perhaps eradicated by that monster on Egyptian paycheck that calles himself The Baron."

Mr. Roland de Launay, an accomplished historian from the Sorbonne and Mr. Bougard's colleague, commented: "That's all true, but let's not lose our focus here. Our main objective is to ensure the safety of our kingdom, first and foremost. Virtually every country that matters invests heavily in colonies, which are a major source of financial, political and strategic power. We cannot limit ourselves to the frigid North if we want to participate in this race, and Rome is an excellent candidate for extending our influence to the Southern regions of the planet."

As we can see clearly now, the Pompeii operation is of tremendous importance to France on many levels: it will allow us to increase our power, to extend our presence to previously impossible distances, as well as to share our safety with the confused natives. However, that is not everything: this war already has a positive impact on the French. Despite the turmoil that has overcome the capitol, for the first time in years people are looking at their country as a whole, arguing not prices of bread or merits of this or that aristocrat, but our common future and interests. If this war is the price for rekindling our national spirit, isn't this a price worth paying? Whatever comes out of this crisis, it is bound to be for the betterment of the country and its citizens. After all, as it is said, and as His Majesty would certainly agree, a nation shouldn't be forged with words, but with blood and iron.

[Eerion]

“This is when I learnt, how treacherous the Egyptians are and how correct was my teacher. He got beheaded by Horo, yet I knew this is how everything exactly looks like. You must exploit others to reach your goals. Exploit your citizens to ensure the safety of the country. Exploit the neighbours in any way – political, economical or even threat them to make sure your plans succeed.” Hanekawa walked around, while speaking. Ahri, sitting on the throne with her arms crossed, listened carefully. Her eyes were locked on her mother. “It does not matter how you reach your objective, achieving it stands before everything else”
“You speak about your objective. But what if they my objectives are opposed to the ones of my country?” Young girl asked.
“A rulers objectives are country objectives. Everything you do has to be for the sake of Nippon. Never even think about betraying that rule, because if your country falls, so will you. That’s why you have to be merciless when executing your plans. People are weak and you have to lead them to greatness. They will resist, until they see the fruits of your actions.”

Ahri looked at the ceiling. Why did she dream about that old discussion? She straightened up. It was unusual for her to take a nap on the throne. Back then, just sitting on it was incredible. Now it’s just like any other chair. Just more... official. She waved her hand around the head, as if trying to get rid of these memories. Empress took the deep breath. The guest was about to arrive soon. She had to welcome her appropriately.

They entered the room without any question. A woman with 2 guards. Despite the proofs of ageing, she still could be considered beautiful. Expensive dress, she was wearing, only intensified this sensation. Only one thing looked completely out of picture – the shackles on her hands.
Ahri send the guards off without any words, just by waving her hand. After they left the room, she said.
“Your uprising has failed... mother”
Hanekawa looked coldly at her daughter. Sitting on a throne casually, she was emitting a victorious aura. Still, she couldn’t feel any happiness from it. Only determination. Cold and emotionless one.
“You have won this war. But at what price? Country is demolished after all these domestic battles. The core of our nation, the religion has crumbled. People are unhappy...” Old woman spoke
“Don’t make me laugh!” Ahri intercepted her speech. “Unhappy? During this anarchy you created, for these 4 long years we have battled, west had less riots than during any of your last years of regime. Demolished country? I shall rebuild it quickly with the help of the factories you established yourself.”
Hanekawa laughter calmly. “Rebuild what?” She taunted her. “Your allies are crumbling. Before you come back to the previous capabilities of Nippon, there will be no more Rome. You are alone, you foolish girl. Even Haruhi left you, deciding she’s going to take command of the fleet. You are all alone after how you have destroyed Nippon. You cannot rebuild something that has already fallen apart.”
Empress clenched her fists. “I cannot lose myself to that bltch. Even if she’s my mother”, she thought angrily.
“A great grandmother of mine also destroyed this country” Ahri answered, accenting the word destroyed. “We all know how it ended. It shall be no different. Daimyo support me, since I stripped these pesky priests of their power. People aren’t as happy? The defences I restructurised should make up for it. Even your royal supporters in the east crumbled after your pathetic ruling led to a complete insecurity. Actually...” She stopped for a moment “I should thank the Egyptians for their piracy in the south. Thanks to that everyone could see how much of an incompetent ruler you were.”
“I had to plan for longer than you can even imagine” Hanekawa answered with cold tone. “The war was obvious, but I had to make sure we can take on enemies, who don’t reside in cities build on tundra or glacier. They have forests, hills and mountains. We needed factories at all costs, even losing few cities or having riots, since no one expected how greatly it change lifestyle of citizens.”
“It was not enough” Ahri rose from the throne. She walked towards Hanekawa “You planned, and I know you did hoping for the best. But these were a fools wishes. A plans are worth nothing if you do not have a country to rule anymore. It was just a matter of time before Nippon would fall under your rule.”
She looked closely at the eyes of her mother. They were fearless, just as she remembered them. Even after complete defeat her spirit did not waver. It made her angry. She wanted her to fall on her knees, beg, talk. But she stood there like a statue and just argued what is right and wrong. That’s no way a loser should act like this!
“I stripped these peaceful weaklings of their rights!” She referred to the overthrown priests “I am a Goddess and people do not need any fat fools to lead them!”
“Do not get too full of yourself” Hanekawa answered. “Do you really think you can lead the country completely on your own? How foolish of you.”
“I am the absolute ruler, mother! If you are not capable of ruling the country that way, why you think it is the same for me?!” She yelled angrily “I am the country and will take on any threat! I will not be as passive as you. I will take on anyone who will try to claim Japan! Egyptians, Celts, Russians, even French if they will be stupid enough to attack us!”
Hanekawa’s expression changed. She didn’t answer, yet she clearly toned down. She just looked at her daughter.
“You have nothing else to say? Finally.” Ahri said with an annoyed voice. With one swift move she pulled out a small knife from the sleeve of her ceremonial dress and with one swift move she stabbed Hanekawa. The expression of pain appeared on old empress face for a brief moment. She fell on her knees, but she kept looking at her.
“At least you have remembered this lesson.” Hanekawa said quietly. “The Nippon is now in your hands.” She grabbed the hand of Ahri both handedly, but the empress pulled the out quickly, scared. “For thousands of years, Nekomimis ruled over these lands. Do not make the mistake and be the last one, Ahri.”
“Quiet!” Young girl yelled, letting her supernatural powers loose. Wave of force threw Hanekawa at the walls as if she was a doll. She feel on the ground. Her face and clothes were getting soaked in her own blood. Ahri stood in front of her like scared animal. Her tails tousled. She stayed like this for some time, with her eyes focused on the lying body. After seeing that her mother stopped moving completely, se straightened out and let out a wild howl.
“Why the fu.ck I can’t really hate you?!” She yelled angrily “Why couldn’t you come and ask for forgiveness, you dumb woman?! Why the fu.ck you had to be a ruler to the very end?!”
“Never even think about betraying that rule, because if your country falls, so will you.” She remembered the sentence. Ahri turned around and looked at the throne. She clenched her fists, setting it on fire. “Die!” She continued yelling “And take your country with you! I shall create something that will make people forgot about everything that was before. About your puny creation! I will make Nippon stronger than ever. I will...” She fell on her knees. “...not make that mistake.”
“I will not fail” Ahri sobbed.

[Max_Smirnov]

The 'big' report comes 1 turn early (174) to make the date more round. Enjoy!

The Age of Industry
A Report on World Affairs
Published by the Theban University, Kingdom Year 3000 (850 AD)

The last centuries passed under the signs of rising international tensions, emerging industry powering new arms race, and old regimes crumbling to give way to new political forces. Below, we shall look at every major nation in turn.

The map of the world

THE KINGDOM OF EGYPT

Despite many difficulties and contenders, our Kingdom had endured for 30 centuries as the most technologically advanced nation in the world. While both Japan and France managed to enter the age of industrial revolution earlier than us, our advancement in pure knowledge is providing us with fruits beyond any other nation's reach. Steam engines, advanced fireams and medicine are but a handful of them. When you visit the halls of the Theban University, even all of that seems to pale, compared to the new vistas of technology being envisioned by the brightest gathering of researchers ever seen in one place. It's only a question of time before they will introduce the awed world to some new marvels of science.
Traditionally, Egypt had suffered from poor economy. That is a thing of the past. Her Immortal Majesty, Cleopatra, promised to rebuild our economy and restore our naval power, and she kept both her promises. Thanks to the bold colonial policies, embodied by the East India Company, the biggest commercial organization in the world, the royal budget is larger than ever before, carrying the costs of industrialization with little effort.
However, those very two forces, so beneficial to our Kingdom, seem to be also threatening its eternal order. The disparity in wealth between big cities and the countryside gets more striking by the year, and countless educated people are growing more and more angry at all the privileges the aristocracy holds as well as the fossilized, anachronic customs and laws our Kingdom is infamous for. The aristocracy itself often feels threatened, and in turn, fights back, raising taxes, increasing private armies and multiplying laws, afraid of marginalization, poverty and ridicule that was the fate of many of their French peers. As Her Immortal Majesty holds the ultimate saying in such things, those problems are usually resolved pretty quickly - only to give birth to new ones. The peace is kept, but with no long-term solutions, and no real ways to resolve civil dissent, the explosive mixture into which our society turned only grows more potent with every passing decade. Sadly, the only way to keep order we seem to know is to keep changes to the minimum, which seems to be a more and more costly solution. Shall a major crisis come our way, it's impossible to tell what kind of disaster could happen.
Her Immortal Majesty is aware of those problems: "Many people say we failed to cultivate the spirit of rivalization, of which the French are the prime example. It is true that they managed to build a great country on that principle, but at the same time, they took great risks. Risks I'm unwilling to take when the fate of the whole Egypt is at stake. Egypt should stand for cooperation, not needless struggle, although I can't deny that competition is the key principle of both business and science. Therefore, we shall allow those forces to work, but only up to the point where they start to endanger the unity of the Kingdom."

The first railway line in the world, running between Thebes and the Death Pits of the Tyrants

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

The French are calling it 'Democracy': a goverment by the people, for the people. Everyone in Egypt was paying a close attention, when the French citizens rose up and overthrown their aristocratic Parliament, demanding equal rights and privileges for everyone. Meanwhile, Napoleon's soldiers stood idly as the insurgents stormed the prison of Bastille and freed all political prisoners, they stood idly as they fought back the haphazardly organized forces of the nobility, they even stood idly as the new French invention - Guillotines, 'humane and modern tools of execution' were taking heads of those aristocrats that were deemed the enemies of the people. A period of turmoil followed, four or five goverments elected 'by the people' had fallen, but in the end, a stable form of governance emerged, based on the newly written French Constitution, when by popular acclaim, Napoleon was named the unremoveable President of the Republic and his forces supported the new goverment. Shocking as it might seem, his power seems to be indeed severily limited now, and all the laws and bills are voted over in the French Parliment, chosen every 5 years in free, universal elections.
We remain skeptical about this unheard-of freedoms and the new form of governance, although the French morale seems high, and their economy not only completely recovered in just a short decade after the revolution, but actually soared to unprecedented heights; the young Republic seems to have become the leading economical power of the world. Even despite the fact that all the privileges their people want seem to be putting a heavy strain on their budget.
Her Immortal Majesty has soothing words: "We should not be afraid of the newfound French economic power - or the new wealth of scientific inventions, which followed it. We should rather feel inspired. If their goverment, chosen by serfs and hagglers, is able to achieve such heights, our ancient Kingdom must be able to do even better. And we're still holding unparalelled advantages in the form of the Theban University and the East India Company."

Fireworks over the Statue of Liberty, recently erected on an island overlooking the harbour in Paris

BRITTANIA

Eighty years ago, when Empress Arturia had fallen in the Battle of Jaipur, many were predicting quick disintegration of her Empire. However, it turned out that those who were saying that the Empire is stable and organized enough to survive without its head were in the right instead. The British lords chose cooperation over civil war and, inspired by the French, formed a Parliament, naming themselves Lords Electors and equally sharing power on electing their Emperors. An Emperor rules for as long as he or she lives, but the title isn't hereditary. This arrangement proved stable so far and there is little to indicate it should suddenly fail. As a whole, this new loose confederation of states is doing better than even before, despite unstable situation on the Indian border and occasional internal struggle. The legacy of Arturia's final campaign lives on, both in conquered land and gained technology. Putting their emerging industry to a good use, they're already producing sizeable quantities of firearms. Overall, technologically they became almost on par with every other modern country, barring France and ourselves. However, we cannot forget the huge disparities and general chaos that is prevalent in Brittania; their modernity is limited to the wealthiest cities and the country at large is still living in the Dark Ages. Despite all their achievements, they're hardly an ordered and cohesive power on the level of Egypt, France or Japan. They have potential to become one someday, though.
Her Immortal Majesty reminds, that "Our alliance with Brittania was never based on my relations with Arturia, whom I've never even met personally. Egypt had managed to win many trusted friends amongst British nobility, and our cooperation was never threatened. The Celts have shed a lot of blood fighting the evil that Gandhi stands for, fighting like we did a war with India we never wished or started. They remain friends and allies of Egypt."

British cavalry riding into battle

THE EMPIRE OF NIPPON

As it is widely know, the Japanese spearheaded the great industrial revolution that had swept most of the world by now. Having that edge, and feeling threatened by our rising strategical power, they have put their unmatched manufacturing potential into what appears to be the biggest militarization in history. However, it came at a price. The great country that dominates the southern hemispehere had been largely passive for the last two centuries, succumbing to an age of internal strife. This period of weakness, however, is now a thing of the past and Japan emerged from it profoundly changed. Their new God-Empress, Ahri Nekomimi the 4th, commands a country consolidated like never before. All power, civil, religious and military, is now completely centralized and ultimately controlled by just one person, which is the head of both the state and the church. The role of haruhist clergy, although still important, had been severily curtailed, and all private armies have been disbanded in favour of a single, national military force. In general, the Japanese government resembles the old French model, with all the boons of modern meritocracy, even if the rule is noticeably more heavy-handed and indifferent to dissent. The newest reports already indicate major improvements to Japanese economy and science, both of which had been in shambles for so long.
Still, every coin has two sides. Growing education and interest in mundane wealth have undermined the traditional strenght of Japanese faith. Although haruhism remains an important force that bands their society together, appeals to faith alone more and more often fall on deaf ears, and people expect the goverment to improve their economical well-being before the spiritual. The unparalelled cathedrals of haruhism are commanding much less awe than they used to. At the same time, a new force emerged, a shared pride of the military power and tradition of Japan. With the old loyalties wavering, and new ones arising, the new God-Empress faces a difficult challenge of not letting the command of the Japanese soul out of her hands. Is she capable of achieving that goal? Her Immortal Majesty was kind enough to share her insight on these matters:
"The God-Empress of Nippon had murdered her mother. This alone would indicate her being a very aggresive and territorial person. Everything else we know about her only reinforces that assumption. Aggression is driven by fear. Undoubtedly, she was traumatized as a child by how effortlessly we were able to thwart her mother's plans for unlimited conquest of Equatoria, especially considering how great of a figure God-Empress Hanekawa was. Fear and aggression can undoubtedly lead to rash and dangerous action. However, it also seems that Hanekawa's genius runs in Ahri's blood as well. She must realize, than with our technology of mass-production of cheap firearms, we are able to put extremely lethal weaponry even in the hands of city militias, making any attack on Egyptian soil suicidal."

Japanese arms factory, working overtime to meet the demands

INDIA

Before Gandhi's empire managed to recover from its loses from the previous British campaign, a new Celtic army, commanded by Emperor Eric the Bald, conquered the fortress city of Guntur, where the Indians were attempting to move their administrative center. Their armies bloodied, their technological edge over the Celts finally lost, Indian power seems to be reeling.
What could tip the balance, though, is what the Japanese are really planning. Reportedly, the border between Japan and India is in turmoil, there is even talk about possible Japanese invasion to capture the resource-rich south of India. At the same time, the relations between the southern power and Gandhi himself seem as good as ever, what was proven when Japanese shared their industrial technologies with him. Where this erratic policy is really leading, nobody can tell except, perhaps, the God-Empress.
"There isn't anything new to be said," states Her Immortal Majesty. "Gandhi's rule of terror has to be eradicated from the existence. He had started a war with the whole world, but it won't be him who'll end it. It is important though, that we shouldn't consider the God-Empress as a friend of Gandhi. The Japanese Empresses do not have any friends and they never had. For them, India is a mere tool to be used against Brittania and discarded once it had served its purpose - or stopped working."

Indian forts high up in the Himalayas

THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHY

While still wary and hostile towards its neighbours, Russia doesn't seem so unaproachable or unreasonable as in the past. It's been many centuries since Egyptian waters were disturbed by their pirates, and their struggles with France and Brittania are more of a political, than criminal nature, as their leader, Joseph Stalin, sees both countries as encroaching into Russian sphere of colonial influence.
Technology-wise, Russia stays the only civilization in the world (barring Persians) which haven't undergone the industrial revolution. Yet, this picture might be grossly misleading. Unlike Brittania, India or Rome, the Russians don't owe their advancement to foreign help, and have invented most of what they have by themselves. They have the infrastructure to take an advantage of their technology, and to develop more. After a millenia-long lull, in the recent centuries they have been developing rapidly, and it's only a question of time before they join us in modernity. They have already mastered the construction of modern warships, which was until very recently a closely guarded secret of Egypt, France and Japan.
Her Immortal Majesty summarizes our relationship with Russia as "Tense, but civil. Egyptian and Russian interests do not collide with each other."

Caravels in the tropical harbour town of Kiev, an important nexus of Russian trade

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

With the world graudally becoming a more tense and crowded place, the inevitable happened and the idyllic Roman Republic finally became a subject of interest in foreign colonial politics - namely, French. Although the Roman warriors put up a spirited defense at Pompeii, when the smoke cleared, they were left with over ten thousand dead, the triumphant French losing maybe one per cent of that number. Even if the Japanese factory in Rome that until now was busying itself with providing various trinkets for the population is going to be put into military effort, and even if the Japanese provide Romans with the latest military technology, with such disparity in strength the Roman Republic is unlikely to survive on its own. The Egyptian public couldn't probably care less, and most of those who had any sympathy towards Romans changed their minds after the Republic decided to join the vultures feasting on Persia's body and perpetuated what is known as the Gurgan Massacre. Shall Japan decide to directly aid their formal ally, the only outcome for the Republic would be becoming a full-fledged puppet of its fundamentalist neighbour, a future perhaps even less honorable than becoming a French colony.
When asked, Her Immortal Majesty reminded, that: "In the early days of our Kingdom, efforts were made to approach the Romans on friendly terms. A trade in scientific and geographical knowledge was proposed, that was of no conseqence to Egypt but obviously beneficial to Rome, accompanied by a set of expensive gifts. The Romans took the gifts, refused the trade of maps and told our diplomats to wait for an unspecified amount of time as they weren't sure if the technology of Aqueducts we were proposing was 'valuable enough' price for their trinkets. After that slap in Egypt's face, I've lost any interest in the Roman Republic or communicating with them directly. After all, all important decisions concerning their fate are nowadays made in Kyoto anyway."

An army mobilizing in Rome to put desperate resistance against the French

PERSIA

Persia, though quartered and beheaded, is still lingering as a coalition of largely independent towns, without any hope for a future as a nation. Its people on the mainland are still putting up some resistance, although this is mostly targeted at the taxmen and officers of the occupiers, and is most often referred to as mere banditry; the reader is bound to have heard about the Persian national hero, legendary warrior-poet Blindson (infamous for assassinating the father of Baron Heliconnen) who dedicated his life to robbing the rich and protecting the opressed. The island part of Persia, on the other hand, just tries to keep low profile, in hopes any would be conquerors will overlook it; it doesn't hold many riches to be plundered, after all.

Ruins of Persis

[Max_Smirnov]

Excerpts from the Theban Chronicles

912 AD: Peace in Brittania

The British Princes-Electors, convened at the latest Moot in Numantia to choose the new Emperor, were surprised to read leflets (made in the primitive local printing shop) agitating for stopping the violence and electing an unknown, young girl from Bhubaneswar for the office. The India had become so weak lately that the British nobles, hardened by centuries of war, were perpetuating private campaigns against the southern warlords for land and profit, often with success, but at a terrible cost to the largely neutral Indio-Celtic population. After the battle of Bombay in 896, as Indian power east of the Himalayas completely ceased to exist, and the Brits ran out of easy targets to conquer, they increasingly started to turn against each other. The previous Emperor, Seamus the Mad, had even set a precedence, taking sides in one of such domestic disputes, before tragically drowning in a river near Nagpur (while being drunk, as some say).
The girl in question, named Eucliwood, was one of the many contenders to the title, yet unlikely to win even a single vote, and more like a clown of the election - nobody could even tell who she is. The amusement turned to anger as she appeared wearing a likeness of armor once worn by Empress Arturia, who used to rule Brittania for two thousands years before falling at Jaipur two centuries ago. Some people even argue that Eucliwood's armor is actually the same set that had been looted from Arturia's body (which itself disappeared in the confusion, which led to some lunatics claiming she's actually alive, despite several eye witnesses of her dying and her body being subsequently displayed for everyone to see), only repaired and slightly altered to fit the much smaller girl.
What happened on the election day is difficult to piece together. Arguably, the Numantians have witnessed the most overt display of supernatural powers in the recorded history (even if the Theban Academia is extremely cautious about such statements and reminds that there is no magic, just yet-unexplained natural phenomena). Eucliwood, who usually appears to be a mute and communicates through writing, said that she is taking the power in Brittania in a voice that had been reportedly heard for miles around. Somehow, she was unanimously elected; the Elector-Princes are to this day unwilling to talk about the details of that day and are obviously mortally scared of their new Empress.
Merlin's involvement seems certain, as Eucliwood, fifteen at that time, hadn't apparently aged at all in the intervening decade. The Excalibur seems to be lost for good, though, and Arturia's successor has her own fabled weapon, the Hellscythe. Despite Empress Eucliwood's rather subdued and easygoing demenaour, in stark contrast to violent Arturia, and her apparent agenda of peace, she seems to command fear on the scale far surpassing her ancient predecessor. She does, however, seem to fully support the alliance with Egypt. At least her motives seem easier to understand, as she choose to not only leave the old Parliament and meritocracy alone, but to further empower them and keep her subjects fully informed of her thoughts and intentions through the wealth of printed works she had already published, arguing for peace, cooperation and the rule of law. She seems to be fully aware of the old maxim - 'Talk gently and hold a big stick'.



Empress Eucliwood Hellscythe says: Please stop fighting!


920 AD: The Fall of Rome

With all the secrecy surrounding the Roman state affairs, and Japanese claims that the Republic is undergoing major militarization, many were uncertain if the heavily fortified city of Rome can be easily conquered. President Napoleon proved them wrong by simply doing so, crushing the city with naval bombardment and annihilating six thousand defenders, yet again taking virtually no loses. The French have erected a Triumphant Arc on the city's main square and are openly announcing quick addition of the remaining Roman towns to their new province. Seeing that Rome had ceased to exist as a political entity, the East India Company began operations to ensure that Egypt won't come empty-handed out of these happenings.



The traditional Roman policy towards strangers - obviously, it hadn't paid up

[(x)]

Non Omnis Moriar - The Official Statement of the Government of the Independent Venetian Republic



First of all, to make things clear - the reports of our fall are greatly exaggerated. The free city of Rome has been indeed conquered by - still unidentified - forces but the identity of The Republic has never been bound to one place. As a matter of fact the place has no meaning at all since the purpose of our existence is nothing but gathering the principial knowledge about the universe we live in. This knowledge was the treasure so greedily desired by Russian Oligarchs. But is there anything more important than the desires? This was the question asked by Hypatia of Virconium. Then she gave the meaning to this rather infantile - she took the books created by the greatest of our philosphers, went to the main camp of the occupational forces and gave it all to them, telling: "This is the only treasure you can find here". But it certainly was not the treasure they were looking for - they realized that Roman land hides nothing they ever could be interested in. This way they lost their desire - further conquest was pointless. The fate of Hypathia is still not known but the the story of her noble sacrifice will forever live deep in our collective memory.

But let us get back to present time. To present time and the facts. And the facts are dead bodies in Pompei. More than 60000 of citizens were murdered by the individual calling himself a president of democracitc country. The same individual dares to claim that dialogue between our nations was impossible. For us there is nothing more important then the dialogue but do we really have to talk with murderers? The hell we will! They can always spread a vile propaganda about threat and militarisation. They can tell the childish stories about alliance with Southern Empire. Offcourse they can, but is there any reason for the Great Empire to make alliances with the country, which "army" was barely capable of fighing uncivilised barbarians. An "army" created by a volunteer group of poets and philosphers. "Army" of people killed just because they wanted to defend their way of life.



Cesare di Borgia
Il Principe di Venetiarum ResPublica

[Solarius Scorch]

LES AFFAIRES POLITIQUES

Paris, Rue de la Roquette 71
21st Messidor, 972

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In recent times, the Isle of Rome remains the most popular topic of conversations among the French, regardless their class or profession. While there still is some scepticism, which is natural in a democratic system such as ours, this new addition to French lands enjoys an enormous backing of the masses. The reasons for this are obvious: this operation was a spectacular military success and it was followed by a great deal of material gains for the French people, as well as most Romans, thanks to the new investments and expanded market for the mass-produced French goods.
It is only now, at the very end of the Roman rule on the island, when the mysterious leader of the Republic, Cesare di Borgia, has issued an official statement, painting Rome as a bucolic land of freedom, art and philosophy, that was brutally trampled upon by foreign powers. Will his words cast doubt among the citizens of Paris?
When asked exactly this question, Foreign Minister George de Selve dismissed the case immediately. "Such words are not an accurate description of reality, to say the least", he said firmly. "While this is not widely remembered among the French public, one should rememeber that this supposedly peaceful nation has recently conquered Gurgan, which rightfully belonged to our friends in Persia, who struggled heroically against the overwhelming Japanese invasion, not to mention the still dangerous Indians. These umm, poets were themselves quite capable of violence and slaughter, committed in the name of - what? Unity of the Isle of Rome under one banner, laws and traditions be damned? The fact that they were coerced into doing so, or at least aided, by the fanatical Japanese is not an excuse for such a dishonourable deed."
These strong words seem to reflect the general attitude of the government quite well. The President, however, believes that normalisation of relations between France and Rome is still possible. "Taking military action was a tough decision to make", he told us at the press conference last week, "but it was justified and as humane as possible. For centuries, the Roman people suffered hardships unimaginable to us, largely ignorant of the wonders of technology we take for granted, their only hope coming from Japanese priests and employers. This period is luckily over for those who fell under French jurisdiction and their situation is already better, despite the selfish actions of those who would rather conspire with lunatics and keep others in the dark. However, we believe the moment has come for the remnant Republic to open its eyes and join the rest of the world in modernity!" Then Mr. President addressed the Venetiarum ResPublica itself, saying: "We, the French, are not your enemies. We will gladly assist you in diplomacy, or even representing you before other powers. If you want to be our friends, we are willing to disregard the mistakes of the past and stand with you - together! For struggle is often the sign of weakness, while cooperation always marks and leads to true strength."
As one can see clearly, while official diplomatic channels between France and Rome remain virtually non-existent, there are high hopes for restarting them from scratch. The following years will determine Rome's fate by showing whether they are willing to join the international community or not. Naturally, we will continue publishing articles regarding this delicate matter.

[Max_Smirnov]

No proof that the Gurgan Massacre ever happened

On behalf of our friends, the Persians, the forces of the East India Company have recently taken control on the Persian city of Gurgan, that was once seized by Rome. The commander in chief, Baron Feyd Heliconnen, reports that there was no Roman military presence in town, and the Persians seemed not only to live on a good terms with the Romans, but even to enjoy a good deal of autonomy. On mutual agreement, they choose to accompany the Persians to the Egyptian city of Armant, where the population is going to be resettled to remove them from the warzone and protect them from any further harm.
What's important, Baron Heliconnen reports no proof to support the rumor about the atrocities that the Romans allegedly commited there, commonly known as the Gurgan Massacre.

Signed,
Rashid Silverberg, the Vice-Chairman of the East India Company
Luxor, 21 January 3123 (AD 973)

[Max_Smirnov]

"If you wish to understand the universe, think of energy, frequency and vibration."

Nicola Tesla, an unconventional scientist from Russia. Having no hope of finding what he was looking for in his underdeveloped homeland, he travelled east. First, shunned at Sorbonne, then laughed at in the halls of the Theban University, the peerless temple of science, where he expected to find his equals. Yet even there, their once-revolutionary concepts, now fossilized, scared of being overthrown. So he set out to crush them. Now, in the winter of 996, was the moment when it was going to happen, and the world won't ever be the same.

"An endless sea of invisible energy and potential. Tapping into it..."
He threw the switch. "We shall command the power of the gods."



The machines shimmered and stirred into action, spurred by some mysterious power. The crowd gasped in fear, when the machinery started to sparkle, then in awe, as arcs of lightning exploded from the coil. Then, the new, pure, merciless electric light awakened all around, piercing the eternal night and exposing the pyramid-like shape of the Cathedral of Light; the perfect testament to both Theban tradition and unsurpassed modernity.

The industrial and economical power commandeered by Egypt ensured this wasn't going to be a toy, but something that was going to profundly change the world, forever.

[Eerion]

The conquest of Susa succeeded without any major loses or disturbances. This last bastion of continental Persia shows perfectly how underdeveloped this nation is. Cursed by overly generous land, the region is overcrowded by people and soldiers were incapable of maintaining the peace properly. In the result, the locals were granted an enormous amount of free time for so called “entertainment”. In a result more than 40% of local population wasn’t working. We have started the preparation to provide them with proper ways to satisfy their needs, however, it may take some time until everything becomes as it should be.

Date Hidemune

Ahri looked at the map. The conquest of Persia was complete. It did not turn out as her ancestors planned long time ago. There were several Egyptian interferences, but still it succeeded somehow. There are, of course, some leftover villages on islands around the continent, but they were of no importance. She looked at the map of Nippon. Near the Kimobetsu the barbarians are gathering. All these rebels from the past, banished from their own cities formed a military band and marched on the city in the middle of tundra. There should be no risk, still she ordered the reinforcements to dispatch. Did they make it in time? Has the battle yet to happen or is the messenger with the news already on his way here? She kept on wandering, until the moment she heard the noise in the corridor. Someone was running. At night, no one could enter these chambers. Clenching her fists in preparation to burn down the intruder she waited. Approaching the doors, the person stopped, knocked and said “My lady. It is an emergency.”
Ahri recognised the voice of Hattori Hanzo, one of her servants.
“Enter” she commanded shortly. As he entered the room, she noticed he was fully armored and prepared for battle.
“What is going on?” Empress asked with annoyed tone. She wrinkled her brows.
“My lady. The unknown enemy has infiltrated the city. Our soldiers were bribed. I do not know what they were promised, but they have risen against us.
“Crush them” Ahri answered coldly. “Those who do not obey have to die.”
“The forces we have sent to suppress them have betrayed us as well. Right now at least two out of three soldiers stationed within the city are rebelling. They have already overthrown the court and several crucial building. The citizens for now hide in their homes, but if the soldiers were convenienced to something, the masses shall follow them shortly.”
“Then gather the remaining ones. I shall take command over them and crush those who oppose us before that happens. With the support of my powers they won’t be able to fight against it.”
Hanzo bit his lip. He bowed deeply, while saying.
“I am not capable of verifying if the remaining ones won’t join them when opportunity arises. They also are scattered in various areas of the city, we will not be able to form a competitive force even with your godly power. Not now my lady. You must escape. Your safety takes the highest priority.”
Ahri howled with anger. The torches attached to the walls flared up. Her tails rumpled and small glimmers appeared on it. “You ask me to surrender our capitol Hanzo?” There was only anger in her voice.
“The capitol is just a symbol. You are the absolute ruler my lady. As long as you live, we shall survive. Rest is not important.”
She looked into his eyes. There was no fear in them. Just cold calculation and determination. She looked away.
“Let it be your way. But I shall get my revenge. But before that... my armor. And help me hide the important documents in the secret room. They should not be able to find it.”
“What about the rest, my lady?”
“Let them burn” She responded with a cunning smile on her face.



They marched through the empty palace. The soldiers appeared to either defend on the walls or fled. It was unimportant. They moved towards the side exit. As the palace was close to the eastern border of the city, they could escape through it without any issues.

“Are you sure they will escape through here?” A foreign armored person asked the soldiers.
“This is the only reasonable route to get away. At least the one we know of.” The Japanese man answered. He wore the musketeer attire, and only a torn down emblems distinguished him and others from the average soldiers.
“Good. She has unnatural powers. Make sure you shoot the very moment you see her. We cannot give her time to react.”
“Yes sir!” They responded.

The last body fell on the floor. Ahri stood in the middle, gasping. Around her lied more than a hundred bodies. The blood soaked through holes in the bodies she created. Some of others burned slowly, eating the material of their clothes. The fire, reflected on the slowly growing pool of blood turned the corridor into the gate of hell.
“Are you alive Hanzo?” She asked, taking breaks to breathe. Fighting off such mass was extreme even for her. And it wouldn’t be enough if not the small group of her royal guards who mixed with the rebels in order to sabotage them. If they wouldn’t backstab the ambushers she would be dead. Still, they paid with their bravery with own lives, being outnumbered greatly. Still it was enough for her to regain control over the fight.
“I’m here my lady.” He answered weakly. Hattori was leaning against the wall. The blood soaked from his head, and he kept his hand on his side.
“But I cannot follow you any more tonight. I would be only a burden.”
Empress approached him. “Do you wish for me to end your suffering, my servant?” Her voice was cold and without compassion.
Hattori coughed. “It would be an honour. But I have to pass for today. I may not be able to follow you tonight, but I will survive.” He was speaking slowly. “I did not become the master of your agents without getting injured few times. Just go. I will take off this clothing and put on some soldiers one. If they won’t figure anything out, then I will join you after few days or weeks.”
“Understood. Make sure you escape.”
“I will not fail you, my lady.” He smiled gently.
Ahri turned around and walked away.



She walked through a tunnel. The sounds of a fight were slowly dying out. Either her supporters were losing or she was getting away from all this commotion. It took some time for her to regain composture, but she felt way better.
It was a split of a second. She has heard a noise just above the ceiling and leaped forward. Ahri jumped away from the falling debris, but the shock wave threw her few meters ahead. Rolling on the ground she hit her head painfully and almost bit off her tongue. While covering her head with tails and hands, almost deaf from the noise, she has heard the second explosion.
Feeling the bullets piercing her body, she knew she was mistaken.

The musketeers lowered their weapons. More than thirty firearms shot at the falling empress, devastating her body. As they saw she is not moving anymore, they started shouting cheerfully.
“The Empress is dead! This fox will not stand between us and our utopia anymore!”
The rest of their squad jumped down from the roof.
“I told you that the gunpowder barrels are a good idea!” They joked cheerfully.
“Who allowed you to break my playthings?” A cold, loud voice, filled with anger, disturbed their celebration.
They turned around taken completely off guard. A tall figure was approaching them, coated heavily. His face was completely hidden under the big hood.
Some started reloading the muskets in panic; few of them picked up their swords and halberds and pointed them at the stranger.
He simply ignored them and walked straight to the place where dead body lied. He crouched next to her and touched the cheek of dead Empress.
“You were not meant to end like this.” He said calmly, more to himself than people surrounding him.
“What are you trying to do?” The foreign assassin asked loudly. “Are you her friend? If yes, then you should join her!”
He was completely ignored. The man kept holding his hand on Ahri’s cheek. He looked at the bleeding body. “This will do” he said, while standing up.
Everyone else fell to their knees. They caught their necks as if an invisible force tried to strangulate them.
“You made me upset mortals. And the price of this is your death.” He stated simply with an annoyed voice. “Your life shall be used for something more useful than your miserable existence” He said, while clenching his fists.
A green rays of light started to flow out of mouths of the rebels. They tried to scream, to get away, but the invisible force kept their necks in place. Some of the tried to block their mouths with their hands, yet the shining clouds was simply flying through them. Then they started losing conscious one after another.
As the last body stopped moving, the stranger loosened up his fists, allowing the lifeless bodies to fall on the ground. The green energy, flowing around him up to the point, gathered on his hand instantly, forming a shining green orb.
He crouched next to the Ahri again.
“It will not end like this. You are too entertaining to let you die now.”
He pushed the ball into her body. The wounds started closing up almost instantly.
The empress breathed.

[Max_Smirnov]

The slightest tingle of excitement, felt in the night air, made Cleopatra to walk out onto the balcony of her new palace on the outskirts of Thebes. The thin rain was slowly soaking her loose, silk robe.
She smiled. Napoleon was causing a lot of ruckus lately. Provoking other rulers, drawing them out. First, the mysterious Roman shadow; now, something else and much more powerful altogether. Something that shouldn't exist. But it was there. Showing itself to avert the fate of Ahri, even if not the fate of Kyoto, the proud Japanese capitol, the largest and mightiest city of the era, so easily reduced to a smoldering pit of anarchy and bloodshed. It was, of course, Empress Ahri's own fault. Not for being caught unprepared, like her mother and grandmother; excess paranoia only drags you down, makes you less effective. No, her mistake was ignoring the signs of popular resistance to her rule, her weakness was driving her subjects too hard. Such a revolution attempt would surely fail in Thebes, there was simply not enough oposition here that could be coaxed into staging a succesful coup.

Ahri wanted, felt forced, to revolutionize everything overnight. Egypt took the longer route, the process of industrialization much slower and not as extensive as in Japan. It took time, surely, the boons took much longer to appear, centuries, not mere decades. But it protected the country from the worst of it, keeping Egypt unscathed except for a few isolated luddist riots spurred by provincial nobles. Only once a major city experienced a noticeable disturbance, and it was, of course, Busiris, Azuria's doing, an increasingly rare burst of her activity. But it died down on its own, rather quickly. All in all, the damage to the country was a tiny fraction of what Japan had to endure.

But now, they were already stretching their limits, while the Egyptian machine was merely gaining momentum. Cleopatra could see fires in the distance, steam engines on the slopes of the Death Pits. The second phase of industrialization was sweeping the country, to be followed by the third in due time. No longer weighing the economy down, the progress was causing it to soar instead. No other country, not even Japan or France, had the technology or resources to duplicate that feat, at least not in any foreseeable future. Their steady territorial expansion didn't matter that much in comparison.

Poor Ahri. Going against such ancient powers as Napoleon and the Queen herself, powers, which had brought even her mother into the line. Lacking the boldness and great vision Hanekawa had. And now, having to suffer the supreme indignity of being saved. The nascent, unbearable feeling of weakness. And she didn't deserve it, unlike someone else... someone whom the Queen intended to visit now.

Cleopatra took time to dress herself into a business suit (another side-effect of the industrial revolution, the complete change of fashion; elegance and subtlety in place of ostentation, twilight of the plate armor... even the Japanese invention of lace underwear had taken root here, now mass produced and affordable), before descending into the deep bowels of the palace, dungeons illuminated by sharp, electric light.

The dead can never be brought back to life. Yet the death can be stretched. For thousands of years, if need be, as long as someone has the power to do so. As long as a spark of life still lingers, as long as the brain is still functional, it's only a matter of effort. An effort, which was much greater here. Not only the body was much more devastated, degraded by decay. Ahri also had the will to live. Something to live for.

But Cleopatra couldn't be thwarted. That was her will, and her will was going to be done. Even if the cost was high, in power and money both. It was only recently, after three hundred years, she decided the tomb could be opened, and the spark of life turned into fire. After the hate and anger had time to spend itself, after the immediateness had long passed, making any notion of return impossible. Long after the world where she lived had died itself.

She stirred and rose from the bed as Cleopatra entered her cell.



"Why don't you just let me die," she said, but there was little force behind her voice.

"That's a change," smiled Cleopatra. "You're going to parley. It took you many tries to finally realize you're powerless to damage yourself beyond my ability to revive you."

"You're just forcing me to live in this degraded state. Why? If you hate me so much, why aren't you even torturing me?"

"You haven't earned that right yet. Be a good girl, and maybe I might be convinced to do so."

Arturia, the former Empress of Brittania, squinted her eyes, a spark of anger overwhelming her despair and quickly turning into a fire.
"Stop ****ing with me! If claming my throne back is impossible, there is no point for me to stay alive! I didn't want to be rescued, and in the name of our alliance, I demand the right to die a honorable death!"

The Queen shook her head. "We were never allied," she said dismissively. "An alliance is a treaty between rulers. Between equals. And you're not my equal."

"What? How dare you! You might have me in your power, but that doesn't give you the right to mock me. I was the rightful leader of Brittania!"

"You were a failure of a leader. A joke. A figurehead. Your own people wanted you dead. You were never really able to lead them."

"A failure? A... failure? You have no idea how much I had to sacrifice for my country. How difficult it was. And never once I have wavered in my duty!"

"Duty is good for servants, not rulers. A ruler embodies the collective pride and aspiration of her subjects. She gives them the feeling of strength and hope. They want someone grand, someone they can aspire to be, someone they can be jealous of. Nobody wants an over-emotional girl with misguided notions of self-sacrifice. You never had any vision for your country, you were preoccupied with your stupid duty and your, oh-so-tragic, life story. If not for the immense support of your court you knew nothing about, it'd have ended very quickly. Yet. Those very qualities make you a great tool. A tool awaiting to be used."

"I will never serve you!"

"Oh, you will," smiled Cleopatra. "You know no other way. Besides... There is always my power, the power of the Queen of the Nile. Those who are close by can't help but start to subconsciously understand me. Your narrow mind is going to be opened, slowly, gradually you will start to change, whether you want it or not. You'll be corrupted, if you will," she grinned. "And we have all the time in the world."

Arturia blinked and swallowed hard.

"Now then, since we have those difficult issues out of the way," said Cleopatra, putting a bagful of clothes on the bed. "I almost forgot how I always liked playing with dolls. I wouldn't sink so low as to degrade one of my subject to a role of a dress-up doll, even if she were as cute as you are. But you can't be treated like a human," she added, smiling.