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Annessione di Francia; *After the Fall of France*
Topic Started: Jan 26 2010, 03:52 PM (1,829 Views)
Union
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Pyrenees Republic
Ernesto Ignacio Coiduras Mudarayas, minister to Venice, and chief official of the consulate received a late telegraph that night. He was instructed to relay a treaty to the Venetian foreign ministry. He went to sleep, thinking nothing of it, before waking the next morning at 8 am, and taking a glance at the paper. A devil's bargain, perhaps, but he could see mutual benefit from such an accord.

Quote:
 

Concord of 2010
Between the Most Serene Republic of Venice and the Union of the Pyrenees


In the interests of preserving the general peace and regional stability
the two signed nations hereby agree to operate under the premise of
mutual respect and understanding of the other.

Expansionism being an honorable course of action when done so for
justifiable purposes, the Union will recognize the Venetian annexation
of territories in Occitania on the promise of the Venetian government
to cease all belligerent military action west of the 1.500 longitudinal line,
outside of currently occupied territories in northern Iberia and around
the great city of Valencia. The Union will also not operate any military
forces with the intent of annexation east of the same line. Mutual
recognition of the rights of the two parties to operate in the declared
zones independently of one another will be given and are fully
understood by the two signing parties.

In so doing, the two parties agree to live together in peace, free in the
knowledge that their future is secure and that general stability will
reign supreme in the European region once again.

This concord will go into effect immediately upon signing by the
declared heads of state of both parties, and will be a binding
promise of which any violation will be met with immediate counter
action as the offended party deems necessary to preserve their
interests, and termination of the treaty.

Signed,
Chairman Miguel Trouillefou, of the Union of the Pyrenees
Signorian Cibrán Brais


Coiduras made his way through Venice to the house of the state department in that country, and politely requested an audience with the Foreign Minister of Venice, having in his possession a document of the most pressing interest and necessity. If the Foreign Minister was willing to meet, Coiduras had been instructed to do little more but hand off the document, give his contact information, and be on his way as politely as possible and in a manner most expedient. If the Foreign Minister refused to meet with him, he had been instructed to continue asking for an audience every day at precisely 9:30 in the morning until they did meet, or until orders from Jaca changed.

EDIT June 9th: Noticed that the Venetian signature was still absent when visiting this thread.
Edited by Union, Jun 9 2010, 11:44 AM.
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Telosan
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OOC: There are no ministers of Venice. There's the Consul, the Imperator, and the Pregadi. The Pregadi is the Senate and would handle as a group positions normally assigned to an individual. Most of the time, they just appoint someone for each case and go on their way.

IC: Three days later, Signorian Cibrán Brais, a representative from the realm of Galicia, was nominated to handle the current proposal the Pyrenees Union had given the Pregadi. Making his way by to the embassy by in one of the senatorial bissone, Brais read over the document again. Satisfied, he hopped onto the sidewalk off the small galley and entered in search of the Union ambassador.

"Mi dispiace, Signore Coiduras. The Pregadi is sometimes slow in appointing people to deal with less pressing matters, not that meeting with you is not important.

I have read over the document and must say that is agreeable. I must ask two things before I sign, however. First, should a nation to the west of this line in question war with Venice, would this document prevent Venice from occupying the opposing nation to prevent further hostilities so long as annexation is not the goal? Second, in the past, the Union has expressed displeasure with our presence in Iberia altogether, so can the continued Venetian jurisdiction of Valenciana and the Northwest territories be assured?"
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Union
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Coiduras was quiet, and pointed at three lines:

Quote:
 
the Union will recognize the Venetian annexation of territories in Occitania on the promise of the Venetian government to cease all imperialist action west of the 1.500 longitudinal line, outside of currently occupied territories in northern Iberia and around the great city of Valencia.


"You do not expand west of 1.5. You can go to war, but not annex any occupied territory as a result of war. At the conclusion of hostilities, all land west of that point in Europe must be given up. "


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Telosan
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"And this is not negotiable?"

A look at Coiduras' annoyed gaze quickly gave him his answer.

"Allora, I'll sign."

~ Signorian Cibrán Brais, of the realm of Galicia ~
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Union
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"It is good to reach an agreement like gentlemen. The world has known too much war. We do not have to be friends, but this should never mean we must fight like stray cats. A good example for the world.

A statement will be issued shortly."
Coiduras left the Consul, and went back to his own embassy in Venice. He nodded positively at the secretary's inquiry, who proceeded to call the Chairman. Trouillefou congratulated, stating that such an achievement was a real feather in his cap and that he had a political future ahead of him. Coiduras chuckled politely, eager to get off the phone and go home to his lovely Italian mistress.

A few days later:

Quote:
 

The government of the Union of the Pyrenees recognizes the need for stability the
Venetians can provide, and are happy to announce that the Union government
can and will recognize the expansion. The government of Venice is warned to not
go beyond the territory outlined in the private agreement. The Union recognizes that
to allow anarchy of continue to fester in France is to create a very real
hell for the men and women who call such a place home, and that rule by warlords is no rule at all.


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Hastine
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(OOC: Excuse the sentence structure and the writing, I haven't RPed in a while. =/)

------------------------

IC: Henry sat in the comfort of his chair, despite the relative discomfort, or awkwardness, one could say, in front of him. Earlier in the day, his quiet villa situationed deep in the pine forests of Helusia (Elucha) in western Sperry, was relatively empty, visited only by close friends and inhabited by his immediate family. Now, it was swarming with military personel and politicians. "Did the royal family go into the forest in self-imposed exile to be dragged back out of it so soon?" He thought in his head with disgruntlement, as the multitude of voices filled his office and mentally battered his head. "If you've already kicked my father off the throne, why drag him back when he's on his last legs, and me with him? Besides, I was starting to like the peace and quiet."

The young prince, also known by the title of the Falcon of Xorid (Li Faucon dai Soredai) due to being the first-born son of his father Paul VIII, had just turned 19, and not surprising was relunctant to follow in the royal footsteps so soon in life; he was more concerned with his father's actual health, which was rapidly failing, than succeeding him. But young Henry was also well-known for being articulate and gifted; he had the aura of a born leader, and many had looked forward to his reign as King of Sperry, until the country had united with the Sixth French Republic and politely dropped the monarchy's official role in Sperian affairs. But right now, the Falcon just wanted to sleep.

"The country is in chaos, Your Majesty!" Said Mareni Chorchi, who during the Sixth Republic was appointed the Minister of Interior Affairs for the Sperian Autonomous Region, "Ever since the collapse of the Sixth French Republic just a week ago, French soldiers stationed in the country have become restless and angry now that they are unemployed and without the chain of command to guide them, ravaging the countryside and pillaging towns and villages throughout Sperry for food and payment! And soon they'll be coming to the cities... what then? What THEN?!"

A short but confident-looking man in his early thirties, who stood by the prince as he sat at his ailing, father's well-carved pine desk, rolled his eyes at Chorchi, who was red in face with worriedness. "Your anxiety makes me sick, Sejnir. I thought decisiveness was a requirement for those in power, is it not?" He said, with a casual elbow nudge to the Falcon. Henry did not respond to his father's old and trusted friend, despite his own deep, amicable relations with Chosaifi Vaqairi. "Either way," Vaqairi said, looking around the room at the assortment of high-ranked officials who crowded the office, "Chorchi is right. We cannot stand for these scavengers to rape our country in it's weakest hour. But it will also be difficult to stop them. They were the only substantial army we had..."

Henry finally spoke up, "We DO have ethnic Sperian soldiers stationed in the region, though; not all of them were sent to other parts of the Republic. If we can rally them together, along with militia from the cities, we might be able to convince the unemployed French soldiers currently wandering our nation to desist in their crimes and join us in defending the Kingdom from opportunists." He then looked over to General Tsevani Chacombi, who stood silently in the middle of the crowd, and called him forward. "General Chacombi, I want you to order ethnic Sperian soldiers to report to their stations and prepare for defensive manoevers. They will defend the weaker civilian areas from attacks by wandering French soldiers, and will dislodge and arrest the opportunist politicians who are starting to create warlord states out of the major cities." The Falcon then suddenly stood up, and looked outside a window northwards, "...And I, personally, will rid Armaga of its own petty tyrant. So send an small army with me and Vaqairu, and we'll rendezvous with Sperian troops sweeping through the cities along the coast of Helusia."

Chacombi, who served as a five-star general in the Sperian Armed Forces (before they were dissolved as the union with the Sixth French Republic took place), responded, "Your Majesty, if I may interrupt, there are several Sperian batallions left in the rest of the remnants of the Republic, many more than there are here currently. If we can call them back successfully, and not too many of them are pillaging as well, we will stand a much better chance in stabilizing the country. And not to mention stand a chance against the expansionists that are threatening our sovereignty, especially the penqqaicuus from the Venetian Empire. Shall I order them back home?"

"Mernda... I forgot about those damn lutairis..." Henry cursed, standing up from his desk and starting to pace around the room, "But first things first. Secure the country, and then we'll be ready to boot the invaders back into the sea, where they belong! As for the Sperian soldiers outside of Sperry, do whatever you can to get them here. You are dismissed, General!"

The two men saluted each other, then Chacombi and several other politicians left. After about an hour, only Vaqairi and the prince were left in the office of the villa.

"Sperry just had to pick last week to become independant after a decade, didn't it?" Vaqairi said, with a playful smirk.

The Falcon nodded, "Indeed. The crown has forced itself on my head, it seems." He then looked towards the nearby staircase, from which he could easily hear the violent coughing of his father. "But why now, dad?" He thought, lowering his head forlorn in his thoughts and worries.
Edited by Hastine, Jul 18 2010, 10:44 PM.
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Filo
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OCC: Ok i know i'm late and i have lack for so long. so forgive me...

Le NAN sarebbero interessate a partecipare alle operazioni in Francia per poter proteggere i popoli celtici che molto tempo fa si erano appellati a noi per protezione ed allenza.

-- NAN foreign office
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Telosan
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OOC: Filo, the Celts don't live in southern France. You'd have to talk to Sed or Atticus about them.
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Tristan da Cunha
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OOC: The NAN is the master of propaganda though. Frenchmen are, after all, Celts in a caricatured Gaullish, Asterix-and-Obelix type of way, so I think the NAN has seized upon that to produce this propaganda.
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Filo
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OCC: Exactly!!!!
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Hastine
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Tristan da Cunha
Feb 7 2010, 05:08 AM
OOC: The NAN is the master of propaganda though. Frenchmen are, after all, Celts in a caricatured Gaullish, Asterix-and-Obelix type of way, so I think the NAN has seized upon that to produce this propaganda.
(OOC: Well, except for the fact that Sperians are not only NOT French, but have little Celtic blood in them at all, either. Their heritage is a mixture of Lunic (the pre-Roman, Indo-European peoples who controlled Sperry) and Roman ancestry, with some Basque blood in the mix as well. So NAN's statement is propaganda, but none-the-less shitty and ineffective propaganda ICly, espcially if it's trying to convince Sperians to join up with Venice or French nations. ;) )

Oh, and Telosan, go ahead with the next post, I can't really think of anything else to post myself, lol. But maybe run the post by me first, just in case.)
Edited by Hastine, Feb 7 2010, 11:31 PM.
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Tristan da Cunha
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OOC: Thanks for that strongly worded editorial there sir :lol: Not sure what Sperry has to do with this; NAN was agitating against the Venetians. You (and Telosan) have to stick around for a while to truly appreciate the NAN's modus operandi. I won't expound on it at the moment but it is definitely not "shitty".
Edited by Tristan da Cunha, Feb 12 2010, 04:01 AM.
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Hastine
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(OOC: Well, for one, you posted in Italian, which is readable to me only with massive effort, so I didn't get half of what you said there, and I shouldn't be expected to. And since everyone seems to be throwing around misnomers like "Sperry is French" or "Sperry is Celtic", it's hard to blame me for being a little bit touchy when it comes to the subject of my still-infant nation's legitimacy in the world. That, and I was in a bad mood when I made that post, lol.)
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Sedulius
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OOC: I have no idea what's going on here. That said, looks to me like it's time for an OOC split.
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Tristan da Cunha
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Feb 16 2010, 06:02 PM
(OOC: Well, for one, you posted in Italian, which is readable to me only with massive effort, so I didn't get half of what you said there, and I shouldn't be expected to. And since everyone seems to be throwing around misnomers like "Sperry is French" or "Sperry is Celtic", it's hard to blame me for being a little bit touchy when it comes to the subject of my still-infant nation's legitimacy in the world. That, and I was in a bad mood when I made that post, lol.)
OOC: Actually, you could've easily addressed the subject of your still-infant nation's legitimacy in the world without being a little touchy, or better yet, through IC postings.
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Telosan
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Troops moved in from Galicia, traveling by sea past the wary Union coastline. Before long, the Venetian scouts had arrived, promising that each would be cared for and spouting the goodness of La Serenissima. Hours later, the main forces arrived on the coast of Aquitane. Moving north and east, the Venetians stationed a garrison of infantry at each town they passed, tasked with distributing the supplies that had been gathered and keeping the peace as best they could. As they moved north, they encountered many rivers that slowed them down while the eastern task force walked alongside them, flying over the mountains in the higher parts of the former nation of France.

It was not unnoticed, however, how organized and peaceful everything had remained. The Venetian task force had been expecting chaos, as no laws should exist to prevent the populace from rioting. Yet, by all appearances, anarchy had not set in. When the soldiers arrived on the outskirts of Armague, they discovered armed resistance, which appeared to be little more than militia and surviving French soldiers. On orders not to shoot, they were passed by and surrounded. A loose siege was set at Armague, until the Venetians had a chance to talk to whoever was in charge of the city. The rest continued north, where resistance became more common and organized.

By the end of the week, the task force realized that an army lay in the north, though who it belonged to was uncertain. Since locals could be part of this army, the Venetians held their fire, but continued with their assignment.
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Union
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OOC: Telo, you do realize that invading Aquitaine is an act of war as it is a violation of the agreement we signed which limits all your movements west of 1.5.

The Union will fight your forces in Aquitaine with full force, and attack your Spanish colony if this is what you desire to do. I do outnumber you in terms of military potential by a factor of three, and you are a divided Empire fighting a war on two fronts, three if you continue this course of action.

Your call.

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Telosan
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OOC: Isn't that treaty after this?

Can't the story just be left alone? I'm not keeping the territory for any longer than this RP takes. What I'm left with will be within the bounds of the treaty. If you like, I'll mention it as one of the deciding factors for Venice to pull back.
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Union
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OOC: No... :huh: the treaty was written at the time of your occupation of eastern France. Most RPs happen in chronological order within a thread...

Quote:
 
The government of Venice is warned to not
go beyond the territory outlined in the private agreement.


You're going beyond it.

I won't invade Galicia, et all, but can I participate in the effort to drive you from Aquitaine?
Edited by Union, Feb 17 2010, 08:51 PM.
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Union
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"Hardly call it a war," thought Juan Esteban to himself, a reporter for La Fabla. He had been sent to Biarritz to cover the integration of the Pau Republic of the Union of the Pyrenees. He motioned to the waiter to bring him a new coffee, as he sat against the window in a small cafe along the beach. Looking outside, a squad of uniformed riflemen looked bored, sitting at a fountain as one of them checked the identification papers of a small Basque family traveling through, while joking with the father in Euskara.

A man entered the cafe, and looked around. Esteban looked up, and asked, "Hey! Are you Sergeant Capa?" The man looked at this reporter, nodding his head, moving towards the table. "Glad you got my message. You are a cousin of my friend Lucia, yes?"

Capa nodded, smiling. His balding head betrayed his age, and a slight pouch demonstrated like nothing else how easy this occupation had been. "As I told you, I am doing a report on our boys in green up north. Everyone is excited about the upcoming elections, and this country is a very powerful symbol of progress. Did you do any fighting, recently? Any signs of insurrection?"

"Not really," Capa said, as a young waitress approached him with an espresso drink. "I fought in the mountains, a month or so ago, against these Vesperian militants. Most of the people around here are Basque, like myself, and know Euskara. It feels more like uniting a home than annexing France." This was a typical report, Esteban had long ago concluded. Most of the fighting had been done in the first week or so, with total casualties numbering around three hundred.

"I hear we had a casualty last night, from your company. Is that unnerving?"

"Oh, yeah, I heard that. It wasn't a casualty, though, the newspapers got it wrong. A helicopter went down outside Larrau, but it wasn't a militant or anything. We havn't had a real casualty since the start of February. The helicopter even managed to survive, and will be up and running in a few weeks. My buddy is a mechanic. What happened is that one of the rotors jammed, not enough maintenance or something. The pilot panicked, and brought it down too rough into this lake, which is actually why the thing survived at all. Anyway, the guy's seatbelt couldn't be unbuckled or something to that effect and he drowned. An accident, nothing more. You should correct that." Esteban smiled.

"I will certainly do so. What is the mechanic's name? I will try to talk with him later."

"Oh, Espagnol. He's from Biarritz originally, I think. Emigrated to Union a few years ago, when we united with the Basque country in Navarra, to be with family. He's happy to be back home. Introduced me to this cousin of his."

"Ah, that is good. Good. Very good, indeed, actually. I will certainly make an effort of speaking with him. So, how do you feel about the war?"

"I don't think its a war, to be honest. No action. Shit, if it had been a real war, I would have probably been not allowed to sign on for another term like I did just before this started. It's been a while. I fought in the Civil War, as a kid."

"That was many years ago, Capa! Have you been in the military the whole time?"

"It is all I know. I like it. I like the structure. Civilian life is too chaotic, anarchic, and free. I can't deal with it. Too many choices."

"Hmm. So, a free society isn't for you then?"

"Oh, I'm not advocating a Gasselist philosophy here, you must understand. I am not saying a free society is bad, just it isn't for me."

"I understand. Thank you for time, Capa. Are you on leave?"

"Yeah. Thinking of hitting the beach, but its a touch cold. Wasn't expecting that when the CO told me I had leave in Biarritz. You only think of the beaches, you forget its fucking February."

"Haha. Troubling, indeed. Thank you, Capa. Enjoy your coffee."

"No problem, sir."
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Telosan
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OOC: Waiting on Vespery.

H, what war are you referring to? The skirmish between Sperrian locals and Venice? The RP is only supposed to span a week or two of IC time.
Edited by Telosan, Mar 1 2010, 05:27 PM.
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Union
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OOC: My invasion of the sliver of land in the Pyrenees, which is happening at the same time in the south.
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Hastine
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OOC: Large post coming on Thursday, been having a bit of Montezuma's Revenge since I got back from vacation. :unsure:

By the way, technically Aquitaine (along with terms like Gascony, Guyenne, etc.) doesn't "exist", just letting you guys know. You can see the provinces of Sperry in my nation's description, althoguh that map is only a rough draft that I'll try to fix by the time I post. I'll also post a map of Armaga, for the purpose of the siege.
Edited by Hastine, May 23 2010, 02:07 AM.
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Hastine
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(OOC: I'm deciding to divide this up into two posts. This will be the first one, the second one will come Saturday, when it's March Break. ^^ )

IC: Venetian troops marched down the Runga Sanc Sauvatir, the main street of the port city of Elaiti, the seventh largest city in Sperry, as if they were partaking in an afternoon stroll. No soldiers, either French or Sperian, were stationed in the city, and there was a reason for this; though on a map the city looked as though it was a bedroom community of the capital city of Armaga, which lay only 38 miles to the northeast, in reality Elaiti was culturally distinct and unique from that metropolis. It was the capital of the province of Helusia, which was located on the other side of the Great Forest, one of Europe's last grand masses of vegetation. These plentiful woods and swamps isolated the province and Helette from the rest of the country, giving it a unique flavour and a fiery sense of identity that flared up whenever the authorities who ruled the rest of Sperry meddled too closely in Helusian affairs.

But would Helusia remain loyal in Sperry's time of need, despite it's rocky history with the nation it so closely identified with, yet fought against so many times? Or would it try for an eventual independence through a [hopefully] temporary Venetian occupation? It was anybody's guess... until now.

The Venetians had came prepared for the worst, with their artillery and tanks going ahead of the troops. But peaceful was too basic a word to describe the utter calm that overcame the city; citizens would run inside their houses in fear, or look outside their windows in curiosity, or even come up to the convoys and ask them why they were there... or try to sell them some wine. But nobody raised an arm against the Venetians, and in turn they did not raise an arm against any Sperian. "A cakewalk," one soldier said to his companion, in a slight chuckle.

But once they reached the Puaxa dai Chason Rengua (Chason Rengua Square), the city's main square, a shocking sight made the Venetian foot soldiers immediately raise their guns in unison.

A massive crowd, numbering around roughly 20,000 people, started to spread out in view as the main road opened into the expansive square. At the front of the crowd, a large billboard carried by a dozen people beared the frank thoughts the citizens had of the Venetian intruders.

An ox goring a lion in the heart, with the words "Mejlir sippi li chungui dau Boivai, qai in la bica dau Leon!" painted an angry red across the top of the banner. The symbol of Luke the Apostle, the patron saint of all of Sperry. An expression of solidarity, and not in the Lion's favour.

Now there was a reason to worry.
Edited by Hastine, Jul 18 2010, 11:33 PM.
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Hastine
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(OOC: The map in the middle is, of course, the area around Armaga, and Armaga itself. It's incomplete, since I had to rush it, but it'll do. The thick borders represent the edge of the city proper, although its suburbs span much farther all around. The smaller borders indicate munecepeis (municipalities) within Armaga, as well as the borders of cities and towns outside the capital, like Elaiti, Sanc Paitri and Bocachon. The city hall, where the king is currently at, is in the spot labelled "1.)", which is the Vaicua Ceppat (Old City). Several thousand Sperian troops that were stranded in Morbihan and France are streaming in from the north and northeast and crossing the Roccamba (Dordogne) into the main part of the city.)

--------------------------------

IC:

Gasoline.

Birccala Wine.

Olive Oil.

After-Shave.

Hand Sanitizer.

Anything flammable. Anything combustable. Anything that would ignite the largest man-made storm of fire and brimstone to ever rain down on the besiegers of Armaga since World War II; all of it was piled up in the homes of ardently patriotic Sperians and prepared into makeshift Molotov cocktails, no matter how mundane the object's use.

The inhabitants of Armaga were prepared for yet another assault in the long list of sieges that had beset the city since its infancy. And that was not good for the Venetians, since the majority of said sieges had failed. Only a handful of people, the Romans among them, had been successful in fully capturing La Baila Ceppat (The Beautiful City), as it was called; all others were only half-satiated with its sprawling suburbs, which layed across the two great rivers, the Laili and the Roccamba, that flanked Armaga on its southwest and northeast sides. And along with the massive Ontraixi Estuary that layed to the north and allowed access to the Atlantic, Armaga was the perfect fortress, situated on a triangular-shaped peninsula jutting into the estuary.

Why the Armagans were so willing to defend their beloved home, while the majority of their fellow countryman were relatively indifferent to letting the Venetians pass through the country (perhaps they hoped it would keep the unsteady peace?), wasn't that difficult to understand. Prince Henry, the Falcon of Xorid, had just arrived from his family's self-imposed exile in the forests of Helusia and had crossed the Laili just a day ahead of the advancing Venetian forces, and his long-time advisor and friend, Chosaifi Vaqairi, had come with him, along with several hundred troops. His presence in the city had stirred the inhabitants and filled them with a sense of duty to the monarchy and the kingdom, a feeling that Sperians in the rest of the country had yet to feel.

At the moment, the Falcon had taken up residence at Armaga's city hall, where he had lead a bloodless coup and ousted Poali Moaraini, the mayor of Armaga; who had gone beyond his elected position and assumed a petty dictatorship in the capital upon the eve that the Sixth Republic collapsed, much to the chagrin of the Parmbuamenti (Parliament). But the Foiri (The Forum, or House of Commons) and the Senati (The Senate) had little say in the country up to this point, let alone the city; sure, they had autonomous powers in the Sperian Autonomous Region under the framework of the Sixth Republic, but this limited role, compared to the central government in Paris, meant that the Parmbuamenti was unprepared to lead the country when the Sixth Republic collapsed, effectively making it a rump government.

But now, the cavalry had arrived in the form of the monarchy. Like King Edward VII "Li Lemberatir" (The Liberator) had done over a century before, once again the Heir Apparant to the Sperian throne had arrived in Sperry's darkest hour to set the country straight and to defend it from its enemies. Despite it's cliched nature, the Armagans responded to this with overwhelming applause and gratitude. The crowds cheered and chanted war cries in an alternatively fashion outside the window that Henry sat at, as he spoke with representatives from all over the country, who had gathered to meet with the young Prince.

"Good to see you and Vaqairi made it," General Tsefani Chacombi said, saluting as he spoke. "I thought those Italian bastards got you for a while there."

"Only thanks to the convoy you left me," Henry smiled playfully. "Now, what's the situation in the city? I'm aware that the Venetians have occupied the majority of the suburbs on the right bank of the Laili, including highly built-up areas such as Rupena, Lesaida, Birccala, Sanc Loarenxi, and Lasenga, but have they penetrated elsewhere? And more importantly, can we stop them from crossing the river effectively?"

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The General had a slight frown on his face now, standing erect in front of Henry's desk. "It's not just West Armaga that they've taken. They've also apprehended sections of Central Armaga, meaning that they've crossed the Laili farther south of Lasenga... Luckily, we've managed to barricade the streets near the borders of Melasma, Bailavesta and Seta, which ironically is right where parts of King Paul's Wall stand. But it's not the Dark Ages anymore, so we can't rely on the wall's numerous remnants to defend anything. All we can do is set up as many anti-tank defenses that we can on the main streets; czech hedgehogs have been used so far and continue to work nicely, but we'll need more militia and soldiers stationed in the buildings overlooking the streets."

"And what about the bridges crossing the rivers?" the Falcon asked again, "Have they been fortified as well? Because the Venetians are obviously trying to distract us with our southeastern flank; eventually they'll try to cross the river farther north, if we divert our attention too far."

"We're working on that as we speak," Chacombi stated, "We initially couldn't concentrate on that flank before, due to a lack of forces, and hoped that they wouldn't bother crossing the river. But you're right; we can't fake them out any longer. Luckily, troops are pouring in from the north, many of them being Sperian troops that have been wandering around the rest of the Sixth Republic."

Henry and Vaqairi smiled. The General continued, "We were able to gather many of them together from all over Gaul, and they continue to stream in as we speak. Soon this place is going to be crammed with them, and the river will be extremely difficult to cross, what with snipers from the riverside buildings, and bridges crammed with obstacles... Unfortunately, this means that people won't be able to get out of the city. Many people will die, Sui Machestat, if the Venetians end up being more aggressive than we though..."

Chosaifi Vaqairi had a slight smirk on his face. "You know what I have to say, Chacombi? Let's have as many people crammed into Central Armaga as we can. If the Venetians say that they've come to stabilize, or whatever, then let's see how peaceful they really are. And if it just so happens that they arn't, which I highly doubt, then look whos hands will be stained with blood? Besides," he stopped, pointing outside to the endless cheering, marching crowds, armed to the teeth with knives, guns and flammable objects, "Our people are just itching to take down some lutairis! Why deny them that right?"

The Falcon looked at Vaqairi with a slight tint of anger. "He plans to be the Prime Minister of this country, and yet he's so willing to give up the lives of his potentials voters? You may be my friend, but I question your character," he thought to himself. He then shook his head to end his ire. "Alright. Don't allow anyone out for any reason. Have our available naval ships patrol along the Ontriex Estuary to stop any attempts at crossing from the north. Have the militia and people station themselves at the most appropriate places; from the rooftops, their windows, alleyways, sewers, bridges, and so forth. The soldiers, of course, already have their orders, but keep your eyes on the French ones. I doubt that all of them are loyal to our cause, and feel free to shoot any who disobey orders, defect to the other side, or retreat. Those are my commands, General Chacombi. Godspeed."

"Se, Sejnir!" He shouted and saluted, then walked out of the office.

"As for me," Henry continued, "I'll speak to the crowds myself. They need a good pep-talk, what with all the shit they've been going through."

But as he walked towards the balcony, a guard called him back. "Sejnir, a Venetian representative has arrived to speak with you!"

"Mermbejlisa," the Prince groaned. "Bring him in." When the Venetian entered, Henry spoke immediately in a stern manner. "Bain, qai tu vilais?"
Edited by Hastine, Jul 18 2010, 11:34 PM.
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