<Snipped quote by Raptorman>

You may.

Edit:Anybody want to take the honor of making the first post? I am gone Monday and Tuesday so I wont be able to get it up.

<Snipped quote by duck55223>

AMERICA! Fuck yeahhhhhhhhh!

In all seriousness i am happy too.

<Snipped quote by duck55223>

We have enough active nations?

<Snipped quote by gowia>

NUKE IT FROM ORBIT!

I mean... Hello friend, can I interest you in a friendly business proposal?

I've done my part. Down the pub, half cut and wondering where everyone is!

Let's show some commitment, people!

How did the Japanese already hear about the raised tariffs? Isn't this still the first day and that would be the announcement had been made the same day and during this time there was no instant messaging if I'm not mistaken.

Yo, can I get me some confirmation on the Pope? My King is gonna wanna meet him, you know, to try and achieve God's favour. It'd make Naples harder to invade, if it was internationally known that the Catholic church openly favoured the backwards kingdom.

What's he like? I mentioned in my bio that the King got on very well with the local church, which of course would've been Catholic. So i'd like to think it'd put me on good standing.

And for that matter, how is religion in this RP? Does it still play a big factor in peoples' lives?

Thanks

<Snipped quote by TomeBinder>

In this time period religion was more used as a nationalistic tool then really used to live one's life. The pope barely had any power anymore, only having control over the Papal states which would soon be integrated in the Kingdom of Italy.

The religion was more used to create a feeling of "us versus them" but it national interests were more important. For example the Crimean war of 1853 was a war where protestant Britain and catholic France joined forces with the sunni Ottomans to fight the orthodox Russians. Although in the eyes of the (catholic) people, a blessing by the pope would give you a huge popularity boost.

But the pope had his own agenda so you would really need to convince him. At the moment the pope still controls a decent amount of the Italian peninsula if we are going by the historical time line, but he will lose all his holdings a year from now once Sardinia-Piedmont comes unifing Italy.

<Snipped quote by Zoldyck>

We don't know what the Pope wants, that's why I'm asking. It's okay to follow our history to a point, but let's not forget that the timeline has been irreversibly broken by the introduction of blue coal and the drastic industrial expansion seen a scale that much surpasses the real life revolution. The Pope might even be a formidable warrior, for all we know, with his own plans to unite Italy into a true Holy State.

The popularity boost is part of my plan, to counter balance the peasants' anger that would arise from Pagani selling the coal. But I felt that if the Pope said "Yo, Kingdom of Naples got its pious head on straight", then Catholic inhabitants of other countries might get a bit queasy at the prospect of invading me.

But we'll see what Duck has to say on all of this.

In other news, how do you fine gentlemen wish to settle the selling of Naples' blue coal deposits?

<Snipped quote by TomeBinder>

Well, selling the coal is something you must decide on. I already made my offer, although indirectly. I told my minister of forgein affairs to give you a certain proposal.

And about the pope... Well that's up to Duck to decide.

<Snipped quote by Zoldyck>

I might've misread things, and I'll go back and check, buuuuuuuuuuut didn't your guy say he was going to negotiate with the Germans over who will get my deposits? Something about offering them blue coal in trade, in exchange for your exclusive rights to Naples' mines?

I didn't want to jump the gun.