The High Cathedral was a buzzing hub of activity. Tens of thousands of worshippers, crammed between the towering, beautifully carved stone walls that rose up to the vaulted, grand ceiling high above them. And they hung on Pope Carlo Bocci’s every word. He closed his eyes, feeling the raw religious belief washing over him for a moment, feeling it flood his soul, burning his veins like a glorious, holy fire. Opening his eyes, and looking out over the sea of upturned faces, the Pope held out his hands.

“Go now, my children. And continue to spread the word of the angel. Sarazi to you all!”

The response was like a wordless roar, and it filled the cathedral, the echoes not fading for several minutes. Once the noise had faded away, the Pope turned, leaving the dais behind him and stepping through the modest, narrow doorway behind the alter. The room beyond the door was modest, and the heavy stone insulated the room from the noise beyond so well that the Pope could almost forget that he was still within the High Cathedral. He sank down into the well worn armchair in the corner of the room, holding his heavy head in his splayed fingers, his limbs stiff. Although he hid it from his loyal followers, he felt his age. In the stiffness of his joints, in how the night air cut into his bones and turned them to ice, how we found himself growing weary. His time as a young priest; travelling the length and breadth of the Known World; basking under the stars; living a life that he chose; was just a distant memory now.

Carlo Bocci’s reminiscing was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door, and he glanced up quickly, straightening out his ceremonial outfit, and rising to his feet before he called out.

“Enter.”

The door was pushed gently open and Bacco Schiavoni stepped into the chamber. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was a dashing man, his hair turned white with age, but he still stood tall and proud. His thick moustache had been a staple of his appearance since his time as a cavalry officer, and he still gave off the same air of command. Carlo had known Bacco for years, they had become good friends, and the Pope welcomed the man with a smile.

“It’s good to see you, Bacco. Your job has kept you busy for too long!”

“It is good to see you too, your Holiness. But unfortunately it is my job that brings me here today.”

The Pope shrugged, still smiling as he gestured Bacco further into the room.

“I admit I suspected as much. Now tell me, what do you need, old friend?”

“There have been murmuring among the ministers, your Holiness. They wish to reach out to the nations on our borders, but I thought it was best to bring the issue before you before we act.”

“Thank you for that, Bocci. But I could not agree more, we have been in isolation too long, send out our diplomats. A nation cannot survive on it’s own in this new world.”

The elections of 1904 saw the Sovereign Freedom Party end up victorious and have their candidate, current president Armaqa Talaqo, elected, while the two other major parties the Populists and the Liberal League of citizens had to be satisfied with their respective share of seats at Congress with SFP holding the majority in that regard.

So on October 10th while the presidential ceremony ended, the militants of the party happily celebrated their victory and were ready to embrace what awaited them in the near future. It must be said that the SFP had a main core ideology of a rather low government involvement within the affairs of the nation, as such, they made sure that the provincial governors would have plenty of freedom and not be exactly tied by a leash to the central government, for within their agenda they had plans to make more efficient the making of public works and improve bureacracy while also reducing corruption, which was seen as many as a waste of taxes.

On political and social grounds the SFP could be considered Liberal conservative, as such it was no wonder that the most of voters of the SFP had won came from the eastern and central regions, which had seen a rise on liberal stances while maintaining the typical Parakan core of liberty in most affairs.

The international approach of SFP would be same as it had been a couple of decades ago that of no military intervention and to promote by non-aggressive means the values of the great nation of Paraka.

That was pretty much the overview of the state of affairs of the SFP and their agenda, however, it was up to the president to decide if he was going remain fully faithful to such even at the expense of political gain, for he prioritized his duty to the citizens of Paraka than to keeping himself at office.

The cabinet of Armaq Talaqo was the following:

Minister of Defence: Ameyalli Coeget
Minister of Finance: Antinanco Rutiy (New One replaced Harasay Irmaqe)
Minister of the Interior: Metzli Anta
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tlatoq Cylin
Minister of Education: Kunturay Wayka
Minister of Agriculture: Yanapoma Huanca
Minister of Justice: Wareiwa Poñara
Minister of Transport and Communications: Nataq Gupay

OOC: +1 to All Actions

The Toubres Empire

The ‘Sadamastor’ was a hulking monster of a ship. The very sight of it put the Empress on edge as it was paraded past her, the crew lining the rails and saluting towards where their newly arrived ruler stood. Empress Maia Bastos had only been in Amzores for a few hours before the bright-eyed figure of Eduardo Villacrés had requested her audience and oozed into her chamber.

The Minister of Defence had humbly bowed upon greeting her, every inch the perfectly courteous servant, all smiles, compliments and praise. He had suggested that she inspect the fleet, all the while making it seem as if it was her idea in the first place. Even now she could sense him at her shoulder, watching her more than he was watching the ships as they sailed past.

But the Empress had had her guard up against the minister from before they had even met. Although she had forsaken her contact with the mainland of Toubres for the last three years, save for the most crucial communication, her tutor, Vicenti Queiros, had been sure to keep some friends in the capital. And those friends had much to say about the young Eduardo Villacrés.

He had taken office only a few months before, but he had been quick to imprint his influence into the very essence of the Toubres military. He was a visionary, and his visions were of the Toubres Empire becoming one of the great military powers of The Known World. But it takes money to fuel ambition, and there were rumours throughout Amzores that some of the old families of Toubres had ensured that the young minister would succeed, and that when he did, he would not forget who got him where he was.

The Empress sensed that Eduardo had stepped closer to her expectantly, and she turned, smiling politely.

“It’s an impressive ship, minister.”

The Minister of Defence grinned widely, nodding his head in thanks before gesturing towards the hulking ship.

“It is only the beginning, your Majesty, I assure you.”

Seemingly satisfied, Eduardo took a step back, bowing politely as he did. The Empress turned back as the ‘Sadamastor’ finally finished passing where she stood. She would not make the mistake of trusting Eduardo Villacrés, but she could not argue that he wasn’t effective at his task.

The treaty came through after about two weeks from it's signing on Cadia's side. Viscount Nato sat at the signing table (a room just for signing, just left of the board room). He signed the treaty without hesitation, a group of aristocrats, government staff, generals and business owners all clapped. New opportunities would come for the two nations, and probably a heck load of danger too. The treaty was soon taken away and the group went to celebrate into the night skies of Julia.

---

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February, 1905
February 8th
Construction begins on an armaments factory for the state subsidized firm Imperial Armouries in the Tyrian Empire. A conglomeration of smaller owned companies recently homogenized into a single identity, Imperial Armouries suffered from the same delusions of production efficiency and technological innovations that any other corporation did. Production for this particular building, named Patronenfabrik Armouries A.G. was slated to be finished in July of this year. Similarly, an additional 12,000 Kaiser Type 91 rifles were finished by production quadrants in both Imperial Armouries as well as Gerhard Strunn factories. These were sent almost directly from the factories to local garrisons and barracks where the troops could finally get their hands on them. Operating single shifts at eight hours a day, the average Tyrian factory producing the Kaiser Type 91 required just under six man hours to craft the fourteen year old rifle.



February 9th
From the Empire of Vigentino, the diplomat Cino Barbato--in an official horse and carriage--left Vigentino and entered the Kingdom of Melgaria. Melgaria's monarch was King Simon Itonzo, a line that dated back to Vingentian Royalty (and possibility related to minor Vingentian nobles). King Itonzo, such a fan of Vincento itself that he spoke the language nearly fluently, was a bit flabbergasted that he a relatively unknown diplomat was sent to his nation when he bordered Vigentino. "So unimportant am I that a man without a name comes to visit?" The Melgarian King asked. It was not that Cino Barbato was without a name, but rather he was without a name, as in Melgaria--a name was everything. Barbato was allowed to stay for three days until returning rather empty handed to Vigentino, all the while attempting to come up with a reason that might be worth keeping his job.


February 10th
Given the lack of political recourse by either government, citizens in the Methyrnia region of Vigentino took it upon themselves to sort the issue out. On the snowy morning of February 10th, a mob of nearly 330 Julians--many native inhabitants of Methyrnia and many assumed not to be--started recklessly assaulting Vigentian citizens in the street. By 10 AM a trio of Vigentian police men had been assaulted, with one critically. A pair of horse carriages, one carrying mail and another acting as local city transport were flipped over and set ablaze.


The local Vigentian garrison under the command of Tenente (Lieutenant) Sebastian de Sylvia ordered a company of soldiers to the square and ordered them ready to fire. Sergente Maggiore Messe implored Tenente de Sylvia not to fire, instead remarking that it would only add to the chaos, that fellow Vigentians would be hurt (as by now the mob had taken to attacking anyone in range, often dragging them into the street to be beaten). For reasons that are lost to the historical record, shots were fired--followed by a sporadic volley. The crowd--haunted by the screams of the dead and dying--faded into nothingness by early afternoon. 51 dead--49 Julian, 2 Vigentian, 1 of them a police officer of the local constabulary. [City-State of Julia gains +1 Tension with Holy Empire of Vigento.]

February 12th
In the Confederation of Hokkan, the confederate government has put out a request titled Production Register #447511 which called for the production of 41,000 Type 1 rifles. It was picked up by the Qiao Armory, the single state owned industry in the nation. Given their low level of mechanization, it was assumed the single factory could produce approximately 3,000 a month. The first would be ready in mid-March.

February 13th
In the City-State of Julia, the small arms manufacturer Semovente Etelia Movente finishes work on improving existing long rifle technology, formulating design techniques that would make the rifling of any future weapon sturdier, albeit slightly lighter and more stable.

February 14th
The diplomat Acrisius Vitalis of the High Kingdom of Itherae landed in the Kingdom of Yorgnir. He would begin discussions of a major trade deal that would benefit both parties. After hours of negotiations, Johann von Kessel, Foreign Minister of Yorgnir gave the following counter offer.

While not the deal that Acrisius had been sent to achieve, it would probably be best that he not try and push the boundaries of the northern kingdom. However, Acrisius would go on to negotiate more for a bit of a better deal for Itherae as a decrease from 20,000 tons to 14,000 was rather steep for the agricultural surplus that the High Kingdom had originally wanted to trade for, thus he produced a counter to the offer that Johann von Kesse had put onto the table. While the amount of coal did not increase, the amount of agricultural supply would decrease by almost seventy-five thousand tons. Furthermore, Article III has been left unchanged as it would benefit both parties since it acted as a way to keep both bonded to the deal.



(+2 to Diplomacy roll)

Pope Carlo Bocci leant back in his chair. Despite his position, his office was modest. His desk was not intricately carved, his chair wasn't some regal throne, and yet the small chamber served as the beating heart of the Holy Empire's power.

Two other men stood in the room, standing on the other side of the desk and carefully watching the Pope's face for any hint at his thoughts. Bacco Schiavoni, and Cino Barbato. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the diplomat that had recently returned from his unsuccessful mission to Melgaria. The silence dragged on, Cino nervously shifting on his feet slightly until the Pope suddenly leaned forward and spoke.

"You will return to the Kingdom of Melgaria, sir Barbato, and you will remind his majesty King Simon Itonzo that you are an emissary of Vigentino. And that means you speak with the full weight and authority of the Holy Empire. You are not merely a man, you are a representative of Vigentino, and of myself, and I would expect you to be treated as such. I hope that he will prove to be more accommodating."

Cino Barbato nodded in thanks before quickly stepping from the room, leaving the two old friends alone together. The Pope managed a smile before speaking to Bacco.

"Was the world always such a mess, Bacco? It always seemed like such bliss when we were young."

---

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February, 1905
February 14th
The Military Procurement Bureau (MPB) of the Kingdom of Cadia receives four Forino 4hp motors, purchased from Forino Estadi Automobili in the Holy Empire of Vigentino. These are the first motors purchased from F.E.A. in the world, and the engineers of the Cadian Royal Army begin getting to work on reverse engineering the engine, tearing it apart and working toward understanding it. The engineers responsible are assisted by locomotive engineers of All Cadia Transport. These men were not the most suited to the job, but rather the only ones suited to the job. Engineers would need several months to come up with their own working prototype.


February 15th
Mild-mannered negotiations between the Raul Ferraira and Clement Droulez of the Republic of Sessau were fanciful and dealt more with the weather and skiiing (Ferraira was a skiing enthusiast and Droulez a world renowned master of the slopes). At the end of a wintry February afternoon, the Toubrés Empire and Republic of Sessau signed a Defensive Military Alliance to last 5 years, with an opportunity to be renewed.


February 16th
In the Helrox Empire, Foreign Ambassador Lorenze Koelfen is sent south to the Mashir Sultanate to discuss possible trade deals. Koelfen was not given any specific amount to trade for however, just a general idea of what Helrox was needing. After brief negotiations, which were confusing, Koelfen returned to the Kaiser--having not been given any explicit authority to sign any trade agreements himself with the following.


February 17th
Foreign Diplomat Strozza Riccobono of the Holy Empire of Vigentino, having been in the Sultanate for nearly three days is finally admitted to see the Foreign Minister Kashar al-Hassar. Unlike his dealings the previous day, Riccobono proved incompetent, his translator--petty and poorly paid--continually insisted that Riccobono was calling al-Hassar a she instead of a he. Resisting the urge to have a foreign diplomat hung from a pole, on the second day of negotiations al-Hassar simply refused to see Riccobono, who retired to Vigentino--destined to arrive back at the capital a week later.

February 18th
In the Empire of Toubrés, the government requested an order of 20,000 Caraco 1899 Bolt-Action Rifles. The private arms company Fabrica de Braço de Toubrés decides to fulfill the order and immediately authorizes both of it's factories--located in Amzores--to begin production. By the end of February, 3,860 rifles would be delivered to Toubrian soldiers as the factories tooled up.



February 19th
Having arrived in country earlier in the week, Foreign Minister Cameron Graham meets with Foreign Ambassador Hugo Tasaric of Cydernia. Tasaric, with Cadian grandparents--was enthused to meet Graham and was impressed by his knowledge of the Cydernian language. After a brief tour of Sovachevitsa, Tasaric and Graham sat to discuss trade and politics. Graham, who had Tasaric in the palm of his hand, was given a curveball because his government had made no specifics for him to wager with. Without knowing his goal, Graham's only promise he made was thus: "The automobile and locomotive will come to Cydernia, and you can thank Cadia for that." Graham came home empty handed.


February 20th
The Helrox Empire, in hopes to attract entrepreneurs and businesses, promises subsidization for any company that wishes to start up. By the end of February, 5,561 businesses were suddenly "started," requesting subsidization in ranges of $25 to $125,000,000. How government officials in Fregleen would respond was still unknown.
[Requires an IC Response to this Event.]

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February, 1905

February 21st
The Tyrian diplomat Roderick von Stoltenberg of the Empire of Tyria arrives in the Cydernian Republic to reaffirm a Non-Aggression Pact and a possible Defensive Military Alliance. Given their past, the Cydernian government is hesitant to sign any agreement with the same administration that dragged them to war several years earlier. Without any incentive to sign such an agreement, Roderick von Stoltenberg returns home without anything to show for himself.

February 22nd
The Cadian Royal Army orders massive war games to begin. Nearly 180,000 men are called from their barracks and ordered to local assembly. Grueling physical training, weapons and equipment training and the like. This is deplored in the Cydernian Star Newspaper as war mongering, and on-lookers in neighboring Helrox, Itherae and even nearby Tyria are left wondering why a nation might call up many of it's men for "war games." [Cadian Royal Army Divisions receive +5% Experience. Cadia earns +1 Tension with Cydernia, Helrox, Itherae, and Etelia.]


February 23rd
Almiro Barros, Governor of Toubrian Serranthia is dispatched to a meeting with the Serranthian rebel Mullah Kahmar Mustafa. He is allowed a meeting but rebuffed at anything besides the complete acceptance of two demands. Without the ability to fully comply, Governor Barros departs, returning to the capital and then sending word back to Azmores, to the Empress of the Mullah's requests. His requests are simple:


February 24th
A day later, Governor Barrios receives word via messenger that the Mullah has requested an International Conference be held with the Great Powers present to mediate the situation. If Toubrés refuses the "torch of peace," as Kahmar put it, Kahmar will immediately consider it an act of violence and consider all Toubrian citizens as invaders. Kahmar requests the Helrox Empire, Republic of Paraka and Tyrian Empire to mediate the conference. [Invited Nations may decide to Participate or Abstain in the Conference. Does not require an action.]

February 25th
The Empire of Tyrian orders regulars and reservists drawn up for war games and military exercises. The Cydernians, stuck between two nations that who in a matter of three days have mobilized their entire armies, immediately orders the mobilization of the Cydernian Free Army. Dignitaries are sent to Cadia and Tyrian requesting that all soldiers be demobilized immediately. Similarly, the dignitary Borus Korusav is sent to the Helrox Empire, who requests the Independence of Cydernia be guaranteed in exchange for Free Trade for a period of 24 months. [Empire of Tyria gains +1 Tensions with Helrox Empire, Republic of Escya, High Kingdom of Itherae and Cydernian Republic.]

February 26th
Bonsi de Calvio returns from the Seljuk Empire to the Holy Empire of Vigentino. While diametrically opposed because of their vastly different religions, the Seljuk Empire--with vast stores of coastal agriculture and deep bauxite and chromium mines is open to negotiations of agriculture, aluminum or chromium in exchange for much needed coal or petrol.

February 27th
The Helrox Empire puts out a domestic government contract for 250,000 of it's native Toshterin K1888 rifles. Local industry decides to pick up this contract, but the Helrox Empire's requirement that it be finished in eighteen months--an average of nearly 14,000 rifles a month is a tall task. Work begins immediately.

February 28th
In the Confederation of Hokkan-Shirito, engineers are tasked with improving the reliability of the Type 91 Rifle under the auspices "..that this improvement can be applied to our current stock of Type 91 Rifles. This improvement can be an additional part, a replacement part, or anything else, so long that the rifle remains practical enough for the common soldier to use, and does not worsen any other aspect of the rifle more than a barely noticeable degree if at all." Mechanical engineer Hideki Sakai--Euranian educated and the chief engineer of Qiao Armory--is baffled. Regardless, he begins work on the design and requests four weeks to create a working prototype.

Kaiser Steeb sat in the large conference room as his ministers continued to bicker amongst each other. The Kaiser had reigned for less then a year at this point and these men were old guards and dangerous men who kept their positions due to loyalty, fear, power or murder. Whatever it took to keep them in power. However the Kaiser had enough of them and stood up and slammed his fist down on the table to sort the room out before he issued his command. “Gentlemen calm down, I have a plan. Minister Gessner of Commerce I want you to work with Minister Koeppen of Agriculture and pick out the best and debatably safest companies to invest in and then give me a final list to approve. As for the trade deal with the sultanate, accept it we could always use the steel and it will allow us to grow our relations with them.



Finally, Minister Koelfen get your best delegates together and should the Toubrés Empire, accept the invationation of a conference we shall send them to gain influence and power in the region. Now I believe that is all, I must speak to some generals about reassignments good day.” The kaiser swiftly turned and headed out of the room.

“The boy is filled with fire isn’t he very different then his father who needed us to create this empire, do you think we should worry about our positions?” Koelfen said.

“No, he will learn soon we hold power and influence and will use it should he step out of line.” Field Marshal Braun said.

The concepts of freedom and liberty, as well as self-determination, were core concepts for the people of Paraka who had once freed themselves from the Euranian boot to rise to great power status, however, even if its home continent remained free the question of wether this freedom and liberty that had been achieved should be promoted to the far less fortunate continents such as Serranthia, where while quite not in the hands of the Euranian powers, it had seen their advance to conquer and establish permanent administrations of territories that were once free.

Most of the debate had remained a theory and the Republic of Paraka had never established a presence of land not of its own, as such, the situation where a Serranthian rebel leader had asked for a conference and invited the Parakan nation was all too new and strange for the Parakan people, thus it was something that would set a precedent for years to come in the Parakan foreign policy. For the government and many knowledgeable people on the subject, the context and implications of Paraka attending the said conference were rather clear.

Relations with the Toubres empire would certainly decrease, as it would be seen by them as giving legimaticy to what they considered to be nothing more than a barbarian rebel, also from the news that had arrived at Paraka it seemed that it was indeed a struggle for freedom as the rebel leader had attacked a military fort rather than a civilian village, as well, as calling up the great powers to intervene on their behalf.

Meanwhile, the president of Paraka in his office reviewed the possibility of sending a delegate to said conference, the president and his cabinet could be said that it was divided or the issue, but if they were to send someone their position would be that of appeasement, as there was really no political will to enforce anything on another continent. If Paraka was to send someone it wouldn't be to promote a hardline stance but to keep a political balance and to ensure that the Tehme people at least hand who really wanted to back them up.

After a long afternoon, president Armaq Talaqo decided to announce that the Republic of Paraka would attend to the conference to "promote peace on Serranthia and ensure a fair settlement to the current crisis"

OOC: The Republic of Paraka will attend the conference called by Mullah Kamar Mustafa
IC post: +1 to all actions to March

The Toubres Empire

Almiro Barros was a proud man, and he stood tall and alone in the small council chamber. He had spent many years as Governor of the Toubres Empire’s colony on Serranthia, and in his eyes the rebellion was his full responsibility. As the Empress entered, flanked by Vicenti Queiros, Almiro turned to her and bowed deeply, glancing up at the new, young ruler of the Empire and waiting for her to speak.

She nodded in recognition of Almiro before gesturing for him to rise. As he did so, she spoke, her voice soft.

“How went your meeting with Mullah Kahmar Mustafa, Governor Barros?”

“Unfortunately not as well as I had hoped, Your Majesty. He is an intelligent man, and a fine leader, and while I was admitted a meeting, he refused to shift on his demands. They are extreme.”

He hesitated, glancing at Vicenti as if unsure whether to go on. Maia waved a hand dismissively.

“Mr Queiros can be trusted. Please continue, Governor.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty. Kahmar demands that we abandon Toubrian Serranthia, abandon any claim to it, and in turn recognise the land as the new Kingdom of al-Nuzzar, with himself as the ruler.”

There was a silence that dragged on for what seemed like an eternity, until the Empress finally leant forward to speak.

“I see... Thank you, Governor.”

There was sudden knocking on the door, and all three turned towards it. The Empress called for the knocker to enter, and a messenger, clearly out of breath, quickly stepped through. Bowing deeply to the Empress as he gulped for air, the messenger turned to Almiro.

“Urgent message for you, Governor Barros. Mullah Kahmar Mustafa has called an International Conference. The Helrox Empire, Republic of Paraka and Tyrian Empire have been invited to mediate.”

The Governor was shocked for a moment, before quickly turning towards the Empress. She cut him off before he could speak.

“Go, Governor Barros. You know the area best, and understand the language. Report whenever you can.”

Almiro bowed low towards the Empress again, already moving towards the door, closely followed by the messenger.

“Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

OOC:
- Toubres Empire will attend the International Conference.
- (+2 to Order Number 1)

Read newspapers all across the nation. When word of Julia’s demands had reached Itherae, there was even more panic as all sides were beset by mobilizing nations. War was coming and tensions were growing and growing as the people did not know what to do and international stability was in jeopardy. While Itherae was clear on its stance of neutrality in most foreign affairs, the Julian-Vigentinon affair was far too close to the nation and its ally of Cydernia for comfort. Thus, the government needed to come up with some form of peaceful resolution so that the region wasn’t pulled into a massive war where pointless lives would be lost for little gain.

Itherae had announced an offer to mediate a meeting between the City-State of Julia and the Empire of Vigentino to resolve the issue in a more peaceful manner as war would no doubt bring suffering and likely force the rest of the region to spiral into chaos, despite varying feelings among all politicians who wanted Itherae to stay out of foreign affairs. While the Great Powers would be dealing with the foolish rebels in Serrenthia, Itherae would be doing things that would actually be relevant to all of Eurania rather than some meager colonial holding.

War was to be avoided at all cost and the world stood on edge, history would be watching and it would remember Itherae as being resolvers of peace. The Queen demanded it.



(+2 on Order #3)

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The last few days for the Foreign Minister of the Tyrian Empire had been busy ones. Papers in abundance to sign, people to direct and an Emperor to keep informed with an ever changing international scene all contributing to his woes and yet Alexander von Koller felt calm. Before an assembled crowd of concerned international representatives and select members of the press, the Minister spoke in the measured, concise tone he'd become known for within the Imperial Diet alongside his staunch monarchist views.

With firm words and stern eyes the Foreign Minister assured those present that the Imperial Army would be continuing with it's military exercises "Which are and remain entirely defensive in nature. It is a nation's right to prepare it's ability to defend itself and it is that right which this Empire is exercising currently." Alexander continued, assuring those concerned that Tyrian forces would be demobilized following the completion of their training exercises and not before or after should the Monarchy be continuingly faced with hostilities by it's neighbors. In a closing remark on the subject Alexander proclaimed that "Only those who hold dark ambitions have anything to fear of the Imperial Army."

Later that week the Foreign Minister would also confirm that the Tyrian Empire would be sending a delegation in attendance of the International Conference called by Mullah Kahmar Mustafa. When asked for clarification on the Empire's aims by attending the Minister replied that the ultimate goal lay in "Assuring the status quo and peace of fair Serranthia."

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OOC:
- +1 to all actions of March
- The Tyrian Empire will attend the International Conference.

Tenente Sebastian de Sylvia stood to attention in the high ceilinged chamber of the Methyrnia Hall, the beating heart of the region. He had been summoned, although he did not know by who, and he had arrived formally dressed in the uniform befitting of his rank. He heard the door behind him swing open, and despite his training, glanced over his shoulder, his curiosity getting the better of him. His blood ran cold as he saw the figure standing in the doorway.

Gumesindo Berretta was an imposing figure. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his jaw strong and his eyes fierce. He was a thing of legend in Vigentino, and Sebastian had been told tales of the general since he was a boy. Gumesindo was an old man now, but he still had a presence that left people in awe. In his youth he had been a hero straight from a fairy tale, the dashing commander who had amassed years of experiences leading the armies of Vigentino. He was all but undefeated, and any one of his men would gladly lay their lives down for him. Sebastian snapped his head back to face his front, straining to stand even more rigidly to attention as he heard the heavy footfalls approaching him.

He hastily saluted as the general came to stand before him, opening his mouth to speak only to be cut off by the older man, his voice a low rumble.

“I served with your father, boy.”

“He often...”

Again, the general cut Sebastian off.

“He was a good man, a good soldier.”

“Thank...”

“You would make him sick.”

Sebastian’s mouth hung open for a moment, frozen by the fire that he saw burning in. He struggled to find his voice, stammering as he spoke.

“But I... I...”

Gumesindo held up a hand for silence, and Sebastian’s words faded away.

“What the bloody hell did you think you were doing, boy?”

Sebastian glanced at the raised hand, which slowly lowered, before he dared to speak.

“They were assaulting citizens, general... I had to...”

The general’s voice was a roar, as he took a step closer to the young officer.

“You had to? You had to murder almost fifty Julian’s? Don’t try and excuse yourself, boy. You’re a disgrace.”

Sebastian was terrified, desperately shaking his head in the face of the fury before him.

“But I...”

Again the hand shot up for silence, Gumesindo shaking his head with disappointment.

“You don’t deserve to be a man, let alone an officer in the Holy Empire’s army. You’re released from duty, effective immediately. And you’ll face court martial at dawn. Now get the hell out of my sight.”

Sebastian was frozen for a moment , panic gripping his heart, before he finally found his feet. Barely remembering to salute, Sebastian all but ran from the room, his hurried footsteps echoing around the chamber.

Gumesindo Berretta watched him go, shaking his head slowly. His turned, facing the mural of the Angel of Vigentino as he frowned slightly. His voice was low.

“Has he doomed us all?”

OOC: +1 to all actions

The Supra Dobranie is abuzz with the delight of yet another expenditure that the government will have to deal with once it came into full effect, that expenditure is the Petrol Development Grant. The Grant specifies that domestic producers of the substance will receive up to $500,000 monthly in grants in order to expand these productions which will remain in effect for the producers so long as within the next three years, they show an increase in the production of Petrol. While many were skeptical of the expenditure, the argument of petrol becoming a foreseeable important resource allowed many to vote yes to the great purely to see eventual profits in the future. While it may seem like a risk, it is a long term benefit that would allow Itherae to become rich off of petrol exports in the future. When that would happen was the next question.

Through the grant, it was predicted that, many of these producers would begin to be far more competitive on the international market as well which would further grant Itherae an irrefutable hold on the world. However, there was the risk that many too many companies would actually begin to start up in order to gain this money and not produce enough to meet demand and get run out of business. If that were to happen, talks of amending the grant had come up and the problem would be dealt with should it surface.

(+2 to Order #3)

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March 1st
The Ustrelan government dispatches anthropologist and veteran explorer Marcos Arias on the Arias Expedition, to explore and map out the Southern Serranthian Coast. Departing on March 1st on the gunboat Luca Carballal from the Western Coast, it's estimated the entire journey will take several months.



March 2nd
In the Republic of Escya, a great revolution is uncovered: lighter than air travel. Former chemist and reckless entrepreneur Julian Kaplan, inviting several thousand like minded inventors to Lake Husaya in Western Escya, the Escya I Skyship took to the skies for the very first time. Sitting aloft for sixteen minutes and forty seconds, Kaplan wowed the crowd by having workers tow the tethered skyship to and fro, all the while Kaplan looked on from the edge of the artificial harbor. Several government officials from the Escyan Army and Escyan Navy were present as well, though Kaplan reportedly did not speak with them. At its first trial later that day, the Escya-I carried five people, reached an altitude of 410 m (1,350 ft) and flew a distance of 6.0 km (3.7 mi) in 17 minutes. The wind then forced an emergency landing after nearly an hour of operation. After repairs and alterations the ship flew two more times.



March 3rd
A day following the Escya-I exercise, Julian Kaplan founds Steiner Meustadt A.G., having successfully raised $500,000 from Helroxi and Escyan investors. Kaplan supplies another $300,000 himself in hopes that Escya and other countries will be interested in the skyship design. On the same day, Steiner Meustadt orders 12 Forino 4HP motors, though for what purpose is entirely unknown.



March 4th
In the Republic of Ustrela, after heated debate the Ustrelian Railway Act of 1905 passes, A project that aims to interconnect isolated towns and villages with urban and heavily populated cities such as the Ustrelian capital Viande. Private railway companies will be provided the opportunity to bid on this contract. Private companies will now begin bidding on the contract, submitting their bids to the Ustrelian National Government throughout the year.

March 5th
The Helrox Empire decides to Guarantee the Independence of the Republic of Cydernia as well as offering military advisers, which are accepted. Helrox Generals Thaddäus Naumann and General Christoph Greifelt leave for Cydernia to begin training the Cydernian Army, expecting to arrive later next week (given the poor infrastructure of Eastern Helrox and Cydernia) by carriage.

March 6th
With the steel industry hitting an all time slump in production, the Imperial Diet of the Tyrian Empire has convened to save the threatened industry via nationalization. All steel mines are to be taken under public ownership and the Imperial Steel Board (ISB) is to be established to manage the industry on commercial lines. The ISB will be granted a government subsidy of $15,000,000 Krones to facilitate the revitalization of the industry via an expansion of operations and facilities. (Under the ISB, private sales of steel to Welkur Shipbuilding is to continue).

March 7th
The first subsidization of a company occurs in the Helrox Empire with the creation of Tamchatka Engineering Works (TEW), a locomotive design firm. They begin work on their first legitimate design.

March 8th
The Helrox Empire, only days removed from guaranteeing Cydernia's independence, order the creation of Army Group Franken under command of General Volkhardt Herzberg. 226,000 soldiers of Army Group Franken immediately begin conducting their own wargames, raising tensions with their neighbors even further. [Helrox Empire gains +1 Tension with Escya, Tyria and Vigentino.]