edelos

AN OPEN LETTER TO BERCHARD OF THE LORRAINÉS or; PREVENTING OUR FAMILY’S CURSE As penned the 10th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1746 Dear Brother, Let me not beat around the bush as to the purpose behind this letter. The peasantry Lorrainés, the ones that cannot spell Lotharingia and that you have allowed to rights by your name have been a blight upon civilized society; the untrained, undisciplined forces that have been raised abide by few rules of proper conduct, laying waste to the countryside and taking prisoner constantly all those that inhabit the realms of Man. How could it be that they are able to capture their own allies’ children, to execute them on occasion, without realization of wrong? Perhaps they lay its blame at the feet of their Red Faith overlords; it is not, after all, the way of the Red Faith to avert its gaze upon the shedding of blood. The morality of this continuing war is as grey as the rock upon which Morsgrad rests; right and wrong, therefore, are only what we make of it. Executing children however, is a crime always, and so too is the capture of clergymen. I have found myself oft in the company of those preachers of our family’s faith, and I wonder how it is that your signature, Berchard, could be found affixed to a missive of the Darrowmere robber-baron. Were you, too, captured by their ilk? It is our mutual issue that now have the tacit approval of a d’Amaury where before they were but a band of brigands. Do you remember not the fate of our good uncle Leufroy, he too a figurehead of such bandits? Do you, too, know the fate of the man for which I am named, the last Archduke of our homeland, that went quietly into the night? For each transgression of our House, for each sin we yet commit, our curse is extended further. Will you be flayed alive as with our ancestor Hughes? Our father abandoned our name, took up the title of Provins and the name de Leumond to avoid recognition, and perhaps avoid a similar fate. You and I both recognize his faults; we appear to disagree, however, on the necessity of the rule of law for which he so fought. You now claim his title, but wish to disavow yourself of his surname. Have you paid homage to the Emperor that sits in Helena? If you have, why do you collude with the Morsgradie? If you have not, why have you taken the title from Jon-Paul, the de Leumont Impériaux to which the title was willed? In the latter days of our House, when our ancestors rested in the walled city of Metz and when we were called the Lotharingians, we were peaceful. The Honor Guard patrolled the realm in orderly columns, protecting its commonfolk from bandits. Holy men could travel, too, without worry of attack by those of their own faith, and it was not a crime to play in fields of flowers. This attempted restoration is wrong, Berchard, and the memory of our house grows ever more stained as it continues. We were built upon the ashes of a rebel city, our conquering forefather remembered as a man of iron, a feared general, and a butcher. Perhaps some still remember us that way. Perhaps the fear sowed by your new folk in the east will lead to an era of strength among the Lorrainés; more likely it will lead to the same massacre that brought our uncle to his grave. Leave our ancestors to their graves, brother, and lay roses upon those graves, and remember their wishes to better our house. Perhaps the curse will have died with them. Do not follow them to it. -+- Mes sentiments respectueux et dévoués, Lothar Frédéric d’Amaury

Lothar d’Amaury considers paying the girl’s ransom so that he can ransom her to the Morsgradie. “Next time,” he decides.

The Archduchy of Andros-Bellica as it was the Year of Our Lord, 1890 YEAR IN REVIEW, 1890 -+- 3 Jan. | The Ministry of Commerce has approved the Archduchy’s plan of massive media investment; its 1890 budget includes a final trade depot in Lovken, but otherwise the majority of its budget goes to fulfilling the government’s promise to the newly arrived; 10.000 ABM of investment goes into the development of the entertainment industry in Bellograd, such as building studio lots, founding talent agencies and media groups, and investing in various productions. Furthermore, 10.000 ABM is set aside to build a Vitraium mine and refinery. 18 Jan. | The Throne puts its own budget into the industry; for 5.000 ABM, it begins to build up Briartown to be the entertainment capital it was always meant to be! New houses, paved roads, telegraph lines, and, most importantly, civilian radio frequencies, are approved throughout both the region of Briartown and the rest of the capital city. 30 Jun. | The Throne announces 5.000 ABM in sponsorship for the production of films; this year, it hopes prominent directors, producers, actors and other figures will apply to join the production of The End of an Era, a movie about the collapse of the Nikstranan monarchy of old, and the brutal end of the noblesse therein. The implication, of course, is that the communist and republican states ended an age of enlightenment, of grand balls and gilded halls, and that Andros-Bellica is among the only remaining bastions of that time. Towards the filming of the movie, the Palast Klennsburgh, a palace from Andros’ golden age of the 1600’s, is opened to the crews, and intricate manuals as to the lifestyles of both the Andros-Bellican nobility and Nikstranan nobility of the time are released from archive for their use. 15 Aug. | As the CSAC builds up the Steel Horizon, the Archduchy more than doubles its fortifications along the southern river-line [3.000 ABM], and a communications wire is opened with Modevia. 20 Aug. | 20.000 ABM is written off the books. 23 Aug. | Two steel mills begin construction in Andrograd, bringing its total to three. XX XXX | Project C-2 and Project G-8 begin. -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR -+- Approx. Population Growth Est. Population 1 Jan. 1889: 41.616.000 Est. Population 1 Jan. 1890: 42.448.320 Industrial Centers and Fortifications Heavy Industry, Bellograd Heavy Industry, Andrograd Airshipyard, Bellograd Airshipyard, Bellograd Steel Mill, Andrograd Bunker Line, South Bellica [2.000 ABM] National Income Metropolitan Taxation | 10.000 ABM | Bellograd Civilian Taxation | 8.000 ABM | 1.000 ABM per 5.000.000 Commercial Districts | 20.000 ABM | Bellograd, Andrograd, Poval, Klennetsboro, Lovken Civilian Industry | 1.000 ABM | Bellograd International Trade | 10.000 ABM | Greater Modevia, Commonwealth of Grenheim, Free Guilds of Estfeld, Tsardom of Pozharin, Republic of Volta-Solvan, Republic of Tormina, Venzeatic League, Grand Principality of Cumberland, Free Junta, Republic of Sorent Trade Depot | 20.000 ABM | 10 Partners = 5.000 ABM per Depot, 4 Depots [Bellograd, Andrograd, Poval, Klennetsboro] Total Income: 69.000 ABM National Upkeep Military Upkeep Halved [National Idea] Army Upkeep, Howitzers | 500 ABM | 175 Howitzers [500ABM/100] Naval Upkeep, Med. | 500 ABM | 1D, 2HC [500ABM/3] Total Upkeep: 1.000 ABM National Expenditures Trade Depot, Lovken | 10.000 ABM Civilian Industry, Bellograd [Entertainment] | 10.000 ABM | x1 Vitramite Mine, Bellica | 5.000 ABM Vitraium Refinery, Lovken | 5.000 ABM Investment, Capital Development | 5.000 ABM Investment, Film | 5.000 ABM HIDDEN | 20.000 ABM Steel Mill, x2 | 5.000 ABM Fortifications, Southern Bellica | 3.000 ABM End-of-Year Reserves 69.000 ABM | Income - 1.000 ABM | Upkeep - 68.000 ABM | Expenditures 0 ABM | Reserves -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION -+- [Education 6 | Army 10 | Aviation 5] Completed Research | Radio, Bomber Wing [1] – Technical forays into the usage of armored cars to pierce stagnated enemy lines. [Armored Brigade Research][Started ‘88][Due ‘91] [2] – Project C-2 [Started ‘90] [3] – Project G-8 [Started ‘90] -+- -+-

“What good Canonist captures a man of the cloth...” frowns Lothar d’Amaury de Leumont, upon his tutor bringing him the news of the Lorrainés’ affront to the Church.

Odo Drakaene holds his scythe high in the air before swiping swiftly downwards at the barley before him. He watches the stalks flutter to the ground with satisfaction when, suddenly, he notices something strange! It’s a conspicuously-dropped journal entry, written by one ‘John the Polyamorous’!

**Description** When using /charter manage, if you try to cancel a pending charter, the mina won’t be refunded. **Date of occurance** Yesterday 6:15-6:30 AM EST. **In game specifications** username edelos, persona Odo Drakaene. **Steps to Reproduce** 1. Have a charter Use /charter manage Try to cancel charter No money refund **Expected Behavior** I should get the money back. **Actual Behavior** I don’t get the money back. **Additional Information** I checked my bank too, money didn’t show up. **Error Message** <!--- If you received an error then please post it in the empty space below, -->

The Archduchy of Andros-Bellica as it was the Year of Our Lord, 1889 YEAR IN REVIEW, 1889 -+- 5 Jan. | The Ministry of Commerce announces its yearly expenditures, this time on the postwar buildup of international trade. Depots are to be built in Bellograd, Andrograd, Poval, and Klennetsboro to better accommodate this influx. 3 Mar. | After reevaluation, the influx of commercial district cash has resulted in enough money to fund a new Civilian Industry sector in Bellograd. As such, beginning March, the buildup of sound stages and studios for aspiring film-makers begins in the Bellogradic neighborhood of Briartown. The Crown itself commissions a movie to be made here, once finished – a tale of heroism in the Great War, the patriotic story of Field Marshal Hugo Linden’s ironwall defense of the Bellic Front against the forces of the Free Provinces. Thought to be an impossible feat during the war, his ingenious defense-in-depth strategy allowed the Bellicans to hold off wave after wave of attacks! 5 May | The majority of Bellican troops begin to move towards their border with the newly-minted CSAC and take up defensive stations, obviously wary of the Communist state. They do, however, send a telegraph across the border, assuring that no offensive action shall be taken so long as the peoples of Andros and Bellica are left to live peacefully, and that this movement is only conflict deterrence. 6 May | The Andros-Bellican government approves 2.000 ABM towards the construction of bunkers along the long riverline border. They make it very, abundantly clear to the Anaerin Cantons that this is a precautionary measure that Andros-Bellica takes whenever there is a major regime change, and that they bear no ill-will towards the Red Menace newly freed Socialist State. -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR -+- Approx. Population Growth Est. Population 1 Jan. 1888: 40.800.000 Est. Population 1 Jan. 1889: 41.616.000 Resources and Industrial Centers Heavy Industry, Bellograd Heavy Industry, Andrograd Airshipyard, Bellograd Airshipyard, Bellograd Steel Mill, Andrograd National Income Metropolitan Taxation | 10.000 ABM | Bellograd Civilian Taxation | 8.000 ABM | 1.000 ABM per 5.000.000 Commercial Districts | 20.000 ABM | Bellograd, Andrograd, Poval, Klennetsboro, Lovken International Trade | 10.000 ABM | Greater Modevia, Commonwealth of Grenheim, Free Guilds of Estfeld, Tsardom of Pozharin, Republic of Volta-Solvan, Republic of Tormina, Venzeatic League, Grand Principality of Cumberland, Free Junta, Republic of Sorent Total Income: 48.000 ABM National Upkeep Military Upkeep Halved [National Idea] Army Upkeep, Howitzers | 500 ABM | 175 Howitzers [500ABM/100] Naval Upkeep, Med. | 500 ABM | 1D, 2HC [500ABM/3] Total Upkeep: 1.000 ABM National Expenditures Trade Depot, Bellograd | 10.000 ABM Trade Depot, Andrograd | 10.000 ABM Trade Depot, Poval | 10.000 ABM Trade Depot, Klennetsboro | 10.000 ABM Civilian Industry, Bellograd [Movies] | 5.000 ABM Fortifications, South Bellica | 2.000 ABM End-of-Year Reserves 48.500 ABM | Income - 1.000 ABM | Upkeep - 47.000 ABM | Expenditures 0 ABM | Reserves -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION -+- [Education 6 | Army 10 | Aviation 5] [1] – Technical forays into the usage of armored cars to pierce stagnated enemy lines. [Armored Brigade Research][Started ‘88][Due ‘91] [2] – Forays into the dropping of Howitzer shells and other bombs from specialized craft. [Bomber Wing Research][Started ‘88][Due ‘90] [3] – Technical forays into radio communication. [Radio Research][Started ‘88][Due ‘90] -+- -+-

The Archduchy of Andros-Bellica as it was the Year of Our Lord, 1888 YEAR IN REVIEW, 1888 -+- 2 Jan. | A congratulatory letter is sent to Enrico Reinzo, and the Archduchy is among the first internationally to reaffirm trade deals and diplomacy with the Union of Greater Modevia as the rightful successor to the Free Provinces! It would appear that, given the Bellicans’ hatred towards the old regime, they view Reinzo in an especially favorable light...? 5 Jan. | The Ministry of Commerce announces a nationwide project to improve the economic integrity of the Archduchy. As such, three new commercial districts are to be built in Andros-Bellica’s largest cities, rounding out a total of five such monetary centers. The Crown has approved a budget of 30.000 Andro-Bellican Marks towards this goal. 12 Apr. | The Ministry of Labor announces the opening of a new Steel Mill in Andrograd, which the Androsian Administrative District Office has confirmed for the cost of 2.500 ABM. 8 Aug. | The Crown announces a personal project of the Archduke in improving the infrastructure of the nation; towards this goal he pledges 2.500 ABM, with initial work first being done on repaving Bellican highways and erecting new telegraph lines. Perhaps this is a signal of the country’s will to modernize after the catastrophes of the Great War? -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR -+- Approximate Population Growth Est. Population 1 Jan. 1887: 40.000.000 Est. Population 1 Jan. 1888: 40.800.000 Approximate City Population Spread Bellica | 22.800.000 [+] Bellograd | 6.600.000 [+] Klennetsboro | 1.200.000 Andros | 18.000.000 [+] Andrograd | 3.000.000 [+] Poval | 800.000 [+] Lovken | 400.000 Resources and Industrial Centers Heavy Industry, Bellograd Heavy Industry, Andrograd Airshipyard, Bellograd Airshipyard, Bellograd National Income Metropolitan Taxation | 10.000 ABM | Bellograd Civilian Taxation | 8.000 ABM | 1.000 ABM per 5.000.000 Commercial Districts | 8.000 ABM | Bellograd, Andrograd International Trade | 10.000 ABM | Anaerin Confederacy, Greater Modevia, Commonwealth of Grenheim, Free Guilds of Estfeld, Tsardom of Pozharin, Republic of Volta-Solvan, Erdemir Industries, Caliphate of Ozan, Republic of Tormina, Republic of Sorent Total Income, 1888: 36.000 ABM National Upkeep Military Upkeep Halved [National Idea] Army Upkeep, Howitzers | 500 ABM | 175 Howitzers [500ABM/100] Naval Upkeep, Med. | 500 ABM | 1D, 2HC [500ABM/3] Total Upkeep, 1888: 1.000 ABM National Expenditures Commercial District, Poval: 10.000 ABM The construction of a commerce-focused region within city borders. Commercial District, Klennetsboro: 10.000 ABM The construction of a commerce-focused region within city borders. Commercial District, Lovken: 10.000 ABM The construction of a commerce-focused region within city borders. Steel Mill, Andrograd: 2.500 ABM The construction of a steel production facility within city borders. [MOD] – Upgrading Infrastructure/Development, Bellica: 2.500 ABM The improvement of much-neglected Bellican roads after years of war. End-of-Year Reserves 36.000 ABM | Income - 1.000 ABM | Upkeep - 35.000 ABM | Expenditures 0 ABM | Reserves -+- OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION -+- [Education 6 | Army 10 | Aviation 5] [1] – Early technical forays into the usage of armored cars to pierce stagnated enemy lines. [Armored Brigade Research][Started ‘88] [2] – Early forays into the dropping of Howitzer shells from fighter craft. [Bomber Wing Research][Started ‘88] [3] – Early technical forays into radio communication. [Radio Research][Started ‘88] -+- -+-

Bellica [Or, the Archduchy of Andros-Bellica] Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy [Enlightened Absolutism] History/Culture: Woeful is the tale of the Bellicans, those faithful subjects of a bygone era. In their antiquated histories, the reign of the Archdukes of Bellica was paid its just tribute among the nations of the Continent. By 1700, after all, the lords of Andros and Bellica had ruled for nigh six centuries. Once, their territories stretched many leagues; historically staunch traditionalism and empowered nobility, however, threw into doubt their rule as tactics evolved. The Anaerin Confederacy’s 1762 expansion and consolidation came at the cost of the Androsian Heartlands, the sweeping plains to the south of Bellica, in the War of Anaerinic Aggression - or, in the Confederacy, the First Androsian War. The Free Provinces saw Bellica the oppressed territories of an outdated regime; in the mid-1830’s, a series of rebellions succeeded in overtaking the local administrators of North Bellica. The regime’s inability to quell these rebels caused them to lose the central territories of Andros-Bellica in the Bellican Partition, which saw for a brief while the Free State of Allmor, and within a decade an incorporated territory of the Free Provinces. Their greatest shame, however, had yet to come. The posturing of the Great Powers in the early 1860’s came once again at the expense of the already-disastrously aggrieved nation, and its central territory, the Bellic Strip, became the focal point of the worst war in the Continent’s history. With the pretense of protecting the ancient regime’s sovereignty, the Confederacy launched a series of attacks across the River Mar and into the recently-occupied Bellic Strip. None of the occupied territories in Bellica’s heartlands would be returned to the nation at the turn of the 80’s, though the lives of 13 million Bellicans would be claimed by starvation or execution, often from their Confederate “saviors”. For the duration of the Great War, the official stance of the Archduchy was that of having sided (unwillingly) with the Anaerin Confederacy. At the end of the war, their nation was split in two, with the Bellic Strip being split between the two Great Powers at their last armistice. Bellica, of course, was not present at the negotiations. Reduced to the Bellic Heartlands and Northern Andros, the Archduchy is a nation revolving around monarchic absolutists in an era of turbulent revolution and democracy. It is a union of Androsians and Bellicans in a vain attempt to protect their combined nations from total annexation, often with injurious consequences to their governance. It is a fractured set of territories with aging infrastructure and a weak economy. It has also lost much of its independent diplomatic abilities; a series of guarantees of independence by both the Free Provinces and Confederacy upon the armistice signings have also enforced warnings upon the nation, preventing it from beginning offensive wars and limiting its fleet capacities, though protecting it from invasions by either power or their aligned states. Starting Points: Size | 4 – Once, perhaps, Andros-Bellica was well-populated. A fifth of its population died during the Great War, another quarter fallen casualty to any variety of war crime and other injury. Now, its streets run empty and quiet. Population: 40m Metropolis: Bellograd Cities: Andrograd, Klennetsboro, Poval, Lovken Army/Navy | 10 – It was perhaps a miracle stemming from the militant resurgence of the Ducal Andros-Bellican Army and its General Staff that the nation was able to survive at all. Its overly competent commanders made up, in part, for their entirely lacking industry and economy, fighting constantly and with valour in the Great War. 4 Infantry Brigade [4] -20,000 Infantry 1 Howitzer [2] 25 Howitzers 4 Bellican Howitzer [12] 80 Howitzers 4 Field Artillery [8] -400 Pieces 2 Fighter [4] -200 Fighters Aviation | 5 – Men have no place in the skies – but war changes, as all things do. At the end of the Great War, just as did all their neighbors, whether friend or foe, so too did the Bellicans innovate. 2 Heavy Cruiser [6pts] 1 Destroyer [2pts] 8 Corvette [4pts] 9 Freighter [3pts] Industry | 2 – A weak but not nonexistent industrial base has allowed Bellica to, if not thrive, survive. 2 Airshipyards 2 Heavy Industry Economy | 2 – A weak but not nonexistent economic base has allowed Bellica to, if not thrive, survive. 2 Commercial Districts [Bellograd, Andrograd] Education | 6 – It is said that the children of Andros-Bellica are raised to become officers and mercenaries – how could they complete such tasks if they were not among the best? Development | 1 – Yikes. Notable Characters: You’ll notice there are no notable non-military Bellicans. That is, of course, because Bellica is not well-known internationally for anything but the talent of their officer corps... Archduke Karl Fredrik vi Androssov Patriarch of a dynasty considered as old, and antiquated, as absolute monarchy itself. General Field Marshal Alans Travsa vi Bellograd Nigh-legendary hero of Bellica, Alans Travsa’s use of well-coordinated counterattacks in Bellica proper kept the homeland secured at the rivers Mar and Steir to the west. Field Marshal Hugo Linden Commandant, Army Group I “Bellograd” Field Marshal Jan vi Klennetsboro Commandant, Army Group II “Androszy” Field Marshal Arz vi Kaltzberg Commandant, Army Group III “Martzvil” Lieutenant General Stann vi Poval Commandant, XIV Battalion “Stett” Lieutenant General Aaren vi Lovken Commandant, XIX Battalion “Povalberg” Lieutenant General Victor vi Bellograd Commandant, XXII Battalion “Grannsmark” Fleetmarshal Josef vi Arizh Commandant, Flying Wing III “Flood” Air Marshal Kurt Allevan Commandant, Flying Wing V “Thunderclap” Flying Ace in the pre-War and early stages of the Great War. Air Marshal Aaren vi Andrograd Commandant, Flying Wing VI “Downfall” National Idea: Between a rock and a hard place: Halved gold maintenance for military. Unique Units: Bellican Howitzers: Specialized weaponry, designed to take out enemy aerial support and airships. Decidedly not designed to hit sea-based targets, though performs just above average against conventional land-based armies. Map Position: The Archduchy of Andros-Bellica, modernity The Bellic Strip, postwar [not owned, obviously] Proof: I too enjoy enforced catholicism and the national pastime being passing out in bars...

“As barbaric as child-killing is, perhaps the Ruberni would not have slain her if the Orenians hadn’t called their children to arms,” muses semi-neutral historian of little renown Mr. Odoaker Drakaene.

Mr. Odoaker Drakaene, Ph.D. fears this mysterious plague!

“Who wrote this, a dyslexic child?” asks Mr. Odoaker Drakaene, Ph.D. to a nearby illiterate barley farmer as he reads through the missive.

Mr. Odoaker Drakaene, Ph.D.’s eyes burn upon seeing the Parvousburger coat of arms. “It’s like they’ve never heard the word tincture,” he mutters to himself.

“Didn’t you appear out of nowhere after the toesucker died” asks Orenian historian Mr. Drakaene.