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A Confused Spirit
The hijacking was not taken too kindly by the populace of Cherubim and christians all over. This was not Carytonic state propaganda, nor was it an intrusion of other states sovereignty. Two men merely wanted to provide peace for the night how they saw it fit. While the chaos lasted its full length and resulted in a startled and offended population, the Cherubim City Council convened to discuss the matter. Since the population of Caryton was very locally minded, the whole village was more or less present.
"A civilian radio broadcast has merited radio warfare, a terrorist attack, and an unkind diplomatic outreach. The hostile signal has been blocked, but this international confusion is blatantly serious." Mark Smith, the mayor began.
Under the christian banners, the crowd went up in anger.
"We have freedom of press, we have the ability to reach souls who need it. If the foreigners are so offended by it, why can't they just turn it off instead of ruining our normalcy!?" An outraged civilian bellowed.
"Be not unrestful. Greg Todd will be permitted to continue broadcasting, nationally and internationally."
"It isn't our fault that they reject the Word, and it isn't our fault these nations are not free. This clearly isn't an infiltration attempt." Greg declared, his legal papers on the fine mahogany table.
"What are we to do then? To protect our citizens from another retaliation?" The same concerned citizen from before pleaded.
The mayor smiled broadly. "Friends, if those foreigners are willing to devote government resources to send this atrocity over... consider an appeal already made to the government to get the technology required to continue broadcasting, without interruption."
Greg Todds was already being considered as a living martyr. Clearly, a calming night time bible chat radio show wasn't quite tolerated by a foreign crowd. Still, the next night the broadcasts would continue-- with the proper defensive equipment this time.
The Artarumen Empire, after extensive review of prospective relations between itself and the Republic of Caryton, believes that it is appropriate to establish bilateral relations with it. To that end, the Artarumen Empire formally requests an embassy in Georgine, with all the rights and privileges granted to diplomatic missions and their staff as established by the International Assembly. Furthermore, the Republic of Caryton is invited to establish a diplomatic mission in Liudan, Artarum's capital, with all the privileges that are stipulated under the international conventions Artarum is a party to.
The Artarumen Empire is eager to engage in further talks regarding trade, collective security, and other areas of co-operation including but not limited to joining the new international order being pioneered by itself and Zhongwangguo. Therefore, the Artarumen Government eagerly awaits the confirmation of mutual exchanges of ambassadors with the Republic of Caryton, and once more wishes to express its welcome to the Republic of Caryton to the world stage.
The Spiritual Republic of Caryton gladly accepts the request and an embassy is provided effective immediately. They also warmly accept the offer to an alliance and the international order.
Maxene was appalled. Such a response, no matter how politely told, was seen as a sort of insult towards the Westbeechians. A diplomat quickly hopped in to avoid any issues Maxene could cause, stating that doing so would not assure the government of Westbeech that such messages would not reach the nation again. The diplomat brought up security issues, not really knowing what he was talking about, but hoped that it would get somewhere.
The Middle Kingdom Offers 
Spiritual Republic of Caryton Humanitarian Aid
Few in the Middle Kingdom heard the radio broadcast originating from Caryton; much fewer still understood the foreign tongue.
Overall, the broadcast largely went unnoticed by the government and the general public. It was not until several days later that intelligence picked up on a Caryton harbour explosion and the hijacking of Caryton’s local radio stations. While the public remained completely disinterested in the whole affair, the imperial government issued a statement calling for pacifism and dialogue.
The public statement reads: “It is important for everyone to remember that we are all connected by the common thread of humanity. We must strive to celebrate differences in religion, beliefs, culture, traditions and philosophy. It saddens us to hear that many innocents have died, and countless others have now lost their homes. The affected local communities in Caryton are grieving today; the wider global community shares in their great sadness. We all mourn the loss of valuable, precious lives as one family, no matter where we live or what tongue we speak.”
In a sign of good will, the Middle Kingdom has offered to send a medical team to Caryton to assist the wounded recuperate. Private charities in China are fundraising to support the Carytonic recovery, and the imperial government is offering tents, foodstuff and other humanitarian supplies to help those who have lost their homes.
The Spiritual Republic of Caryton's delegation eventually caves in and allows the signal to be jammed in Westbeechian territories, but remains adamant that foreign policy does not dictate the rights of its citizens. As compensation and a sign of good faith, the Spiritual Republic of Caryton foots the bill for the construction of such equipment and the augmentations to the broadcasting equipment itself of not only Greg Todds but similar unofficial talk shows.
There was, however, no compromise for Immortal kriegizstan or 
Grossschwaben as combined, they had mercilessly retaliated for the mere actions of a citizen. Caryton simply ensured that the broadcast from Greg Todds' specific setup did not reach those nations again, but refused to convene any more than that, especially on the behalf of Kriegizstan who was not even given the dignity of a formal response.
That doesn't sound quite right, Pearlescent thought to herself as she was reading through the first chapter. Her own education had never mentioned the Two Sisters actually creating Ponykind from lesser creatures. Rather, modern Equine science suggested that the Equus Sapiens had evolved more or less naturally from wild equines living in a magic rich environment. Over hundreds of thousands of years, small differences in environment and habits had led to the development of the Three Kinds: The Earth Ponies descended from largest tribe, which specialized in cultivating the land, while the Pegasi had evolved from nomadic warriors living in the windy plains and mountain ranges of the Northwestern Equestria. Finally, Unicorns were the descendants of a shamanistic/priestly upper class of the early Earth Pony tribes. Officially, the Way of the Old Masters had been born around this time and had helped to shape and refine the Three Tribes into their current form.
Pearlescent had come to assume that the official history of her species was probably biased in the Unicorns' favor, but the Novumequine writings seemed to blur the line between fact and fiction even more. And since most of the Novumequines were fanatically religious, they probably took the teachings in the book literally...
The noblemare kept her thoughts to herself as she followed Major Black to the Governor-Colonel.
Despite her best efforts to remain calm, Rainbow felt her famous temper flare up at the accusations.
"Listen, you thick-headed numbskull...!" she growled angrily. "By now even the lowliest of you grunts should know that I'm not one your Arch-traitors! I don't know what horrible and unlikely chain of events in your nightmarish reality made my alternate self betray everything she held dear, but in this world I would never even consider..."
Her voice trailed off as she looked at the mare hovering before her a second time. There was something very familiar about her. In fact, Rainbow was sure she had seen her before.
Then she remembered.
"...Lightning, is that really you?"
The mare was the mirror image of Lightning Dust, a mare Rainbow had briefly known in her youth. She had met Lightning just before the Demon Invasion in the Wonderbolts Academy, where they had started out as friends but eventually formed a rivalry. Despite their dislike of each other they had fought the invaders together until Lightning Dust had disappeared while attempting to create a massive tornado to send against the Demons. Rainbow had tried to search for her rival but had never found even a single turquoise feather. But here Lightning was again, a living breathing reminder of the past and one of Rainbow's failures.
KBS News Update
"... The city of Pyeongyang has been successfully liberated from the undead and is now entering quarantine period of a month. During this time, workers with safety gear will begin reconstructing destroyed buildings. With the current pace, the liberation of the entire northern territory will soon come. Now, we will inform those in the frontier cities about the variations of the undead and where and when they are mostly spotted..."
Honoriæ returned Sonre's greeting with a bright, genuine smile and a small curtsy. "I am indeed. A pleasure to meet you, Deputy Prime Minister. You are correct on your observation that our respective religious officials have yet to draw swords. Quite a curiosity these... Haters." She said the word with slight contempt, mentally chastising herself for the mistake all the while. "Their beliefs are certainly unusual and, from our perspective, quite offensive. But so long as they keep their crusading habits away from Umbræn I can assure you that the Temple will keep to itself. Ours is not a faith for..." she paused for a moment to think of what the most accurate yet least offensive term might be used. "...'Others'. No offense intended, of course. We simply acknowledge that we have our gods, you have yours, and that's the way it should be."
The Lamps Go Out
Ink splashed against the page as the Fyurer of Talarus scribbled away furiously at his notes. There were enemies everywhere, all around him. He had to draft a new lists of those he knew were conspiring against him: His brother, the General Staff, the leaders of the Church, his ministers. His thoughts came back to construe every social interaction as a slight against him, a misspoken word became a hidden meaning, a different tone was hiding something, speaking in hushed whispers behind his back was a conspiracy against him. His hands trembled as if they had been struck by a palsy, scratching more names on the sweat-stained paper. The adrenaline coursing through his veins fueled his multi-day long holdout in his dimly lit office. He hadn't slept in days, for how could he when the world was against him? He had stripped the soul of the nation away to fuel his military, his industry, his government. No one was safe from the watching eyes he had created, and he believed that extended to him. His eyes quickly looked around the quiet room lavishly decorated with the finest Talarus had to offer, and that was when the pain struck his chest. Burning, pounding, incessant pain ruptured through his body to send him to the floor. He gasped and gulped for what little air his body could take in as he frantically clawed at the polished wooden floors towards the door. Yet for all his struggles he found no respite and collapsed. Sergey Nevsky, Fyurer of Talarus, was dead.
His guards were no stranger to the frequent week-long seclusion of Nevsky. In fact, what had gone on in that room would be unknown for two weeks after the event had unfolded. Yet the monster he had birthed kept turning with the mere inertia of fear the Fyurer has created. And for those weeks, no one questioned why the Fyurer had been so silent, and no one dared to find out. It was only when the smell emanated from the room, and promising the guards they would not to be shot for disturbing the Fyurer, that the doors were open. And as soon as the they saw Nevsky's body crumpled on the floor, did the clock strike twelve for Talarus, and the Rushen people.
The first to act was the Rusheni Armed Forces as they moved to control the outbreaks of violence and unrest in the capital city of Glavnigrad. With the madman at the helm of the massacres of millions of Rusheni dead, unrest was to be expected. They also expected to handle it just like the days of old, with unloaded magazines and crimson stained pavement. These were the men and women most indoctrinated by the Fyurer, who carried out his holy will in purifying the state from those deemed inferior, weak, or deformed. They believed they would be able to crush the unrest, and continue their weekly house to house searching for the impure. What they did not expect, nor believe, was how the Far Eastern Military District refused to enter the cities in the east. The betrayal of ideals and splitting of the Armed Forces was something the Marshals in the Central Military District could not have even thought of. Leader of the Central Military District, and Marshal of the Armed Forces, Vasily Yegorov quickly attempted to establish private communication with Army General Valery Kulikov, head of the Far Eastern Military District, but received no response. He then attempted to dial the Western Military District, and received a response, a desperate cry for help and reinforcement before the transmission was cut. Yegorov then, correctly, assumed that the Central Military District will be forced to take up the mantle of reclaiming the rest of the country for the late Fyurer.
As the Central Military District, to be dubbed the Rushen Reykh, continued its stabilization efforts in the capital other forces were at work. Like Kulikov himself, who had centered a new government around Ryazan. A government, which he believed, needed a strong monarch to lead the Rushen people back from the darkness of the Fyurer's terror. A monarch which he didn't have, and one he desperately needed to gain legitimacy. Scouring through family history books of Talarus provided a family in Ryazan close enough to the old noble bloodline to be 'good enough'. After kidnapping said family, and as the weeks go by he aims to create a Talarus Empire like the days of old, by any means necessary.
With the Western Military District in shambles, two factions emerged on top of the corpse of the old government. The Rushen People's Soviet, and the Free State of Talarus. Both having swung their politics far away from the Fyurer's government, and into the camp of the far-left. Alexandr Mukanov and Irina Karbyshev lead them respectively, and neither they, nor the governments they lead get along in the slightest. While both are barely functional governments due to the swift takeover by the chaos, and their armies are nothing more than militia using stolen equipment, working with the other is an impossibility. As such, they have each stuck to one side of the vast river Zeya and are preparing to unify the other side by force. Nothing is a greater insult than creating a false leftist state, and besides, only one would come out on top to unify the country so why should it not be them?
The final two factions that emerged from the chaos find themselves squeezed between the Reykh and the Imperial forces, the Democratic League of Talarus and the Rushen Federation. While both believe in democracy, the way they go about it is a fundamental difference. One they can work together to overcome, given time, but for right now they'd rather bicker while their own militias catch their breath for the upcoming unification wars. The Democratic League and its president, Nikolai Malenkov, believes in free speech for all, even extremism, and that to progress as a people and a nation the Rusheni will have to allow everyone their voice. The Rushen Federation, on the other hand, believes in democracy for lower level government but a strong executive is needed. The people can vote in their senators, but the head will always rest with their Lider: Vasili Sokolov.
While the leaders and factions claw at each other to come out on top, those caught in the crossfire will have to suffer through another nightmare. The event that had caused for a joyous celebration now turned into dread as the collapse of the old government brought forth a conflict to establish the new. For the millions of civilians in Talarus they pray to God for help, for no one else can.
Vistulange, Peoples republic of the german states, Grossschwaben, Nuzozya, and 1 otherSpiritual Republic of Caryton
The Spiritual Republic of Caryton humbly thanks the Chinese government for their kindness and charity, as the Rainfall City area reels from the attacks and begins to put the pieces back together. While the humanitarian money goes to rebuilding the port, repairing ships, and the few bay houses in the region- the government and the GCC use tax/tithing reserves to bestow a hefty and respectable compensation to those who had lost loved ones in the bombing. This act of generosity would only seem to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Hello
"We all live and love in the light of the Goddess Three." the priestess said as she raised her hands from the podium to gesture to the congregation that had gathered in the temple at sunset. What was left of the daylight shined through stain-glass windows provided the only source of light other than the lit candles around the stone temple. Incense burned all around the building filling the temple with a special smell and atmosphere. Her red eyes looked out over the crowd scanning their somber faces. "It is in this light that we know peace comes for us all in the end. The wheel stops, our souls are uplifted, and we feel the Three Mothers' embrace once more. Our trial over; our duty begins." The congregation sat silently in prayer as they listened to the priestess and hoped the goddesses heard their own prayers.
"When at last time stops and the world is undone, the Last Battle begins and the Serpent is flayed. But until then we are the light in the darkness - a ray of hope and kindness to all our kin and those others we share this world with. We bathe in the splendor of goodwill and give unto others this harmony be they Drow, Human, or something else altogether. We respect them--their ways, their gods, their nations--and ask only that they respect us the same in turn. It is the duty of every Drow that we show the world our nobility of spirit to pass on goodwill into the next century that they might learn from us and our generosity. And so we bathe them--and ourselves--in eternal and undying love that Voi has given us. We show them mercy that Dikasynita gifted to us. We show them our valor as Andræda commands of us. And when it comes time to depart this world we leave our love, our mercy, our valor for them so that when we go off to fight the Last Battle that should any of us fall against the Serpent that when he sinks his fangs into our souls and destroys them, we know that our deeds and memories live on. Thus we die to serve and save the world and all that inhabit it so that we might all live eternal. That is our plan, our duty, our sacrifice. We go to it valiantly, though not with haste." The priestess closed the holy book she'd been reading from and the congregation rose from their pews. The priestess brushed her black robes gently. "May the Moon Shine Upon You." the priestess finished. "And Upon You." the congregation replied.
With that, the attendees left the temple slowly and quietly. The two acolytes in attendance assisted the priestess in cleaning the temple until at last the sun had set and no more light shined through the windows. The acolytes returned to their quarters as the priestess locked the doors and blew out the last of the candles before returning to her own quarters. Disrobing, she climbed into the bed and buried her head in the pillow as she held her already-sleeping wife closely before nodding off to sleep herself.
Their group had nearly reached the hall leading to Governor-Colonel Maple Tree’s office when they noticed the large number of grey suited bodies being looked over by medics. Rounding the corner, they also found their way barred by a pile of binders haphazardly gathered in the middle of it. The cause of both these oddities made itself known as a pony barrelled through the door with his head ducked down to dodge a flying book as the Major’s mother called out from her office. “Come back with another idiotic suggestion like that and I’ll castrate you with a stick.”
The Major and his guards could only smirk as they lead Pearlescent and Shield into the room where a few administratum drones cowered in a corner. “Black, Ms. Wind.” The Colonel said their names warmly before looking at the suits again. “Get out, military matters don’t involve ponies who try to gut welfare to pay for a holiday about cheese.” Maple flung a thick tomb of legalese at one of them and spurring everyone not in uniform to leave quickly.
The mare scoffed at Rainbow. “I don’t know if I should be pleased or disturbed that you recall my mother, Oathbreaker. Are you wanting to take my skull to replace hers on your rack after we destroyed them the last time you fought us?” She scraped her claws together, sparks flying off the talons. “You are welcome to try.”
“That’s enough, Captain.” A new voice called out as Rainbow looked up at New Elysium’s walls again even as Lightning Kicker still glared at her immortal enemy. Alula Kicker descended with five of her chosen hetairoi, their black and gold armour blending with the thunderclouds of the gatehouse. “Mater, are you here to see the death of False Loyalty?” The teal mare crowed before the Elysian General placed herself and her guards between the would-be combatants. “No, I have not. Not have I come to see the deaths of anyone else, least of all out guest.” Alula gave a sweep of her leg and the turrets which had been aiming at Rainbow’s group returned to their previous position.
Lighting stared at her superior. “Guest? You would invite this murderer into our stronghold?” She asked, poleaxed by what she’d just heard. “Have you forgotten what she’s done? Have you forgotten what she’s taken from us, who she’s taken from us?” Alula returned a icy glare at the captain, hovering inches from Lightning’s face. “I have forgotten nothing, Captain. I recall the name and face of all our dead just as I recall that we are not in our reality anymore meaning that she is not the mare you think she is. Now stand down, Captain.”
The Palace Eunuchs Retaliate
There was a cool September breeze, and the autumn scents hung strong in the air. As the seasons changed, so did government positions on trade and foreign affairs. One such change came with the publishing of the long-awaited white paper on free trade with the Spiritual Republic of Caryton.
The eleven authors of the white paper—just after publishing their paper recommending the Middle Kingdom to seek free trade not only with Caryton, but with as many nations as possible—decided to go to the ministry's well-regarded tearoom on the ground floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the document they hoped would soon reshape the imperial government's attitude towards foreign affairs and international trade. They sat and enjoyed tea for an hour before dozens of masked armed men in black uniforms stormed the tearoom and surrounded them. As suddenly as they appeared, they left with all eleven senior civil servants in tow.
The eleven powerful men and women—each of whom were handcuffed and had sacks over their heads—were led out of the Ministry’s main gate in full view of everyone. The ministry’s security guards themselves were held at gunpoint by the gate, and were only released once the armed men and their captives had got on black, unmarked vans.
Naturally, the police were called immediately. By the time they arrived, the black vans had long disappeared. Subsequent investigations were started, but within a few hours, were taken over from local police by an unknown imperial government agency.
Over a week later, all eleven authors returned to work. They were shaken but willing to share all that had happened to them. They had been extrajudicially arrested by the palace eunuchs’ secret police. They were tortured day and night until they signed documents confessing. What precisely they confessed to, they did not know. They just knew that they were released immediately after everyone had finished signing their confession papers.
In reality, the documents laid out a Confucianist conspiracy to overthrow the Huangdi. In it, the eleven civil servants officially acknowledged their links to hostile foreign governments. They also admitted that their white paper was the product of foreign intelligence agencies directly intervening in the state civil service and that it was a part of a much larger problem affecting every level of the Confucian-led state bureaucracy. The documents painted the picture of a state bureaucracy gripped by systematic corruption and loyalties to almost every foreign government but the Dragon Throne.
The signed confessions were rushed to the Huangdi himself, who was then presented with a number of options, all of which involved making serious changes to the leadership structure of the state civil service. Perhaps predictably, the chief recommendation being the dissolution of the state civil service commission leading the anti-corruption inquiry into the palace eunuchs' activities.
[OOC: Edit: fixed multiple typos and formatting errors.]
"The Artarumen Empire had, indeed, welcomed the white paper published by the esteemed Government of the Middle Kingdom with great enthusiasm, taking it as a step towards joining the modern world fully and completely, a goal which we do not believe the Middle Kingdom has abandoned. We are still eager to see such steps. Indeed, our ambassador stationed at the Middle Kingdom is eager to meet the authors of this white paper, to host them at his residence, to better understand the policymaking and goals behind these commendable goals and steps." Prime Minister Anthony Bishop said, looking at the camera sitting just across his large desk. He was energetic, but it was also evident that the stresses of the last few months were slowly yet surely getting to him.
"We, however, do not understand the sudden change in the authors' behaviour, nor do we believe that this is normal. While we wholly understand the need to maintain control, stability, and safety of the government of the Middle Kingdom—and let there be no misconceptions: Artarum strongly stands behind the current order in the Middle Kingdom—we also feel the need to urge transparency, and to advise, in good faith, the necessity of a fair trial for those who have confessed. It is our most heartfelt desire that the Middle Kingdom will continue on the pathway to modernisation, integration, and communication with the modern world, and we as the Artarumen Empire value their presence in the international sphere to the utmost.
Thank you."
With that, the camera switched off, the live broadcast ended, and the press secretary nodded to the Prime Minister, who leaned back and loosened his tie. "So, what is it?" He asked, as the camera crew marched away, alongside an army of reporters with their microphones.
"We don't know yet," the Deputy Prime Minister answered, sitting on the small couch across the table, "the FCO thinks it's got to do with intra-government politicking. Some group trying to off the others, while their Emperor is, well, not like ours."
"How so?"
"From what we gather, the place is...really quite feudal, Prime Minister. They call him 'Huangdi', basically their equivalent of 'emperor', but unlike our good man, he's nearly impossible to access. From what we have gathered." he repeated. "Everything seems to go through the palace, ah..." He searched for the words. "...eunuchs." A slight look of revulsion appeared on his face. Bishop nodded, leaning back and tilting his head.
"This is why we have an ambassador. See if you can arrange for our ambassador, representing His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, to get through this web of eunuchs to talk directly with their, ah, 'Huangdi', was it? Yes. Perhaps they will acquiesce to a state meeting at the highest levels, where we can see what is actually going on. If that fails, we can think of something else. For now, this costs us nothing."
The Deputy Prime Minister nodded, standing up to leave. "Very good, Prime Minister." With that, he walked out.
Dear Ambassador Sir Roald Walthorpe:
Excellency,
The Imperial Government is honoured by your generous request to speak to the Huangdi. He is, as you know, more than a figurehead for the Middle Kingdom to flock to during hard times: He is the Son of Heaven—a revered figure in our society. His authority is boundless, and His power absolute.
As such, He does not typically involve Himself in the daily governance of the Middle Kingdom. He is concerned by far more weighty burdens. Fortunately, He is served by wise and honourable men and women in the Imperial government who astutely infer His will and carry out His vision for the Middle Kingdom and the world.
While we are unable to arrange a direct meeting with the Huangdi, perhaps Your Excellency would instead like to meet the Foreign Minister or the Prime Minister—both loyal and trusted servants of the Huangdi who have his ear.
Respectfully,
Zhang An
Junior Secretary
Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Post self-deleted by Zhongwangguo.
Tishina
Radio stations around the country that usually broadcast propaganda, state-censored news, and weather reports began to go silent one by one. Two weeks after the radio told the country, and the outside world that listened in, their silence meant only one thing. The outside world, while having previously been kept intentionally unaware about the goings on inside Talarus, may now recognize the state the country is in. While there was no clear signs of the true goings on, those in space would see the lights of the Rushen cities being switched off. One by one, sector by sector, Talarus truly became as its nickname suggested: The Shadow State.
As the conflict began, and its factions solidified themselves in their territories, the radios switched back on for the world to hear. The Shadow State finally had its curtains lifted, and the play that unfolded on the national stage was despair. Six claimants to the title of "Talarus" each spoke out against the other, denouncing, branding, slandering, and lying to try and be perceived as the true continuation of government. From desperate calls for democratic aid, pleads for armaments for the worker's revolution, calls for order amongst the chaos, and demands for the backing of the Divine Right. Rushen airwaves were now packed with propaganda and grovels for support from all six factions of the civil war. While reports for the outside world might still be hazy, one thing would be clear to any international observer: Talarus would bleed as a final requiem for the dead Fyurer, the impure and the weak would die, for the starvation and conflict would make it so. Just as he would have wanted it.
Vistulange, Veradax, Grossschwaben, The greater antipodes, and 2 othersSpiritual Republic of Caryton, and Zhongwangguo
Mixed Company
"We're aware of the effect Haters have on the, more religiously devout." Sonre remarked rather calmly. "Though you don't have anything to worry about, the Church is all out of will, money, and manpower for any more crusades. As a precaution though we'll make sure any embassy staff are either agnostic or Alynites, your people seem to get along fine with them. We'll put the Acolytes on the sidelines for now pending further investigation into how acceptable they are to your religious communities." She paused for a few moments, idly swirling the drink she was holding but had no interest in. "I can introduce you to some of the other Veradacian figures here tonight, though I will warn you that some of them can be pretty strange."
Post self-deleted by Vistulange.
Imperial Society of Sciences endorses National Party after visit by leader Lambert Faulkner
RUMLEW — National Party leader Lambert Faulkner today visited the Imperial Society of Sciences, talking with the various representatives of universities and research institutes in Artarum. Talking to assembled academicians, researchers, and other higher education workers, Mr Faulkner promised higher university autonomy and higher funds allocated to university budgets, especially to expand tenure-track positions, as well as the abolishment of the National Higher Education Committee, which is perceived to be an unnecessary control over university faculty and its members. Mr Faulkner also spoke about expanding immigration opportunities for skilled labour once again, stating that "Artarum's unique position in the world as a liberal democratic country, with the human resources necessary to permit the elevation of human potential to its highest, necessitates that it increase immigration so as to benefit from this position", and that academics were also included in this, "provided they met the stringent employment and publishing standards of our prestigious universities".
Asked about the government's foreign policy, Mr Faulkner responded that "while he was against aggressive interventionist policies, Artarum needs to intervene where necessary, through careful planning and co-operation with both local and international partners, and the continuously deteriorating situation in the Emirate of Beyt was an example of how not to do things".
Overall, Mr Faulkner stated that he was "tremendously pleased with the way the meeting went", and that "he understood that every segment of society in Artarum expects real, effective change, as opposed to window dressing".
The Dragon's Visit Abroad
[The eurasian steppes, 
Artarum]
The Middle Kingdom was a developing economy with a weak military. Though the international community welcomed the Middle Kingdom with an open embrace, the Chinese did not forget how their thousands’ years old empire had been reduced to nothingness. It had taken decades of hard work to climb out of the centuries’ long economic depression, but the Huangdi successfully demonstrated to his people that he still had the Mandate of Heaven.
Now the imperial government saw an opportunity in the chaos and anarchy that rocked Talarus following the passing of the late Fyurer. It was among the first governments to act in that country, in a bid to bring order and stability to a nation that might prove to be a great trading partner.
The Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted Artarum to inquire as to whether they were interested in coordinating a response to the chaos in Talarus. As the Middle Kingdom's closest ally, the Artarumen view on recent developments in Talarus was instrumental to the Middle Kingdom's foreign policy in the latter. Believing that the Middle Kingdom's interests and Artarumen's interests likely to coincide over restoring stability and accessing new markets, the imperial government was keen to involve Artarum in the Middle Kingdom's vision of a unified Talarus.
Officially, the Middle Kingdom did not recognise any new Fyurer because it was unclear who would succeed in unifying the country. Consequently, working with private businesses, the imperial government would send out delegations to all six factions to get a clearer picture of who was most likely to succeed and who can be seen as most dependable.
This was a delicate task that required working with six rivals simultaneously. To better organise its goals and activities, the country was divided into four theatres: the Far-Left Theatre, the Liberal Democracy Theatre, the Rushen Reykh Theatre and the Monarchist Theatre.
In the western Far-Left Theatre, the far-left factions were considered the biggest threats to the Middle Kingdom’s goals in restoring stability and accessing new markets. The diplomatic delegations to the Rushen People's Soviet and the Free State of Talarus were tasked with establishing relations with both factions, promise small arms to both far-left forces in hopes of weakening them through an extended and sustained campaign.
In the Rushen Reykh Theatre and the Monarchist Theatre, the imperial government would dispatch diplomatic delegations to both factions to see who would come out on top. The Middle Kingdom was willing to work with either Kulikov or Yegorov. The Middle Kingdom viewed both as having the backing of the now splintered Rushen armed forces, and as such, the likeliest to succeed in reunifying the country. Furthermore, the Rushen Reykh was seen as the most prosperous faction—because most of the major economic centres, as well as the capital city of Glavnigrad, were administered by the Rushen Reykh.
In the Liberal Democracy Theatre, the imperial government’s delegations were also tasked officially with only monitoring developments in the region. However, the two democratic factions could prove to be dependable allies. The Middle Kingdom perceived better trade opportunities in a liberal democratic country, primarily because of the stability and business-friendly attitudes that come with that ideology. Because the imperial government understood that Kulikov or Yegorov stood a chance of winning this civil war through their superior arms, all support for both factions would need to be covert and clandestine.
To make this possible, the imperial government partnered with a consortium of businesses interested in backing the democratic factions in exchange for future preferred trade relations. The consortium would seek to open channels of dialogue between the Democratic League of Talarus and the Rushen Federation, hoping to soon see the two democratically aligned factions to put aside their differences and, through free and fair elections, decide the final form of a democratic Talarus following the Talarus' reunification. They offered to bankroll massive loans at below-market interest rates, finance private military services, and to go as far as procuring good quality arms from reputable international arms manufacturers.
Grossschwaben and Artarum
Honoriæ smiled. "In my experience the strangest individuals are often the most interesting. And I assure you that as long as the Alynites do not attempt to proselytize us they will continue to be greeted warmly. By all means, let us proceed." The Palatine then gestured for Sonre to lead the way.
«12. . .8,1668,1678,1688,1698,1708,1718,172. . .8,2698,270»
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