stNES(Dis) - A Time of White Sorrow

[Swissempire]

Hispanola
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Ruler:Juan Miguel
Government: Oligarchy
Centralization: Unitary
Tech. Level: Late Age of Nationalism
Army (Training): 5 (Tolerable)
Navy (Training): 5 (Semi-Rabble)
Economy: Not Bad (+1)
Leadership (Military/Civilian): Moronic/Incompetent
Size: Tiny (1)
Infrastructure: Improving
Education: Illiterate
Living Standards:Low
Culture: Devoted
Confidence: Tolerating
Projects:
Nation Background:

The Former Colony won its freedom in the Mexican War preventing interference from French and Spanish alike, Hispanola is once more falling into the Louisinan Sphere of influence, if only as an attempt to stave off domination by the Portuguese and the Americans.

[Disenfrancised]

Originally Posted by Lord_Iggy

Sounds good.

Indeed, just need someone to fill France/Venice/Ottomans and things should be set to go!

Welcome aboard Swiss!

[Swissempire]

Thanks. Should ipost orders now here or PM them to you, or should i wait until after the first update?

[North King]

A (short) Political History of the Fourth Gayanashagowa/Dominion of Canada

Pre-Reform Era
1788: Prime Minister John Tetor

The Fourth Gayanashagowa unites the British colonists and the Indian tribes into a unified entity, which begins to hold elections. No real parties are present in the parliament. The Australiasians land on the West Coast.

1792: Prime Minister Samuel Vesith

Little happens.

1796: Prime Minister Lawrence Watersworth

See Samuel Vesith.

1800: Prime Minister David Dundynn

Increasing disunity between the colonists and Natives is eventually quelled when the Australasians come and unite them back under the British crown.

Prime Minister John Templeton (C)
1804: 56% Confederates, 37% Independence Alliance, 6% Socialists, 1% Other
1807: 75% Confederates, 12% Independence Alliance, 9% Socialists, 4% Other
1810: 80% Confederates, 9% Socialists, 9% Independence Alliance, 1% Progressives, 1% Other

The first four years were marked with somewhat better winters than previously, and the prime minister John Templeton was widely popular for his reformation of the government. He ran for reelection in 1807, and when war broke out between them and the Lousianians, the people united behind him, leading to a stunning electoral victory in 1807. Further victories against Louisiana and rising agricultural production meant that 1810 was the greatest landslide in the Fourth Gayanashagowa’s history, even surpassing 1807. Templeton’s last year in office was marked primarily by his moderately successful role in the Treaty of San Francisco.

Prime Minister Mark Dundynn (C)
1813: 65% Confederates, 19% Progressives, 10% Independence Alliance, 5% Socialists, 1% Other

Son of David Dundynn, Mark Dundynn was the successor to Templeton’s Confederate Party leadership. His first and only term was marked mainly by the skyrocketing power of the Progressive Party, one that would come to challenge the Confederates for power, and massive growth in the nation’s agricultural productivity.

Prime Minister Alan Philip (C-P)
1816: 44% Confederates, 34% Progressives, 11% Socialists, 10% Independence Alliance, 1% Other
1819: 40% Confederates, 39% Progressives, 10% Socialists, 10% Independence Alliance, 1% Other

Alan Philip was the result of a compromise. With neither the Confederates of the Progressives winning a majority in the Parliament, a coalition that protected the peace from the radical fringe of the socialists and the IA was arranged, and Alan Philip, a suitably moderate candidate, was chosen. His two terms were marked by vastly growing productivity, however, as this didn’t translate to growth of wealth for the lower classes, increasing discontent propelled the Progressives higher and higher into power.

Prime Minister David Ferris (P-S)
1821: 42% Progressives, 36% Confederates, 11% Socialists, 10% Independence Alliance, 1% Other
Prime Minister David Ferris (PA)
1824: 51% Progressive Alliance, 38% Confederates, 10% Independence Alliance, 1% Other
1827: 55% Progressive Alliance, 40% Conservatives, 2% Confederates, 2% Independence Alliance, 1% Other

The years 1821 through 1830 was, or perhaps it should be said, is the tenure of the Prime Minister David Ferris. His years were marked by vast reforms in welfare that made the people’s condition quite good as compared to the nation as a whole–progressive tax reform and welfare were instituted rapidly. Of course, without the capital to begin heavy industrialization, this also meant that corporations were rather lacking in the Fourth Gayanashagowa, which means that they may be somewhat hampered in modernization. Of course, since the election is late this year, that means that the people shall decide who is the primary candidate for success or failure...

1830: To be Determined

[Disenfrancised]

@Swiss, send orders before the first update. If you post them in thread a)I might miss them and b)Others can see them (which is a problem if your doing something cunning or establishing a hidden alliance), so PMing them is probably better.

@NK: X4

[North King]

The Candidates for the Election of 1830:

David Ferris (Progressive Alliance)


David Ferris, of the province of Superior, is running for his fourth term as Prime Minister of the Fourth Gayanashagowa, or the Dominion of Canada. A famed Canadian general of strong Indian heritage, he was famous for his battles in the Michigan Territory with the Lousiane Empire forces which were attempting to secure control over that area. A powerful orator with a fluency of the English language that stuns most white men unacquainted with him, he is probably the most influential Parliament member at this point in time, and is liable to win his bid for reelection, which he promises that, his age being sixty and his health failing, will be his last. His main campaign platform is welfare reform and encouraging technological growth.

“Three More Years!”

Jacob Philip (Conservative Coalition)


Jacob Philip is a quarter Indian by blood, however, he had lived in a native settlement in the Ticonderoga Province for most of his childhood. Going into politics at an early age, he was one of the first men to lay down the framework for the Fourth Gayanashagowa. Now seventy years old, he is making his first bid for the Prime Minister of the nation under the Conservative alliance; he is running under the only party that really has any chance of stopping the Progressive Alliance. He is running under a platform of closer cooperation with the Australiasians and increasing the military. He is also against welfare reform, and very much in favor of expansionism.

“No Fourth Term!”

Martin Derringer (Independence Alliance)


Martin Derringer is a well to do man having lived in the Quebec Province for all of his forty years, running for the Prime Ministership for his first time. The Independence Alliance is the oldest surviving party, and also the most likely one to be completely extinguished. Their best showing was in 1804, where they pushed heavily for vastly increased autonomy from the Australiasians, however, “common sense” won out, and the Confederates won that election; ever since then, the Independence Alliance has been overshadowed by the Progressives, who adopted many of their main stances; the remnants of the Alliance joined the Conservative Coalition (who espoused all of their goals except for independence, making a nice complement to the Progressives, who adopted none of their goals except independence, thus most went with one or the other), and as such, they have practically no supporters by now except for the diehards. Their only platform is complete autonomy from the Australasians.

“Break the bonds of tyranny!”

Robert Smith (Socialists)


A quiet, unassuming man off of the podium, when he takes the stand and delivers his firebrand rhetoric, the earth trembles. Or something like that. Robert Smith is a Columbia province native, the only one from the West running for the candidacy. He is only thirty five, and some charge him for youth and inexperience, but he is certain to win back his parliament seat, and wherever he campaigns for the socialists, their vote count rises; it is likely he might lead to a revival of the party. Nonetheless, it is somewhat unlikely he will actually lead the Socialists to an election, unless he forms a coalition of sorts, as the two major parties control almost everything. The Socialists’ main platform is that each person should get what they need to survive, and that all men should have an equal opportunity in the world.

“Workers unite!”

*The images used for the above candidates are real life portraits of Chief Pushmataha, Joseph Brant, Chester A. Arthur, and Robert Peel.

[Swissempire]

Juan Miguel got up on the stump, to make his State of the Nation adress. Where a tight suit, he was very uncomfortable, but this is what had to be done. He would outline his economic plan and get back to the Brick House.
Fellow citiziens, were are nation, a free nation. And as a free nation we must have a strong economy to hold up in this world. My plan for the economy is threefold. First, i will vamp up the mining of copper,nickel, gold and silver in the moutainous regions. This should allow us to trade fairly with other nations and increase our own wealth. Two, i will am industrializing our major cities and setting up the Kiskeya Carribean Company, and the structure will be the following: The Company will be led by one Governor and 24 directors who make up the Court of Directors. They are appointed by, and reported to the Oligarch Council. The Court of Directors had ten committees reporting to it. The third thing i will do is offer tax breaks to families with over 6 children, as this growth in population will alow our country to prosper and grow, and the children will be able to earn income for there families in mills and factories. We will grow and we will prosper. Kiskeya Forever!

Basically, the orders are too grow economy AMAP.(As Much as Possible)

[Dreadnought]

Hmm...

Kingdom of Hungary
Capital: Buda
Ruler:
Government: Constituitional Monarchy
Centralization: Federation
Tech. Level: Late Gunpowder Age
Army (Training): 15 Divisions (Tolerable)
Navy (Training): None yet
Economy: Normal (+1)
Leadership (Military/Civilian): Tolerable/Good
Size: Small (2)
Infrastructure: Pathetic
Education: Literate
Living Standards: Barely Tolerable
Culture: Patriotic
Confidence: Respecting
Projects:
Nation Background:

[das]

"...it didn't take long for the roads to be ruined again. The troika kept bogging down in mud along the way. To my horror, I found out that sloth did not yet abandon me, like it usually did after I actually left the estate. Or perhaps, it is fear - fear of the work ahead. Two road stations before, I slept - the bed there was rough and old,and at first seemed to be about to fall apart, but I was too tired to complain. During the winter I slept without dreams, but now I did have a dream, and, surprisingly, remembered a fragment of it, not in details but in general. There was a hunt, a well-led hunt, with me and the other Brothers, but the bear that we were chasing turned around and charged us, and suddenly, all the beasts and birds of the forest came out, and attacked, as if a human army. I am not a one to believe dreams, usually, but this made me worry ever more about the success of the whole thing. For it is indeed a hunt that we are planning. A hunt that might go wrong despite all... especially if the bear we are going after is more prepared than we think.

Now that I think of it, fear is indeed what has taken over me. I did not hesitate to help drag the carriage out of the mud when it fell particularily deep into it; it is just that a part of me wished that it would be stuck there for longer, wished that I will come to Tsaritsyn as late as possible. I supressed it, and went on, I even hurried more than before; perhaps something bad will happen there, but even if so, I just want to get over with it.

I am writing this at an inn in Kamyshin, where I stayed for this night. Everything is already arranged - I will now go to Tsaritsyn for the barge. Now that I persuaded myself to hurry up to whatever Fate has prepared for me, I have become impatient; while before I wished to come as late as possible, I now want to come the earliest I could, and going by the Volga will, at the least, guarantee no interruption - the ice already melted, and the mud cannot stop a barge like it can a horse."

[das]

"...apart from me, there were four more people on that barge - a merchant, with his twelve-years old son, and two nobleman, unrelated to each other but apparently somewhat familiar. One of them was of about my age; as I found out, he was Andrey Tukhachevsky, and thus rather petty, but despite that behaved in a wholly haughty manner. The other one was somewhat older; he spoke such faultless Russian that it was immediately obvious that he was a German, and one of the "Ostzeans", no less. He turned out to be none other than Maximillian von Dunkelheit himself, the father of Feldmarshall Rudolf von Dunkelheit, who has distinguished himself in the previous year against the Circassians.

At first, as always on such barges, everybody was quiet, enjoying the view on both sides of the Volga, thinking about one thing or another or, as I did, re-reading the diary, in this case, the one I am writing this in. The one who broke the silence was Maximillian von Dunkelheit, an uncommonly cheerful man, for a German aristocrat anyway; I have heard before about the way he walked among the streets of Tsaritsyn dressed as a commoner, like a new Harun Rashid, especially after his fall from grace (though he himself confirmed the official version, that he resigned having become tired of it all; perhaps), but that was probably a rumour. Anyway, he suddenly appeared behind me and asked, quite politely, what was I reading. When it turned out that it was a diary, he smirked in a benevolent kind of a way and asked to read it. Rather surprised by this (I may not have recognized him at once, having only seen him during a ball and then from afar, but it was quite obvious that he was an aristocrat in all meaning of the word), I said that I will preffer not to show it to anyone yet, rather meekly; he immediately agreed with me, and asked why was I writing it exactly, claiming to be curious. At that point, both of us remembering (or seeming to remember) the rules of etiquette, exchanged introductions. I was somewhat stunned, but immediately recovered my calm, and said that I have seen him at the ball, at Delwig's. He smirked again, knowingly - I suppose that he has learned to enjoy this fame, he certainly did not seem tired of it.

I explained to him that I was keeping this diary both to express myself, and to later re-read it, when I grow older, to remind myself of those days. He asked me, with a smile, whether my life is really worth re-reading it so often; I replied that it certainly has been interesting enough. Then, surprisingly for myself (the elder von Dunkelheit was one of those perfectly social persons that by their very presence encourage the expression of the most intimate thoughts), I added that I also kept it for the posterity, because the time I live in is certainly interesting. I even joked about envying the laurels of the ancient Romans, who are so often re-read. He smiled politely at that and said that, indeed, such diaries are important things, and that I might be contributing a lot to future science as it is. The thought of someone studying this diary amused us both...

...I did not even notice how suddenly the talk switched to politics; I suppose that, in these interesting times, it is the natural fate of all talk, but then again von Dunkelheit, despite his "tiredness", knew much about it, both old and new; he explained that he kept lots of friends at the court, and continued corresponding, out of sheer interest, with his old contacts of the time when he still was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was a good source of news, especially for someone who, like myself, scarcely had any contact with the greater outside world for three months. As it turned out, though, the world was still at peace, and not too much changed. That said, von Dunkelheit added with another smile, something seems to be in the air, as usual. Peace rarely lasts for this long, and that alone means that it will soon end. According to Sir Robert Banewood - one of the English emigres that have graced the good city of Sevastopol in the last few years - this year should have been one of the warmest yet, if it were not so cold (at that point, he laughed, but quietly, politely - a refined laugh that indicates all too well that he remains a man of the court in heart). Still, sir Banewood is mostly right, von Dunkelheit added.

The temperature HAS been improving in the last few years, explained von Dunkelheit to my quizzical look. This means that what Sir Banewood has termed "the Winter" is over, and that, in turn, means that all those countries that have in the previous several decades generally shifted southwards are now free to return to the north, whereas the northern countries, such as, notably, the Muscovite League, will no longer be oppressed and protected by their barren condition. Russia will almost definitely return there now, and very possibly, "my son" (he said this with noticeable pride) will "be the one to bring the Third Rome back to the Emperor's rule". This is definitely good news for Russia, and not just for Russia, said von Dunkelheit returning to his usual, pleasant, but perfectly diplomatic (in that it did not indicate any particular emotion), tone. Prussia - from which my (that is, von Dunkelheit's) ancestors have migrated during the aforementioned "Winter" - will most probably rule the North, it has already begun reclaiming Scandinavia for civilization. Sir Banewood's country - much to his displeasure, for he, like any emigre, hates the "rabble-rousing socies" - will also be strenghthened, if a competent leader is found. In America, this is probably good news for Canada - by the way, the Canadians will soon have yet another of their elections, these are, according to von Dunkelheit, "even more confusing than our court intrigues" - provided it is not conquered now that it will be more profitable than ever before. On the other hand, this development will hurt the southern countries - the climate there will become even warmer, and, much more importantly, their exports will become less valuable and their traditional enemies will become stronger.

At that point, Andrey Tukhachevsky joined us, by introducing himself, apologizing for listening in on our conversation, and expressing interest in it. My original impression of him was that he was an amusingly-arrogant fop; I could not have been more wrong, about the fop bit anyway, for despite his excessive haughtiness he proved to be a most intelligent, if rather cynical and nihilistic, person. Apparently, he was heading for Tsaritsyn to rejoin his unit; he served in one of the "Flying Squadrons" and was released to visit his parents after the Circassian campaign, during which he was lightly wounded. When he mentioned Circassia, he was clearly trying to see how von Dunkelheit would react to this, but he merely questioned him about the Squadrons themselves. I listened curiously, for I, like everybody, heard much but knew little certain about those Squadrons; although generaly unpopular in the society, they did interest me somewhat. As it turned out, they were rather more similar to the equally oft-mentioned Spanish guerrilas than to the oprichnina with whom they were often compared; only, unlike the guerrilas, they were an offensive weapon. They specialized in raids, in deep infiltration and in reconaissance, and all that in the enemy territory, such as the rebel-held Circassia. It is said that one must fight fire with fire; and Rudolf von Dunkelheit decided, in this fashion, to combat the Circassian "guerrilas", quite succesfully as it turned out. As for the cruelty... Andrey admitted it to be there, but immediately explained that it was necessary. The Circassians don't think the way our liberal "saloners" do, according to Andrey - they are more primitive, more simple and more straightforward, and should be dealt with straightforwardly and ruthlessly, as they themselves deal with each other, and as their Turkish co-religionists dealt with those who rebelled against them.

To this, the elder von Dunkelheit said that, while there is some truth in this, such "straightforwardness" will only create martyrs, "shahids" as the Circassians call them. They will rebel in their name. To that, Andrey said that, firstly, the Circassians will rebel regardless, martyrs or no martyrs; whereas an occasional execution of the more militant of their leaders will weaken their resolve and their unity. Furthermore, the Flying Squadrons are only the "stick" of the Emperor's diplomatic corps' "carrot"; and their atrocities are over-stated. Only two auls were completely cleared, and in both cases it was because the populations of both of them fought to the last and refused to negotiate surrender. Finally, I intervenned and asked how did he know about their refusal. Andrey starred me down with a sudden coldness, and only later did I realize that perhaps, he wasn't looking at me. And then he said, very firmly and clearly: "I was in the Flying Squadrons, and was wounded at the aul of Zeyuko". That was one of auls that was "purified" - that is to say, one of those the entirety of whose population was slaughtered. I apologized and went back to listening again, but soon lost interest to the arguments about the morality of the actions of the Flying Squadrons. I looked away.

...the day flew by fast during our conversation. As the evening begun, I rejoined the conversation, which was already joined by the merchant while his son was starring absent-mindedly into the water. The merchant, called Ivan Ivanovich Glebov, was in fact heading for Astrakhan, though he intended to stop at Tsaritsyn. Andrey, who had briefly become much more social, talkative and "straightforward" under the effect of von Dunkelheit's social skills (and of quite good, albeit Hungarian, champagne that von Dunkelheit shared with us), immediately went back to his usual arrogant demeanour, but von Dunkelheit surprised me by talking with Glebov as if with an equal, and, as well as he had talked with me about diaries and with Andrey Tukhachevsky about the Flying Squadrons, discussed... the Astrakhan bazar! Apparently, Astrakhan was flourishing thanks to the trade with the Turks. Upon the mention of the Turks, Andrey, who walked up to me now, smirked and explained that really, the trade was with the Persians, though they might be Turkish subjects. But Persia is too far away from Constantinople to control it efficiently and directly, so the Turks had to work through some local rulers, especially in the eastern parts of the country. Now that the so-called "Long Winter" is over, Turkey will decline. It was never much loved even before its revival during the Winter, and now, it is simply hated. The Ottomans have overstretched themselves, and now that they will be weakened by the worsening weather and the decrease of exports... they will be destroyed, and Andrey suspected that to be the reason he was now recalled. He seemed to be quite hopeful for the coming war...

...it is rather surprising that the conversation only now reached the topic of the Tartar. Tsaritsyn was already in sight when something - perhaps that something was the aforementioned Hungarian champagne - made me ask von Dunkelheit about the new developments at the ourt, particularily about Urluk-Baghatur. By then we already discussed all other subjects, as if consciously trying to over mentioning the Tsar-Emperor's new favourite. As it turned out, he was elevated further during the last winter - the Tartar was now not just a knyaz and an officer of the Lieb Guard (in fact, he already left it in all but in name), but also the Vitze-Kanzler. Getting even bolder, I asked von Dunkelheit what his friends thought about Urluk-Baghatur's elevation. Smirking, von Dunkelheit said that they all hated the new Vitze-Kanzler, but despite this bowed before him even deeper than before the Tsar, and quite rightfully. The titles were an empty sound - Urluk-Baghatur was now fully in charge of Russia. Glebov, also emboldened by von Dunkelheit's attention to him, expressed such outrage that he never would have expressed even before his wife - outrage over the Mongols taking over the country. With apologies to you, merciful master, he said to von Dunkelheit, but the Germans were bad enough, some of them anyway. But the Mongols! They ruined Russia, they oppressed its people, and were finally overthrown... only to come back to power! Von Dunkelheit, not offended by the reference to the Germans, said that the Tartars have changed since those days, and became more subtle and more careful; but regardless, is it not a natural process? Did not, he asked, my countrymen gained in power when Russia expanded westwards into their lands, when the capital was to a large extent settled by German emigres? And now that Russia shifted to the south, and gained Muslim lands, and put its capital on the Volga which many still call the Itil? The Tartars, both from Kazan' and from Astrakhan, and from the surrounding cities, naturally were elevated by this. After all, the foundation of Imperial power was always the nobility, nobility of different ethnicities and even religions but nobility nonetheless, and those nobles who are the closest to the court become the more important for the Emperor. When the court first moved to Tsaritsyn, it moved there along with the Germans and the Frenchmen, and the old (and the new) Russian nobles; and all of them (apart from the Frenchmen who never were particularily important in the first place) still retain much power, it is just that the Tartars were added to the court.

But if that is so, complained Glebov after listening to von Dunkelheit with some impatience, why are the Tartars so powerful? Why are they closer to power than the nobles that came to the court much earlier? To this, von Dunkelheit laughed and said that the Tartars, in their majority, are still not much stronger; as in trade, the newcomers rarely force out those who already gained a fortune, unless, ofcourse, those newcomers are very able indeed. Urluk-Baghatur is very able. Surprisingly, Andrey also joined in, and agreed that Urluk-Baghatur, perhaps even because of his ethnicity and religion, is the man Russia currently needs at its helm. Are not, after all, the Turks our main enemies? And must not one know and understand one's enemies to win? Urluk-Baghatur knows the way the Turks think, for he thinks in a similar manner; he understands them well, and can speak their language if need be. Von Dunkelheit nodded, and clarified to the confused Glebov that the linguistic skills of Urluk-Baghatur are indeed irrelevant, although he does know Turkish; but what Andrey meant was that Urluk-Baghatur understood the Turkish mentality, the way they think - like a good merchant understands his potential clients, like a good general understands the strenghts and weaknesses of enemy armies.

Glebov was silenced by this, and, apart from some quiet mumblings did not contribute more to our talk. However, I then spoke up, saying that, although Urluk-Baghatur might be quite good from the viewpoint of war with Turks and indeed of relations with all the Muslim peoples and countries, he still does have his drawbacks. He is ruthless - too ruthless; straightforward - too straightforward. He understands the way the Turks think - that is good. But does he understand the Russians?

Before Andrey could make a retort, von Dunkelheit answered my question: "Yes, he does." Like any Tartar noble, von Dunkelheit said, he has interacted with the Russians alot - not just with the nobility, but also with the people. He knows them better than certain ethnic Russian courtiers. When I asked von Dunkelheit how does he know about Urluk-Baghatur's interactions with the people, he just grinned, and I understood that, if von Dunkelheit didn't arrange those "meetings of the Vitze-Kanzler with the people", he at least knew all about it. Von Dunkelheit went on to explain that Urluk-Baghatur is also a good leader due to his charisma and his knowledge of human psychology; he is a true leader, like Genghis Khan if you will. Perhaps... but I still don't like him, I still think that we are right. Anyway, I then replied that, for all of his skills, Urluk-Baghatur still is disadvantaged because of his Tartarhood - the commonfolk never like foreign rulers. With another smirk, von Dunkelheit said that Urluk-Baghatur is hardly foreign - he was born in Russian territory, and speaks Russian without any accent. When I said that he knew what I meant, von Dunkelheit agreed, apologized for twisting my words and said that, in truth, the commonfolk rarely do like their rulers, whether foreign or not; they always find faults in their leaders, for there always are faults, and Tartarhood is scarcely more a fault than, say, imbecility or, heavens forbid, barreness. But Russia is, unlike Canada, a normal country where the ever-changing opinions of the common folk are not of much importance. Of much greater concern is the enlightened nobility, that constantly struggled with what it considered "aziatchina", "asianism"? Many perfectly Russian and very capable courtiers fell to the conspiracies of one or another kind of nobility.

I knew not what to reply. Suddenly, I realized that he was on to us. Perhaps was on to us from the start... And meanwhile, Andrei spoke, with a rather menacing (or so it seemed to me) grin: "But Urluk-Baghatur is still a Tartar, a Muslim, and the Muslims have unparalelled experience of such intrigues. A few executions of proven conspirators, and a few more exiles will be more than enough to intimidate the rest of the court to beg for his mercy. Urluk-Baghatur would be as merciful as Allah, as the Circassians would have put it, and will mercifully allow them to exist." Von Dunkelheit nodded again, clearly amused but still agreeable. He looked at me with his all-knowing eyes, and deep inside I was trembling, and my heart was beating quickly. For a moment there, I thought that they all, including the ever-silent crew that ignored us and was ignored in return, with hop on me, grab me and tie me down, and will then give me to Urluk-Baghatur for an examplery execution. I shook it off and decided to switch the subject, but my tongue didn't obey me.

"Is it cold, merciful master?" - Glebov said me, and then I realized that I was trembling. Von Dunkelheit smiled benevolently and begun discussing the Ukraine with Andrey. I didn't listen. I was still shamefully afraid.

I was saved by the bargeman, who announced that we were now at Tsaritsyn. Time flew quite fast today, usually it took - or seemed to take - much more time. Although, it indeed probably just seemed to be fast (apart from the last few minutes, that were unnaturally long) - in such an interesting company, one doesn't notice how the sky becomes completely dark, but for the rising full moon and the street lights that could now be seen on both sides of the river.

Von Dunkelheit, when saying his goodbye, suggested that I write down all that I heard; the future scientists will be most interested to know the opinions of a merchant, an officer, a courtier and a young nobleman (the way he said it, however, implied something else entirely - probably "dissident", but I was - and still am - afraid that he already guessed everything) about this time and its events, and expressed hope that I too was interested in this. I confirmed it, and said my farewell; then I headed for Romka's house, the Delwig Manor, which was very close to the river. Romka - Roman Antonovich Delwig - has been waiting for me and prepared a room where I could rest upon arrival. There I am writing this now."

[das]

WHEW! Out of curiosity - did anyone read that? Ah well, I still liked typing it. Just for the reference, I did read NK's, quite interesting.

Dis, please reply on my PM!

[das]

Will now work on orders...

One more thing:

When he does, he loses a number of tech levels based on how quick the transistion was.

I DO hope that's education levels you're talking about.

[Finmaster]

I will take Novgorod, if it isn't taken yet.

[Disenfrancised]

@Finmaster; Nope its free, welcome aboard!

@das; I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I hate you!

[North King]

I just read it, das. Just so you know.

[Finmaster]

1788.

Mats is a small boy. He is crossing the Baltic Sea with his parents. By foot, like many people did those days. Just decades after yet another one of Russia's and Sweden's Never-Ending Wars had occured, they were going to Russia in hope for better life.

And its cold. So cold..

"Hurry up, Anna, we need to cross the sea before night comes!"

"I.. yes, I'm just so tired Gustaf.."

And then she falls.

Mats Åkerson stands there with his father. What is happening? Why is dad crying, why doesn't mom get up? Its something too hard for a 4-year-old boy to understand.

***

Mats woke up. He looked at his body, to make sure that he was a grown 46-year-old man, not an infant. Yep, there he was. The most respected politician of the Liberals. A married one, with two children. Valeri and Vera.

He had seen the same dream over and over recently. He was afriad of Irina's wellbeing. Irina was his wife. She was from an old and rich Russian family, the Fedorovs. Irina's father Sergei had been a known liberal in the Tsarist Russia, but he had fleed to Novgorod after the Republic had been born there.

Now the nation was filled with Swedo-Russians and Fenno-Russians. Valeri and Vera, Mats' children, were one of them. One of Swedo-Russians, of course, it would have been an insult for them for someone to think something else.

"Wh.. ahh.. MATS! Why are you up again?" asked Irina in Russian. She always spoke Russian when she got mad. Now she was angry because Mats had woken her up at 2 AM. It seemed to Mats that the older they got, the more often he had to hear his wife speak Russian.

"I need to take a walk."

"Thinking of the elections again?"

"I.. well yes. The elections. I'm afraid the Fenno-Russians will win."

"Fenno-Russians?! Those dumbass Finns couldn't win a lottery even with the winning ticket. Don't worry about them."

"Yes, I know.."

It was a stupid excuse. Everyone knew Finns weren't clever enough to be politicians, they'd never win the elections.

But Mats Åkerson wasn't thinking about that now. He was thinking about his past. And Novgorod's future. And his own future. He was now participating in the elections that were held this year, but he was not expected to win. Liberals had not been high in the polls recently.

Some day I'm going to be the president, he told himself. But there was no passion in those thoughts. His memories were haunting him too much.

[Lord_Iggy]

Out of curiosity - did anyone read that? Ah well, I still liked typing it. Just for the reference, I did read NK's, quite interesting.

I saw 'von Dunkleheit' a few times... but I kinda skimmed. Your italicised stories tend to be very long, and I don't have much time here.

[das]

Nope its free

But I'll get to opressing it soon, don't worry.

[Azale]

From: Portugal
To: Lousine Empire

We recognize your nation, and promise to guarantee the indepence of your nation from any who may wish to compromise it...*cough*France*cough*

From: Portugal
To: Spain, Lousine Empire, United States, Venice

We extend the official invitation of an alliance to your nations.

[Swissempire]

To the Louisine Empire, The United States of America, The 4th Gayanashagowa, and Colombia,

The Kiskeya Carribean Company would like to extend to you an offer to handle all your shipments of resources. We would be willing to transfer some freshly mined gold from the Hispaniola Coffers to you for these services. This deal would also help to unify New World Trade, thus making all of us much richer and our natural resources more valuable. Please consider our offer.

Sincerely,
Roberto Miguel,
Kiskeya Company Governor