LuckNES2: The Fatal Balance
- Thread starter Luckymoose
- Start date
~Darkening~
Weep, Mother.
I'll have you that the Chinese war spiraled out of my control 
. First, the kid ran off and I got stuck with the frickin walking chinese-cyclopedia. Then my army gets completely wiped off the map in one turn (despite ebing much higher trained). Then it goes from bad to wrose when I forgot about it. : (. So yeah, bad to worse.
But anyways, I'll like to point out the differences. Only behind the European-bloby thingie, and Symphs's America, Japan is a leader in technology. Not to mention the fact that unlike China, I'm not hated by everybody in the world
. And yes, I am semi-allied with Symph's people, so I have little to fear from you imperialists (assuming Symph keeps his end of our deal). But anyways, IC:
To China:
From Japan
The past is gone. The sore upon the greatness of Japan has been cut off, and without the foolish Shogun we have all prospered. But, concering your proposal, we see no merit in the issue. China has done well for itself and surely needs no help from us- as you have pointed out many times yourself. Likewise, Japan can take care of itself and does not need another alliance to tie it down. We will agree to peace, but that is the most we are willing to commit.
However, we strongly advise any European power to limit its activites in the region. Should we deem it necessary, we will act as needed
Talk is cheap, as they say.
. First, the kid ran off and I got stuck with the frickin walking chinese-cyclopedia. Then my army gets completely wiped off the map in one turn (despite ebing much higher trained). Then it goes from bad to wrose when I forgot about it. : (. So yeah, bad to worse.But anyways, I'll like to point out the differences. Only behind the European-bloby thingie, and Symphs's America, Japan is a leader in technology. Not to mention the fact that unlike China, I'm not hated by everybody in the world
. And yes, I am semi-allied with Symph's people, so I have little to fear from you imperialists (assuming Symph keeps his end of our deal). But anyways, IC:To China:
From Japan
The past is gone. The sore upon the greatness of Japan has been cut off, and without the foolish Shogun we have all prospered. But, concering your proposal, we see no merit in the issue. China has done well for itself and surely needs no help from us- as you have pointed out many times yourself. Likewise, Japan can take care of itself and does not need another alliance to tie it down. We will agree to peace, but that is the most we are willing to commit.
However, we strongly advise any European power to limit its activites in the region. Should we deem it necessary, we will act as needed
Talk is cheap, as they say.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Yes China is allied with Britain. Also 5-1 are bad odds for any army. 
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: Someone hasn't been paying attention to a certain movie in the theaters.Also 5-1 are bad odds for any army.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
OOC: Someone hasn't been paying attention to a certain movie in the theaters.
Oh but I have, twice.
Those only work when you have the strategic upper hand. Thousands of civilians cutting off your escape and supplies. Not so much.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Orders due in 2 days.
Symphony D.
Deity
Jane's Information Group
World Economic Index 1853
Code:
[U][b]Rank Nation ECs Econ. Total[/U][/b]
[b]01.)[/b] [color="#087848"]United States of Europe and Commonwealths[/color] 31 4 35
[b]02.)[/b] [color="#002664"]Federated States of America[/color] 25 4 29
[b]02.)[/b] [color="#FF9933"]United Kingdom of Great Britain[/color] 26 3 29
[b]04.)[/b] Russian Empire 19 4 23
[b]05.)[/b] Empire of Portugal 14 4 18
[b]06.)[/b] [color="#002664"]Canadian Republic[/color] 11 3 14
[b]06.)[/b] [color="#FF9933"]Qing China[/color] 11 3 14
[b]08.)[/b] [color="#087848"]Republic of Spain[/color] 10 1 11
[b]09.)[/b] [color="#087848"]Holy Unified Republic of Italy[/color] 7 3 10
[b]10.)[/b] [color="#002664"]Japanese Empire[/color] 2 6 8
[b]10.)[/b] [color="#087848"]Republic of Sweden-Norway[/color] 4 4 8
[b]12.)[/b] Indian Empire 6 1 7
[b]13.)[/b] [color="#FF9933"]Greater Irish Republic[/color] 4 2 6
[b]14.)[/b] Sultanate of Oman 3 2 5
[b]15.)[/b] [color="#087848"]North Australia[/color] 2 2 4
[b]15.)[/b] Persian Republic 3 1 4
[b]15.)[/b] [color="#087848"]South Africa[/color] 2 2 4
[b]18.)[/b] Funj Sultanate of Sennar 2 1 3
[b]18.)[/b] Republic of Greece 2 1 3
[b]20.)[/b] Palestine Free State 1 1 2
[b]20.)[/b] Republic of Turkey 2 0 2
[b]20.)[/b] Sultanate of Oman 1 1 2
[b]20.)[/b] [color="#087848"]Union of Serbia-Romania[/color] 1 1 2
[b]24.)[/b] Arabic Union 1 0 1
[b]25.)[/b] Iraq Republic 0 0 0
Perfectionist
Angel of Verdun
You seem to have counted Martinique as Spanish, when it is in fact British.
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: I make no assurances on the accuracy of an IC report. In fact, for all you know, it could be intentional disinformation.
Perfectionist
Angel of Verdun
Somebody ought to write something, and since none of the good writers have stepped up you all have to suffer through my efforts.
After intense debate in the Commons today, it appears that the Government's proposed alliance with the USEC is dead.
When the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, announced the proposed alliance last Thursday, the response was immediate fierce condemnation. Opposition leaders called the alliance foolhardy, claiming that it would render Britain no more than a USEC puppet. The Government's response was tepid, and some insiders claimed that the PM was unaware of the plan before the public announcement. That was fiercely denied, but the debate escalated and today it came to a head.
Over the weekend, the Opposition threatened a vote of no confidence if the Government did not back down from the treaty. While ordinarily the Government's majority would be secure, the party whips informed the PM that they were no longer sure of their ability to control the back benchers. The Government came to the House needing a victory in the debate today to be sure of its position.
Opposition leaders came to the House confident, and immediately opened fire. Lord Bentinck rose first, and decried the proposed treaty, calling it a betrayal of Britain's historical goals, and “indicative of the general disregard for maintaining Britain's sovereignty often shown by the Government.” He closed by claiming that the Government planned to send British troops against Russia in conjunction with the USEC, and received a standing ovation from both the Opposition benches and, ominously, many of the Government back benchers.
Thereafter, the Government's position was largely hopeless. The Opposition continued to make impassioned speeches, while the Government's responses were largely ineffective and lacked any sense of urgency. The sole exception was Viscount Palmerston himself, who tried to portray the alliance as an extension of the Holy Alliance against France. “This treaty is a continuation of decades of British foreign policy,” said Palmerston, “Far from being the aggressive agreement that the Honourable Member for Kings Lynn seems to think, it will guarantee the European peace for at least another generation.” The effectiveness of Palmerston's speech was somewhat diminished, however, by the jeers coming from the opposition benches.
After the Foreign Secretary's speech, the House adjourned. It is now apparent that the Government can no longer rely on the support of the party. It is expected that a statement will be issued within a day or two announcing that the alliance is off the table. Some of the more rash members of the Opposition have already begun calling for the Foreign Secretary's resignation over the debacle, and although he has the support of the government for now, it remains to be seen whether he will survive.
Overshadowed by the raging debate over the USEC alliance, the PM yesterday announced a bold new plan to vitalize the British economy. In Liverpool for discussions with the Irish government, the PM said in his speech that, “Although great strides have been made, and Britain's economy is the equal of any great power, we must not be complacent. We must not become content with equality, but must strive to make Britain the envy of the world.”
Although the economy has been generally healthy since the end of the Second Global War, in recent years it has weakened somewhat, as Russian instability has raised concerns. The PM's plan has the stated goal of ending the stagnation and propelling the British economy to a new level of prosperity. Somewhat controversially, however, the plan focuses largely on our colonies.
Among other measures, the PM is calling for a great deal of government funds to be spent on the development of infrastructure in Egypt, for subsidies to be provided to colonial farmers who adopt modern methods, and for a sustained effort to rebuild the sections of India that have still not recovered from the war. Said the PM, “The fate of Britain is inextricably tied to that of our colonies. Growth in the colonies will lead to growth at home. And even if we should wish to, keeping development confined to Britain would lead only to resentment of our rule.”
That is not say that Britain is neglected. The plan calls for significant government investment on the island, particularly in the Midlands. Urban renewal programs are slated for neglected cities of Liverpool and Manchester, and a plan has been announced for the construction of a major canal linking Manchester to the sea. This is combined with a slate of incentives for railroad companies, and it is hoped that private firms will take advantage and improve the efficiency of the island's infrastructure, which has sadly degraded over the last few years, when compared with the other great powers.
Among its more controversial provisions, the plan allocates millions of pounds to development of the Philippines, one of the poorest areas of the Empire. Critics have said that the unstable security situation in the Philippines must be resolved before sustained economic development can take place. The PM responded by saying, “The situation in the Philippines is indeed unstable, but this is caused by their poverty. The people feel that they have been left out of the general tide of prosperity of the last three decades, and in general they have. We must improve their situation, and demonstrate that the British Empire is committed to ensuring the prosperity of all the peoples under its rule before real progress can be made.”
In Liverpool for final discussions with the Irish, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Russell fired by at critics of the approaching monetary union with the Irish Republic.
Critics of the union, of whom shipping magnate Samuel Cunard has been perhaps the most vocal, claim that it will weaken the British economy. A common claim is that the Irish and British economies do not move in lockstep, and so monetary policy suitable for one will not be suitable for the other. Lord Russell dismissed that claim, saying, “This claim that differing cycles will ruin the union is absurd. One need only look at the numbers to see that it is false. Ireland accounts for a significant proportion of our export, and they export more to us than to any other state. Ireland is as closely tied to the British economy as is South America.”
Of claims that British exporters will be hurt by the change, Lord Russell said, “This will reduce the difficulties of trade, as our firms will no longer have to change currencies. Really, one must remember that just a few years ago there were complaints that the Irish were manipulating their currency to put British firms at a disadvantage. This will, if nothing else, ensure that the playing field is level.”
When informed at the end of his speech that Mr. Cunard had given another speech decrying the union, Lord Russell displayed an uncharacteristic exasperation. “With all due respect to Mr. Cunard, the man builds ships. He is not a financier. The Treasury is quite capable of handling the nation's monetary policy without the input of Mr. Cunard.”
The monetary union is scheduled to take place on the 1st of May.
The scandal over alleged tampering with figures by Jane's Information Group has continued to grow over the last few days, and the fate of the company is now in doubt.
Jane's Information Group, founded in 1816 by Frederick Jane, has for decades been known for providing reliable information on the economic and military capabilities of world governments. It has built a reputation and a profitable business on being absolutely reliable and impartial. It came as a great shock, then, when on Wednesday The Times broke the story that certain of JIG's figures were submitted to the FSA government for approval before being published, and that certain figures were changed in favour of the FSA.
The uproar was immediate and deafening. JIG categorically denied the allegations and promised a full investigation. Before JIG could act, however, several independent investigations uncovered more evidence of tampering and an apparent cover up attempt by JIG. As more evidence came to light, JIG's president, James Jane, responded to the growing outrage, saying “Jane's deeply regrets our actions since this information came to light. We should have immediately made our role plain, and action will be taken against those of our employees who acted to cover up our role. However, Jane's stands by its decisions regarding this sensitive information. Our duty to our country comes before our duty to our customers.”
Far from quieting the outrage, Jane's statement only added fuel to the fire. His statement that the numbers were changed for national security concerns seemed to contradict the facts, which showed that even nonthreatening economic numbers had been skewed in favour of the FSA. JIG's share price began to fall, and has tumbled 56% since the story broke. In the meantime, JIG's chief competitor, the London based Richard's Private Intelligence, has been capitalizing on JIG's catastrophe. RPI's share price on the LSE has risen by 26% in the last week.
JIG's reputation was its greatest asset, and now it has been badly, and perhaps irreparably, damaged, throwing the venerable company's future into doubt. An emergency shareholder's meeting has been called for tomorrow and is expected to sack Mr. Jane and his managers, but it may be too late to save the company.
The Times
Government rebuked over proposed alliance
After intense debate in the Commons today, it appears that the Government's proposed alliance with the USEC is dead.
When the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, announced the proposed alliance last Thursday, the response was immediate fierce condemnation. Opposition leaders called the alliance foolhardy, claiming that it would render Britain no more than a USEC puppet. The Government's response was tepid, and some insiders claimed that the PM was unaware of the plan before the public announcement. That was fiercely denied, but the debate escalated and today it came to a head.
Over the weekend, the Opposition threatened a vote of no confidence if the Government did not back down from the treaty. While ordinarily the Government's majority would be secure, the party whips informed the PM that they were no longer sure of their ability to control the back benchers. The Government came to the House needing a victory in the debate today to be sure of its position.
Opposition leaders came to the House confident, and immediately opened fire. Lord Bentinck rose first, and decried the proposed treaty, calling it a betrayal of Britain's historical goals, and “indicative of the general disregard for maintaining Britain's sovereignty often shown by the Government.” He closed by claiming that the Government planned to send British troops against Russia in conjunction with the USEC, and received a standing ovation from both the Opposition benches and, ominously, many of the Government back benchers.
Thereafter, the Government's position was largely hopeless. The Opposition continued to make impassioned speeches, while the Government's responses were largely ineffective and lacked any sense of urgency. The sole exception was Viscount Palmerston himself, who tried to portray the alliance as an extension of the Holy Alliance against France. “This treaty is a continuation of decades of British foreign policy,” said Palmerston, “Far from being the aggressive agreement that the Honourable Member for Kings Lynn seems to think, it will guarantee the European peace for at least another generation.” The effectiveness of Palmerston's speech was somewhat diminished, however, by the jeers coming from the opposition benches.
After the Foreign Secretary's speech, the House adjourned. It is now apparent that the Government can no longer rely on the support of the party. It is expected that a statement will be issued within a day or two announcing that the alliance is off the table. Some of the more rash members of the Opposition have already begun calling for the Foreign Secretary's resignation over the debacle, and although he has the support of the government for now, it remains to be seen whether he will survive.
PM announces new economic plan
Overshadowed by the raging debate over the USEC alliance, the PM yesterday announced a bold new plan to vitalize the British economy. In Liverpool for discussions with the Irish government, the PM said in his speech that, “Although great strides have been made, and Britain's economy is the equal of any great power, we must not be complacent. We must not become content with equality, but must strive to make Britain the envy of the world.”
Although the economy has been generally healthy since the end of the Second Global War, in recent years it has weakened somewhat, as Russian instability has raised concerns. The PM's plan has the stated goal of ending the stagnation and propelling the British economy to a new level of prosperity. Somewhat controversially, however, the plan focuses largely on our colonies.
Among other measures, the PM is calling for a great deal of government funds to be spent on the development of infrastructure in Egypt, for subsidies to be provided to colonial farmers who adopt modern methods, and for a sustained effort to rebuild the sections of India that have still not recovered from the war. Said the PM, “The fate of Britain is inextricably tied to that of our colonies. Growth in the colonies will lead to growth at home. And even if we should wish to, keeping development confined to Britain would lead only to resentment of our rule.”
That is not say that Britain is neglected. The plan calls for significant government investment on the island, particularly in the Midlands. Urban renewal programs are slated for neglected cities of Liverpool and Manchester, and a plan has been announced for the construction of a major canal linking Manchester to the sea. This is combined with a slate of incentives for railroad companies, and it is hoped that private firms will take advantage and improve the efficiency of the island's infrastructure, which has sadly degraded over the last few years, when compared with the other great powers.
Among its more controversial provisions, the plan allocates millions of pounds to development of the Philippines, one of the poorest areas of the Empire. Critics have said that the unstable security situation in the Philippines must be resolved before sustained economic development can take place. The PM responded by saying, “The situation in the Philippines is indeed unstable, but this is caused by their poverty. The people feel that they have been left out of the general tide of prosperity of the last three decades, and in general they have. We must improve their situation, and demonstrate that the British Empire is committed to ensuring the prosperity of all the peoples under its rule before real progress can be made.”
Chancellor responds to criticism of upcoming monetary union
In Liverpool for final discussions with the Irish, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Russell fired by at critics of the approaching monetary union with the Irish Republic.
Critics of the union, of whom shipping magnate Samuel Cunard has been perhaps the most vocal, claim that it will weaken the British economy. A common claim is that the Irish and British economies do not move in lockstep, and so monetary policy suitable for one will not be suitable for the other. Lord Russell dismissed that claim, saying, “This claim that differing cycles will ruin the union is absurd. One need only look at the numbers to see that it is false. Ireland accounts for a significant proportion of our export, and they export more to us than to any other state. Ireland is as closely tied to the British economy as is South America.”
Of claims that British exporters will be hurt by the change, Lord Russell said, “This will reduce the difficulties of trade, as our firms will no longer have to change currencies. Really, one must remember that just a few years ago there were complaints that the Irish were manipulating their currency to put British firms at a disadvantage. This will, if nothing else, ensure that the playing field is level.”
When informed at the end of his speech that Mr. Cunard had given another speech decrying the union, Lord Russell displayed an uncharacteristic exasperation. “With all due respect to Mr. Cunard, the man builds ships. He is not a financier. The Treasury is quite capable of handling the nation's monetary policy without the input of Mr. Cunard.”
The monetary union is scheduled to take place on the 1st of May.
Jane's scandal continues to grow
The scandal over alleged tampering with figures by Jane's Information Group has continued to grow over the last few days, and the fate of the company is now in doubt.
Jane's Information Group, founded in 1816 by Frederick Jane, has for decades been known for providing reliable information on the economic and military capabilities of world governments. It has built a reputation and a profitable business on being absolutely reliable and impartial. It came as a great shock, then, when on Wednesday The Times broke the story that certain of JIG's figures were submitted to the FSA government for approval before being published, and that certain figures were changed in favour of the FSA.
The uproar was immediate and deafening. JIG categorically denied the allegations and promised a full investigation. Before JIG could act, however, several independent investigations uncovered more evidence of tampering and an apparent cover up attempt by JIG. As more evidence came to light, JIG's president, James Jane, responded to the growing outrage, saying “Jane's deeply regrets our actions since this information came to light. We should have immediately made our role plain, and action will be taken against those of our employees who acted to cover up our role. However, Jane's stands by its decisions regarding this sensitive information. Our duty to our country comes before our duty to our customers.”
Far from quieting the outrage, Jane's statement only added fuel to the fire. His statement that the numbers were changed for national security concerns seemed to contradict the facts, which showed that even nonthreatening economic numbers had been skewed in favour of the FSA. JIG's share price began to fall, and has tumbled 56% since the story broke. In the meantime, JIG's chief competitor, the London based Richard's Private Intelligence, has been capitalizing on JIG's catastrophe. RPI's share price on the LSE has risen by 26% in the last week.
JIG's reputation was its greatest asset, and now it has been badly, and perhaps irreparably, damaged, throwing the venerable company's future into doubt. An emergency shareholder's meeting has been called for tomorrow and is expected to sack Mr. Jane and his managers, but it may be too late to save the company.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Very Nice Perfectionist.
jeps
Arcadefire
Orders will be in sometime tomorrow. and quite possibly a story or maybe a political campaign.
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: Funny, since economics isn't a science but an art, particularly in 1853--even an alt-historical 1853--but whatever floats your boat. You better be careful what you say though, unless you would care to collate these tables every turn instead.Perfectionist said:
[EDIT] Orders to be sent in the morning.
silver 2039
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 16,208
The teenage Emperor Sawi Rama Singh II greeted the news of his impending marriage with less than anticipation.
“Marriage….” He said darkly “Is this necessary so early?” he asked his Western educated advisor Azimullah Khan who was fluent English, German, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and Russian.
Khan stroked his beard and replied “Yes of course, this marriage was arranged by your illustrious father Sawai Jai Sing III may his soul rest in peace long before your birth. As you know, following the Second Anglo-Indian War, the Empire was left in a truly wretched state. It had been greatly weakened and was in a state of turmoil as it had been deprived of its entire line of rightful rulers.”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows “The entire line? But Tipu Sultan has six sons if not more, surely one survived?”
“Perhaps they did” replied Khan “But if so no one knows about it, three of his son’s were killed fighting the British, Fateh Haider in particular during the defense of Bangalore. Shortly afterwards the British had occupied the entire coast and much of the country and the remaining three sons went into hiding fearing for their lives and were never heard from at any rate. You of course know what happened next”
“Yes of course” mused the Emperor “The Empire was in turmoil, and infighting was beginning, a civil war erupted in which the three most powerful factions were us, the Sikhs, and the Marathas. My father rallied the Sikh and Rajput clans and managed to seize Delhi before the Marathas. To prevent a disastrous confrontation a compromise was made. The first Emperor would be of Rajput descent, and his son would take a Maratha princess as a wife such that the third ruler would be of mixed Rajput and Maratha blood. I am well aware of this.”
“Then you understand the necessity of your marriage. After the death of your illustrious and noble father the Martha clans have been getting restless. They believe that you being young can be overthrown and that the Maratha’s can rule India with absolute power as they once did before. To cement your position this marriage must happen!” he said forcefully
The Emperor sighed “I suppose, who is this woman? “
“Her name is Lakshmi Bai, she is the princess of Jhanasi, and is of ancient and noble lineage. Of course not as ancient and noble as that of your own but she is of royal blood regardless and a substantial dowry for that matter.”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively “I don’t mean that, I mean how she looks?”
Khan smiled inwardly “I believe she is er…how shall I put this….blessed with stunning beauty and er…bodacious curves and er…a great bounty”
The Emperor smirked “This might not be so bad after all”
**********************************************************
The couples were married three months later. The wedding lasted all of five days. Astrologers had to be consulted on the most auspicious and sacred day to hold the ceremony, the feast had to be prepared with the most exquisite and exotic food the royal families, priests and holy men had to be brought from across the Empire bless the ceremony, and clans of the Rajputs, Marathas, and Sikhs had to travel hundreds of miles to the great city of Delhi which had been decked with great splendor. The ceremony was attended by emissaries from Russia, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and China.
The Emperor got up from his seat holding his bride’s hand and the ceremonial sword in his other hand. He then went around the Holy Fire from the right side. During this he recited the matra
“Let Lord Maha Vishnu follow each one of your steps for the following specific purposes. - :To give you unlimited food. - :To give you excellent health and energy. - :Todained in Vedas, during your life time. - :To give you happiness in life. - :To make your cows and good animals to grow in strength and in numbers. - :To make all the seasons be beneficial to you. - :To make the homams (sacrifices to be done in Holy Fire) to be performed by you in your life as ordained in Vedas, successful and free from hindrances.” He paused
“After crossing seven steps with me thus, you should become my friend. I too have become your friend now. I will never discord this friendship and you should not also do that. Let us be together always. Let us resolve to do things in life in the same manner and tread the same path. Let us lead a life by liking and loving each other, having good heart and thoughts, and enjoying the food and our strong points together. Let us have undivided opinions. We will perform the vrithas united. Let us have same and joint desires. I will be Sama you will be Rig Let me be the Heaven; you be the Earth. Let me be the Shukla (Moon) and you be its wearer. Let me be the mind and you its spokesman . With these qualities, you be my follower. You the sweet tongued, come to me to get good male children and wealth”
He then procceded to with his bride cross the seven steps. In each step the vows were repeated. With the first step “"With God as our guide, let us take the first step to live with honour and respect. Let us walk together so we get food,”
With the second step “"Let us be happy and enjoy life. Let us walk together so we grow together in strength,"
With the third step “Let us share joys and pains together. Let us walk together so we get wealth”
With the fourth step “"Let us not forget parents and elders. Let us walk together so we get happiness by sharing our joys and sorrows,"
With the fifth step " Let us observe all acts of charity. Let us walk together so we have family,"
With the sixth step "Let us live a long and peaceful life. Let us walk together so we have joy," the couple prays.”
And finally the last step “"Let us be friends with love and sacrifice. Let us walk together so we have friendship,"
With that the Emperor lifted the veil from his brides face and was struck by her radiant beauty. As he gazed into her smoldering black eyes he recited the last verse, "With seven steps we have become friends. Let me reach your friendship. Let me not be severed from your friendship. Let your friendship not be severed from me."
And thus they were married. They turned to face the congregation who jumped to their feet and shouted “Long Live Emperor Sawi Rama Singh II descendent of Lord Rama, God on Earth, and Ruler of the Sun Dynasty! Long Live Empress Lakshmi Bai of Jhanasi!
OOC: And that my friend is the traditional Hindu wedding. Note the sacrfices to the fire are non-human. I belive the Rajputs normally sacrifce goats, and my caste, the Brahmins sacrfice watermelons. Anyway I'll be arsed if I ever get married hahahhahahah
@Luckymoose my leader is Emperor Sawi Rama Singh II of the Sun Dynasty.
“Marriage….” He said darkly “Is this necessary so early?” he asked his Western educated advisor Azimullah Khan who was fluent English, German, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and Russian.
Khan stroked his beard and replied “Yes of course, this marriage was arranged by your illustrious father Sawai Jai Sing III may his soul rest in peace long before your birth. As you know, following the Second Anglo-Indian War, the Empire was left in a truly wretched state. It had been greatly weakened and was in a state of turmoil as it had been deprived of its entire line of rightful rulers.”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows “The entire line? But Tipu Sultan has six sons if not more, surely one survived?”
“Perhaps they did” replied Khan “But if so no one knows about it, three of his son’s were killed fighting the British, Fateh Haider in particular during the defense of Bangalore. Shortly afterwards the British had occupied the entire coast and much of the country and the remaining three sons went into hiding fearing for their lives and were never heard from at any rate. You of course know what happened next”
“Yes of course” mused the Emperor “The Empire was in turmoil, and infighting was beginning, a civil war erupted in which the three most powerful factions were us, the Sikhs, and the Marathas. My father rallied the Sikh and Rajput clans and managed to seize Delhi before the Marathas. To prevent a disastrous confrontation a compromise was made. The first Emperor would be of Rajput descent, and his son would take a Maratha princess as a wife such that the third ruler would be of mixed Rajput and Maratha blood. I am well aware of this.”
“Then you understand the necessity of your marriage. After the death of your illustrious and noble father the Martha clans have been getting restless. They believe that you being young can be overthrown and that the Maratha’s can rule India with absolute power as they once did before. To cement your position this marriage must happen!” he said forcefully
The Emperor sighed “I suppose, who is this woman? “
“Her name is Lakshmi Bai, she is the princess of Jhanasi, and is of ancient and noble lineage. Of course not as ancient and noble as that of your own but she is of royal blood regardless and a substantial dowry for that matter.”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively “I don’t mean that, I mean how she looks?”
Khan smiled inwardly “I believe she is er…how shall I put this….blessed with stunning beauty and er…bodacious curves and er…a great bounty”
The Emperor smirked “This might not be so bad after all”
**********************************************************
The couples were married three months later. The wedding lasted all of five days. Astrologers had to be consulted on the most auspicious and sacred day to hold the ceremony, the feast had to be prepared with the most exquisite and exotic food the royal families, priests and holy men had to be brought from across the Empire bless the ceremony, and clans of the Rajputs, Marathas, and Sikhs had to travel hundreds of miles to the great city of Delhi which had been decked with great splendor. The ceremony was attended by emissaries from Russia, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and China.
The Emperor got up from his seat holding his bride’s hand and the ceremonial sword in his other hand. He then went around the Holy Fire from the right side. During this he recited the matra
“Let Lord Maha Vishnu follow each one of your steps for the following specific purposes. - :To give you unlimited food. - :To give you excellent health and energy. - :Todained in Vedas, during your life time. - :To give you happiness in life. - :To make your cows and good animals to grow in strength and in numbers. - :To make all the seasons be beneficial to you. - :To make the homams (sacrifices to be done in Holy Fire) to be performed by you in your life as ordained in Vedas, successful and free from hindrances.” He paused
“After crossing seven steps with me thus, you should become my friend. I too have become your friend now. I will never discord this friendship and you should not also do that. Let us be together always. Let us resolve to do things in life in the same manner and tread the same path. Let us lead a life by liking and loving each other, having good heart and thoughts, and enjoying the food and our strong points together. Let us have undivided opinions. We will perform the vrithas united. Let us have same and joint desires. I will be Sama you will be Rig Let me be the Heaven; you be the Earth. Let me be the Shukla (Moon) and you be its wearer. Let me be the mind and you its spokesman . With these qualities, you be my follower. You the sweet tongued, come to me to get good male children and wealth”
He then procceded to with his bride cross the seven steps. In each step the vows were repeated. With the first step “"With God as our guide, let us take the first step to live with honour and respect. Let us walk together so we get food,”
With the second step “"Let us be happy and enjoy life. Let us walk together so we grow together in strength,"
With the third step “Let us share joys and pains together. Let us walk together so we get wealth”
With the fourth step “"Let us not forget parents and elders. Let us walk together so we get happiness by sharing our joys and sorrows,"
With the fifth step " Let us observe all acts of charity. Let us walk together so we have family,"
With the sixth step "Let us live a long and peaceful life. Let us walk together so we have joy," the couple prays.”
And finally the last step “"Let us be friends with love and sacrifice. Let us walk together so we have friendship,"
With that the Emperor lifted the veil from his brides face and was struck by her radiant beauty. As he gazed into her smoldering black eyes he recited the last verse, "With seven steps we have become friends. Let me reach your friendship. Let me not be severed from your friendship. Let your friendship not be severed from me."
And thus they were married. They turned to face the congregation who jumped to their feet and shouted “Long Live Emperor Sawi Rama Singh II descendent of Lord Rama, God on Earth, and Ruler of the Sun Dynasty! Long Live Empress Lakshmi Bai of Jhanasi!
OOC: And that my friend is the traditional Hindu wedding. Note the sacrfices to the fire are non-human. I belive the Rajputs normally sacrifce goats, and my caste, the Brahmins sacrfice watermelons. Anyway I'll be arsed if I ever get married hahahhahahah
@Luckymoose my leader is Emperor Sawi Rama Singh II of the Sun Dynasty.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Orders due in 20 hours or something.
The Major
Warlord
inet went on the fritz for a bit there, will send orders tomorrow morn'
~Darkening~
Weep, Mother.
I did it again.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Orders Deadline
Sorry I was sleeping. Got 9 orders this turn.
Update will be up today, I do not know what time. I have started it but I have breakfast and stuff to do. So.
Sorry I was sleeping. Got 9 orders this turn.
Update will be up today, I do not know what time. I have started it but I have breakfast and stuff to do. So.
Symphony D.
Deity
Surge et impera.
