PandaNES II - Les Fleurs du Mal

[North King]

To: Russia, Prussia, Austria
From: Poland-Lithuania

We humbly seek a 5 year NAP with you, with possibility of further cooperation

To: Poland-Lithuania
From: Austria

A NAP is quite in order. Accepted... though we do expect you to aid us in the struggle against the unholy French rebels.

 

[conehead234]

to: UK
From: USA
We ask that you remove yourself from the forts in the North West Territories as required by the Treaty of Paris, which you have yet to hand over to us.

 

[Swissempire]

Stadtholder Wilhelm V, Prince of Orange was pacing around his study. The beads of sweat were dropping down his brow. A messanger boy walk passed the room, and Wilhelm grabbed him.

"Has there been any diplomacy to the Netherlands yet?"

The frightened child studdered. This was the Prince of Orange, should he lie, or no. "No Diplomacy Stadtholder"

Wilhelm tossed him away. "They must be plotting against me. I cannot allow this. Maybe they are distracted. No, that can't be it. I'm here aren't I. Oh, Damn them all. No, they can be my friends, we can have peace and trade, we don't need war. I must take the Initiative."

He turned to the boy, "Fetch me Ink and Paper boy, or i'll have you castrated before you've enjoyed the pleasures of life!" Of course Wilhelm didn't mean it, but it got the job done and he had always wanted to say that.

The boy arrived with the parchment and ink, and the Stadtholder sat down to write.


To:Queen Maria I of Portugal, King Charles IV of Spain, and King George III of the United Kingdoms
From:Stadtholder Wilhelm V, Prince of Orange of the United Netherlands

Hail and Well Met fellows. I feel it would be in all our best interests to in this time of Continental Chaos, to stabilize those who are colonial powers. Therefore, to preserve and expand upon the Balance of Power, I propose a 4 year NAP between us all, to be enforced by all.

 

[Harleqin]

From: Bavaria
To: Austria and Preussia
These are troubled times with revolts springing up and civil war in the west. To preserve stability we would like to sign a treaty of non-aggression and possibly even a defensive alliance with your great nation.

 

[Wubba360]

To: French Republic
From: Sardinia-Piedmont

We see that your country is in turmoil and do not want the great war to sweep to our lands, we ask for a three year nap.

 

[das]

We shall accept it if you promise to not grant right of passage to armies of any of the countries at war with us, and do not assist them against us and our allies in any way.

 

[North King]

To: Sardinia-Piedmont
From: Austria

Note that by converse, if you let the French rebels pass through your lands, that is a declaration of war. So if you intend to deny us right of passage, then you must deny them theirs as well.

 

[Wubba360]

To: European warring nations
From: Sardinia-Piedmont

We do not want war to tear our country apart. We are going to take a neutral stance on this war. We will not allow Austrian armies to pass through our nation as well as french troops to walk over our lands. We will like trade to continue between nations however without military.

 

[North King]

To: Sardinia-Piedmont
From: Austria

This is acceptable.

 

[Fëanor]

"Has there been any diplomacy to the Netherlands yet?"

"Yes stadtholder, the Japanese have sent a PM on Jul 21, 2006 01:36 AM and you are yet to respond"

In other words, please Reply to my PM, Thank you.

 

[Insane_Panda]

This looks to be a very interesting update. Hurry with those orders people, so I can get the update done faster.

 

[Imago]

First the short diplo, as otherwise it will be drowned out by the story in the next post.

From: Austria
To: Sicily

We're afraid that Tuscany is not for sale.

To: The Habsburg Empire of Austria
From: King Ferdinando III of Sicily, IV of Naples

Too bad. We were willing to go to quite some lengths to make the deal work.

OOC: And now, for the story!

 

[Imago]

Intrigues of the Neapolitan Kingdom​

“Are you sure, John [1], that my husband will do correctly what I have asked? He is not suited for the kind of task I have set out before him, you know.” [2]
“I hope not, your majesty. All of what follows now is your idea, not mine. We must not worry about how Naples can grow. We must worry about how the French peasants can be stopped.”
“Fool. All you care about are the goals of Britain and Austria. Austria has already proven itself to be no friend of ours, by refusing to sell Tuscany. They apparently, do not believe in Italia for the Italian. And there is nothing wrong with the French peasants.” [3]
“Austria has agendas far above you, queen. We cannot begin to grasp at…”
“Silence. We will wait, and see if my husband does what must be done.”

***

Somewhere in the Calabria region of Naples was man who styled himself both King Ferdinando IV of Naples, and King Ferdinando III of Sicily. While he was a king, there were many happier than he in the word. Many, he thought to himself, as if to confirm the point.
Lead by a jailer, and accompanied by a single personal guard, he walked through the prison that his wife had told him to go to. If anyone else had requested what she had requested of him, Ferdinando would have had refused them, if not ordered for them to be executed on the spot.
But Ferdinando would not refuse a request made by his wife, even if he now had the sinking sensation that she was crazy.
“Is this the cell?” the king asked the jailer, who had suddenly stopped by a very particular row of bars.
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Leave me,” said the king. “When I am done, I and my guard can find our own way out.”
The jailer’s brow creased, as if he was second guessing Ferdinando’s order, but then he bowed, and walked away.
The king peered through the bars. A shadowed man sat against the far wall. He was unshackled, and his long black hair was unkempt.
“You are the one who calls himself Verità, no?” asked the king.
“Indeed I am,” said the man. His voice was strangely accented, as if he did not belong in the prison of commoners. His voice somehow seemed noble.
Ferdinando shuddered. “I am here to offer you a deal,” he said. Or rather, my wife is. If it were up to me, you would never see sunlight again.
“What is this deal?” asked the prisoner. “And before you say anything rash, be advised: I wish to kill you.”
“How can you speak to me like that?” asked the king. “I rule this land, and I can make your life far more miserable than it already is. There are things worse than a lifetime in prison.”
“You are no ruler,” said the man behind the bars. “You are a pretender to the throne of Caesar. It is those like you who keep Italy weak and without unity.”
The man behind the bars got up, and walked over to the bars, revealing his face, white, and somehow pure.
“I am here to offer you a choice,” said Ferdinando. “Be executed, or work for me.”
“That is an interesting choice,” said the prisoner. “I choose the latter. I am known for my word, and I will make any pledge you want.”
My God, thought the king, marveling at the prisoner’s change. How could my queen have known he would respond like this?
“You do not even care to know what you will be doing for me?” asked Ferdinando.
“If you want my services, you want them for only one reason,” said Verità. “You wish to restore Rome.”

[1]-John Acton, an Englishman, and advisor at the royal court.
[2]-King Ferdinando IV of Naples was heavily influenced by his wife, and was considered to be somewhat of a fool.
[3]-Queen Marie Caroline was somewhat sympathetic to the French Republican cause, at least until they killed her sister.

That story probably requires some explanation, if you read all of it. I am not intending to attempt a mad conquering spree. I merely wish the reader to know that the court of Naples has decided to retain an intelligent, if rather mad individual, who wishes to restore the glory of Rome. Verità never really existed in OTL, of course, and is merely one of those slight deviations between our world and the world of PandaNES II that occurred before 1792. Prior to that year he had no effect on the world, or even the nation of Naples, as he was captured and put in prison before he could do really anything at all. I am sure there was someone quite like him in prison in OTL, which is the only reason why I wanted to bring him into the story.

 

[das]

I put it to everyone talking about "French peasants" that, in its mass, the peasantry was, at best, moderate, but in general conservative or reactionary. Its the bourgoise and the proletariate that you ought to watch out for, you know.

Btw, Imago, what's with the avatar? There is something disturbing about the fact that as soon as you joined NESing, you changed your avatar to the one another new NESer used a few months ago upon joining. Are we being infiltrated by wolves now, as if the penguins weren't enough?

 

[Imago]

@das

The avatar? When I lurked, I was rarely logged in, and thus all avatars were invisible to me. I had no idea the wolf was used by anyone else. I just switched because Brennus just seemed to, well, small, and the wolf seemed to fit the same theme as the Celts. (forest) Strange.

Spoiler :

The wolves! They come! Run! Run for your very lives!

 

[The Strategos]

Reposting because I think it was lost. I already know what the answer will be, but I want it to be on the record.

To: The First Republic of France
From: His Holiness Pope Pius VI

We demand the either return of the Comtat Venaissin and Avignon which were unlawfully seized from our loving hands or else compensation for the same. We also condemn, again, the Constitution civile du clergé and demand its repeal.

And its true that its not the French peasants that need to be worried about, most of them are good Catholics. Its those Parisians, especially that heretic Talleyrand (an anamathema on him) that have to be worried over.

I merely wish the reader to know that the court of Naples has decided to retain an intelligent, if rather mad individual, who wishes to restore the glory of Rome.

Rome's doing quite well thank you.

 

[das]

Oh my God! An image, hosted by tripod! Strange Celtic werewolves lurking in the forest with Brennus!

Sorry for the outburst. LuckyMoose no longer uses it, its just that the coincidence was too strange, I even mistook you for him at some point although he had changed his avatar. Panda, when can we expect the update exactly? Could you start it earlier if we all send in orders real fast (easy for me to say, ofcourse...)?

EDIT:

especially that heretic Talleyrand

Oh, we're in agreement on that really, that bloody aristocratic decadent traitor shall face the guillotine in Paris or the stake in Rome. Now if only we could trick him to go anywhere near either of these cities...

 

[Insane_Panda]

Panda, when can we expect the update exactly? Could you start it earlier if we all send in orders real fast (easy for me to say, ofcourse...)?

I've already started the update. (I am doing it as I recieve orders, though on some parts I have to wait for others to send orders). You can expect it, at the earliest, on Monday. Latest would be Wednesday.

 

[Imago]

Rome's doing quite well thank you.

I meant the statement as meaning the nation of Rome in the ancient sense, meaning the Roman civilization, meaning all of Italy. Not the Papal States in particular. And, he is focused on revitalizing Naples more than anything else. You are safe. Unless someone annoys me enough to send a fanatic their way, Verità will remain in Naples.

@das

Luckymoose? Really?

On a different note, orders sent.

 

[conehead234]

Orders will be coming tonight.