“People of Vitelia!” He called, the speakers of the microphone echoing down the streets, around the old stones of the ancient city as well as the modern bricks and steel. “We stand here in the wake of the entry of the new century. In the final hours of the last, the nineteenth, they spoke of what was to come in these days. We saw the first decade of it end in blood and terror, in shame and defeat. But that was merely the dark hour before the dawn, comrades. Do not think this will be a century of woe. What will it be then? Think of what we aspired to be, Vitelia. Ideas of industry, unprecedented prosperity, eyes set forth for the future, arms linked in unity, dreams that only so recently truly came within reach.”

“Do you know what this century will be, because of these ideas? This will be an era of hope, of dreams. Since our ancestors first looked upwards and saw something greater than themselves, they reached for heaven. They thought they could only reach it in death, the summit of their entire existence. In this century, in our lives, we’ll find heaven without passing on. We won’t shed our bodies to reach it, but this society, this civilization. It will pass on, and what comes after will be the dawn that humanity has always wished for, but only so recently could sense the warmth of.” He reached a great hand out, palm up and splayed, “But that dawn is not inevitable. The new sun is so brilliant, but so distant, I understand well the feeling of not wanting to beg for it like a dog, hoping scraps fall to our mouths. But look to your friends, find your champions, and trust them. Reach to them, and they will lift you up. Join me, Vitelians, and fear not the flame of tomorrow. We will bear it for you, as too many have failed to do.”

A rousing cheer came from the crowd. They wanted to hear of a hopeful future- it was a salve on their present woes, even if it might as well be hot air to merely say the aspirations to seek. It was time to point to the obstacles- the enemies- and throw a stone into the pool.

“What stands in our way, Vitelia?” Leone asked into the microphone, “Is it ourselves? Is it a failing of all Vitelians that impoverishes us, allows our land to be taken, our heritage to be dishonored, that takes bread from our table and dreams from our hearts? I have fought more battles than I can count for our nation, and I tell you, all of the Vitelian men I’ve fought alongside, who dreamed and who died, I saw nothing but the strength to triumph.” Here was the risky part. Yet it was now impossible to advance without making enemies. “Is it the Judge Above who curses us? No, Vitelia, it is not! Look to your left, and your right! What do you see if not brothers and sisters? Whom can you not reach out to embrace, or strike at when they transgress?” Leone pounded a fist on the lectern, and it crashed in on itself even with his restrained blow, the microphone saved by being on a separate support.

“The Old Order! The stone-bloods who would see the Grossreich rule the continent for one thousand years, if they were but allowed one half of their wealth! The fools who wield the power we have trusted them against us, who are deaf to the pleas for recompense! Those who demand oaths and swear none in return! They in turn empower the gangsters and malcontents, their tools, the clubs they beat you with as they do naught to protect you from them. The villains that claim to fight them, while serving them in deed. We have tried time and again, Vitelia, to endure, to hope it was merely a storm to wait to pass. Every day we wait, and are fed only despair. This age is over now! From today, we hide in silence no longer! The time has come for the ruins of the Old Order and the rats that fester alongside to be cleared out. Join me and my Revolutionary Leagues, Vitelia! Fight alongside me for justice, for prosperity, for the future! The enemy is afraid, and they are right to be so! “Vittoria per Vitelia! Vittoria per il Futuro!”

The explosion of the crowd’s cheers had such force that it sent the policemen fleeing- black uniformed toughs had drawn close and replaced them, and went around in teams dissuading rogues from running alone, gathered groups to themselves under great waving flags as Giovanno Leone descended from the platform, and like a hundred rivers breaking their banks, they went out into the streets of the Holy City, the capital.

In spite of the call for martial law to be declared, the demonstrations, remarkably, caused little damage. An expertly aimed blow- it found its mark amongst those who were hurriedly writing to the King about what these upstarts could have done…and how the restraint was merely to better threaten what might happen without such control.

-----

It was the turn of the year of 1925 to 1926. Most of the people of the city of Portallago were celebrating the New Year’s Day festival, thrown in spite of the trying economic times with the patronage of the local noble households. For a time, the people forgot the nefarious rumors and the trespasses their overlords had made against them, real or imagined, and lost themselves in the first day of what they hoped would be the beginning of new prosperity. Many a noble could be found amongst the commoners, sharing the revelry and making a show of generosity, even if it was just for today, but a particular man held a modest reception indeed for him and a few fellows, in a country manor outside of the reach of the plebian throng. A man normally quite fond of the excuse for excess- one Julio di Portaltramanto.

While the party was a quiet and exclusive one, it was not lacking for debauchery. Pretty servants were dressed in fetishized attire for the men who had come, though there were only three girls, and five guests. A purposeful move. Di Portaltramanto did not want for meat for any table.

A noble of the sea provinces, one Erico Di Volo, had been to a few of Julio’s spectacles before. He was a man of similar acquired tastes, he believed, similar wanton qualities, but he grew fascinated each time by how wrong he was. Julio was younger than him as well, as Di Volo’s hair was greying now at its roots, while the most infamous son of Di Portaltramanto had scarcely aged since manhood, besides around the smiling corners of his mouth and eye. A deceptive face, for how it seemed friendly and joyous. They both were sipping wine in the reading room, Di Volo reclining across a couch while Julio gazed out the window at the fireworks distantly echoing over the city.

“Julio,” Di Volo said with playful contempt, “If you wish to go be amongst the people and your family’s festival, I doubt anybody here would be left unentertained.”

“Why?” Di Portaltramanto shook his head and smirked, “That would leave behind the entertainment to be found here.”

“I wonder when you’ll lose patience, and not be made the one to merely watch.” His eyes drew across a passing scantily clad maid. An impression of her normal uniform had been reduced into something so small it could barely be called an atom suit- there was a flush in her cheeks of the mild intoxication of a carefully minute dose of blackflower, a drug that flooded the senses so vigorously as to be near blinding in the presence of pain and pleasure both. Her skin was rosy where it wasn’t ivory-pale, a bob of forest green around her head. Each girl was different from the other, the other two a blonde Hill Vitelian and a coffee-dark Sea Vitelian, dressed identically in naught but temptation.

The mountain girl was the most beauteous by only a hair, and as she passed by with a tray of vigorously bubbling sparkling wines, Di Volo crawled his eyes over every morsel of her. “I never took you to be a man who was charitable with his own pets. The dignity is surely more painful to lose than the penalty.” The first man to surrender to his passions in this game would be made to pay a huge sum of money to the other guests. A crude and cruel game. The true winners would be merely those who were second and third to submit once one had already fallen to baser desire.

“Catch her and enjoy her as much as you like, if she has caught you by the manhood as much as the eye,” Julio said coyly, “My gift already grows in her belly. None of you will be taking anything from me tonight.”

“Do you not have enough illegitimate children?” Di Volo asked with a raise of his eyebrow, “There is playful scandal, there is careless womanizing, then there is abject degeneracy, but I have not heard of so brazenly going further beyond.”

“Ho ha,” Di Portaltramanto chuckled, “Friend, do you know when my first child was born?” A catlike smugness in his lilting voice had no patience to wait for a guess. “I was fourteen years old, voracious from my first years stepping out of boyhood. A beauteous maidservant twice my age birthed a son I’ve only properly met three years ago. One of many recent reunions. I could be called a patron of Di Nero for my contributions to their numbers. I’ve calmed down some in recent years, of course. All the chickens are coming home to roost now, after all. Of those I’ve welcomed back to my embrace, I can count twenty-six so far.”

Di Volo scoffed mightily. “They must admire their father’s virility if not his virtue.”

Julio Di Portaltramanto smiled a toothy, pointed grin. “That is the beauty of sowing my seed far and wide. Whomever was too bitter, who had no hatred that might be made into a twisted loyalty, I can let lie. My first son, for example. His mother hated me for what I did to her, and that hatred flowed from mother to child. Compared to her, in certain eyes, I am a saint. The truly tickling thing is that I put two more children through her before I was a man grown enough to strike out on my own, and there surely was not a night she did not curse the name of the vile young boy that she was powerless to deny. Yet she never tried to stop it. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Are you sure you are not a devil, Julio?” Di Volo asked, though his voice was unperturbed despite hearing of such coyly recounted foul evils, “If I did not know better, I would say that acting like that will invite most spiteful and just Judgement from the multitude you torment.”

Di Portaltramanto shrugged in a play of innocence. “I doubt any judgment will come for me, in this world without saints. If it does, then what I will do will more than make up for it. How many eggs must be broken to make a meal fit to sate a hungry kingdom? My sadistic whims of youth will be forgiven for the good they ultimately bring.”

Di Volo put his fingers together in a triangle, and leaned into his chair pensively, his smile perpetual. “You don’t think the people would object to being amongst the eggs broken?”

“Think about it. The people, the truth of the world, and the Dawn that must sear it raw. All women are whores. All men are beasts. That is the truth of our primal beings, that have been wrest from the days before civilization. Do you agree?”

“Women are whores, men are beasts?” the guest repeated, near mocking, but Di Portaltramanto didn’t seem to mind it if he noticed.

“Correct. If two million men and two million women had to perish for the Revolution to succeed, well, some might ask if the price is worth it. However, friend, would you not sacrifice two million whores and two million beasts for the sake of an eternal good tomorrow? I think most who are fit to guide the future would agree that such is a small toll indeed.”

“So long as they do not notice they are being led along by a beast and his whores, hm?”

Di Portaltramanto shrugged. “In any case, because of my preparations, whether they were intended so or not, I am spoiled for choice, and in the coming years, only more lost sons will be ready to come to my side once more. Ready to find their purpose in the Revolution.” The green haired serving woman came back around, glancing nervously, but this time, Julio Di Portaltramanto snatched out and grasped her around her waist, the silver platter in her arms crashing to the ground as she was pinned against the windowsill. She gasped and trembled as her master ran his fingers down her cheek, her throat, her ribs, her abdomen, and lower. “Too late, Di Volo. I lose one game, but win a greater one. You had best hurry along…unless you wish to be but a witness to my ceremony.”

-----

Your name is Palmiro Bonaventura, though only your parents and your wife call you by your first name. All of your other peers call you Bonetto. Over your forty years of living, you’ve been many things. A farm boy. A university student. A soldier, and rebel, an advisor to a foreign government, owner of a mercenary company. It was in your directly rebellious phase that you were exiled from your home for over a decade- when you and your wife and children at the time journeyed from Vitelia to Trelan, a country on the western edge of the continent, where you finally came into prosperity and peace. Your two children were reinforced by four more, and you went from being as rich as a typical laborer to having more money than you ever thought you’d have. Enough money to, with the aid of loans, finance your own private mercenary company, which was already close to having paid off the investment you’d made into it.

Your name is Palmiro Bonaventura, though few close to you called you by that name. They preferred Bonetto, as did you, but all too few people still called you such. You had been born somewhat over forty years ago in rural, upland Vitelia, in a farm and ranching town called Stattio Basso. It was typical for the region, filled with Hill Vitelians such as yourself, sustaining and enriching themselves on the generous land.

Even though your ancestors had lived there going back centuries, it was no place for you. As soon as you became a man, you departed your humble origins and went south and east, to what had been the beating heart of Vitelian culture, where the lodestone of the future pointed, the city of Lapizlazulli. There, you aspired to become a learned man in one of the Azure Halls, the preeminent university of philosophical thought in Vitelia. In this place, you formed the Young Futurists club with other like-minded students. Your best friends in Lapizlazulli, Giovanno Leone and Cesare Fabius, joined with you in this club.

Your graduations came, but prospects for the future did not. The Azure Halls did not have room for another expert in history and philosophy, and neither did other places of education. You might have seemed to be doomed to return home, dejected, to resume life with the wheat, the barley and the sheep. Yet Leo presented another way out. Most of the Young Futurists would follow you both out- into the army, before Vitelia was at war, but in days where its entry into the Emrean Liberation were certain if not yet decided.

Leo believed that the way to deciding the future yourselves lay in the coming war. By enlisting early, you would all find positions in the army that would not see you seen as conscripted cannon fodder. At first, he seemed to presume correctly. You all were trained at Monte Nocca, where you met your future wife, Yena.

There, one Colonel Di Zucchampo noticed that you were all university students and graduates, and sought to use your education and learning to its best potential in a special battalion, more focused on intelligence analysis and management than fighting. Yet you were trained at Monte Nocca to fight- and your young, blazing hearts could not be denied the first opportunities for battle.

Another friend you made while part of this special formation was Di Zucchampo’s niece, Chiara Di Scurostrada. Even before war was declared, you got up to ambitious mischief, but when it began, the lot of you would learn what the true terror and loss of war could be, as merely your first taste. Volunteering for an assault on the Grossreich stronghold of Castello Malvagio, you must have all envisioned a brave battle and victory, but another raid in the rear lines had to be fought as well, and by the time your terrible first battles were done, those of you that had not perished were irreparably changed.

Afterwards, you broke away from what was left, and followed Chiara to another special unit, one that was developing armored units like those already active in the fighting between Emre and the Reich. It was in training there that you relationship with Yena grew closer- before you left for the front again, Yena would become pregnant with your firstborn daughter.

The rest of your fighting in the Emrean War was done commanding a tank, along with your prickly but capable driver and mechanic, Luigi Lucanto. Under the command of Chiara, you felt that you did your motherland proud, even though you were apart from Leo now- though Chiara and her own mechanic, Marcella, would…not be so separate.

In spite of all your efforts during the war, Vitelia would be defeated in the end, and while you were at another front, you yourself would be wounded in battle, rescued by Cesare, whom you had fallen in attempting to rescue. Chiara would be killed in the fighting to the east, and with Cesare missing in action in the battle you had been wounded in, when you awoke from your coma, the only fellow Young Futurist that was left, at least that was any friend of yours, was Leo.

Yet Vitelia had capitulated, and after all the wasted blood and tears, all the death, there was no more war for you soldiers to fight. The Grossreich would be defeated by Emre, in the end, but Vitelia came out no better than it had been when it entered. What was won was not near worth the price paid. There was naught to be done at that point, though- and you went back to Lapizlazulli, back to Yena, back to your newborn daughter, and married her atop a mountain crowned by a great ancient beast.

More years passed. Your son Lorenzo was born, but peace could not keep its grip on you. You were called back north, into the civil unrest and then the territorial uprising that would become known as the Gilician Conflict. You wouldn’t fight on the side of Vitelia, though. Your former commander and comrade, Di Zucchampo, drew you into the ranks of the rebels for the purpose of uprooting the corruption that puppeteered Vitelia, whose main strength and investments lay in controlling Gilicia’s mineral wealth. In this conflict, due to the black-coated Reich exiles under your command, you would become known as the Black Knight of Gilicia- not bestowed as a compliment. Your reward would be exile from your homeland, and unwilling to stay in Gilicia, you instead went to where your wife had traveled to at your behest to quit herself of the country, the edge of the west, Trelan.

You would spend your exile in Trelan for a decade, though your military experience and choice of wife meant you would want for nothing there, as you worked as an upper echelon military advisor, aiding in the reconstruction of the Republic’s outdated military, as you and Yena grew your family from two children, to six. Though again, your past would not remain behind you.

Leo and Marcella had gotten married and had children after you split from your country in Gilicia, and your friendship had failed to be suppressed by this. Once though, he came not as part of a friendly visit, but with a new battle to fight. Cesare had been captured by the Feallinnese, a breakaway state from the Reich that had kept all of its spoils from the Vitelian war, including prisoners. Leo had found out where he was, and due to the then present chaotic nature of an invasion into adjacent Holherezh, he proposed to take a group of adventurers and mercenaries to make an incursion across the border, where the prison camp was close, and rescue your long suffering Vitelian brethren.

What else could you do but accept? To amend your past failure to save Cesare?

Yet you nearly failed again, as while the initial attack produced satisfactory result and the prisoners were broken out, in a gambit to give them time to escape, your warband went to head off a quick reaction force, and found itself confounded and surrounded. To escape this situation required an unsavory deal, and you quite honestly only escaped by the skin of your teeth and no small amount of doubt caused by bluffing. Though the debacle was worth the price. You had finally found and saved Cesare, though years of captivity had damaged his mind.

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That had been the last battle you had been a part of. Afterwards, you lived humbly in Trelan, though you did use your accumulated capital to found a mercenary band, finding it a worthwhile investment while the want for them was high, and they indeed swiftly found employment. It wouldn’t be long after that Leo would come back again with a request for you again. That you return to Vitelia, as he had bargained for your exile to be rescinded. Finally, it would be time to return home…

Home, which you went back to for the first time in decades. The surprise there wouldn’t be seeing your father and mother, your siblings, old family friends that had long accepted you might not come back. It was Cesare, with cognitive ability far in advance of what all assumed of him, claiming he had seen premonitions, to know you would be there, then. A claim that he had masked his mental state, to hide that he could give an important message.

“Giovanno Leone must Die.”

Such was the sum of your life to the start of 1926.

-----

It is January 4th, 1926. Nearly a year since you returned from your exile from your homeland. It was good to be back- and good to finally bring your family back to its origins, as well. They had come for the Year’s End, and the lot of you had been granted a very generously proportioned home on the edge of Lapizlazulli. While it was not outside your means to acquire, with your accumulated wealth, your oldest and best friend Giovanno Leone had arranged for it to be given to you as a gift. Enough rooms and space for you, your wife Yena, and your litter of six children, which Yena fully intended to expand further in numbers.

You’d tried to turn it down, to offer recompense, but Leo wouldn’t hear it.

“Listen, Bonetto,” he’d told you as he first showed you around the extravagant two-floor home, with so many rooms and amenities it could be a small manor, “It’s not just a rich place. We’ve got plenty to worry about in the coming days, bringing about the Dawn. We can’t be worrying about little things like the rent or having too small of a home.”

“It’s still a lot, isn’t it?” You asked in return. Especially considering that this sort of home was rather out of reach of much of Vitelia’s citizens.

“A lot? You have a lot of kids, Bonetto,” Leo said half resignedly, half sternly. “I have two and Marcella and I thought we’d just have one to start.” You had six, and Yena wanted at least one more. Technically speaking you had seven, but that was…another matter. “The twins are fine with one room. I know your kids aren’t. If you wanted a humble home, maybe you should try pulling out once in a while. Or wrapping the sausage.”

“I have,” you said grumpily. Yena didn’t like either option. “I’ve the resources to afford to take care of the family, you know.”

“I know you do,” Leo put a heavy, huge hand on your shoulder, “But those resources are gonna be in a lot of demand real soon. The Dawn demands a huge war chest, Bonetto. This place was a donation. Just take the gift for what it is and focus on the future.” He tapped his finger on his head, “We’re in the real game now, Bonetto. You came back for this. We’re all in, now. These card hands are being anted in blood and gold, not pocket change.”

So, you’d little choice but to accept this favor, albeit with a guarantee from yourself that you’d more than repay it. Your family hadn’t been nearly as hesitant about accepting this windfall, especially since several of your children had been chafing about having to share rooms- they knew they hadn’t seen the end of brothers and sisters.

“You certainly didn’t try for a more casual game,” you said back, “With that speech in Donom Dei.”

Leo grinned a rigid, false smirk. “Hey, what’s this? I asked what you’d do, and I did that. Besides. It had to happen sooner or later. The system requires you to be a noble to insert yourself anywhere near the top.”

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True enough. The King’s Ministers and the Signore Delle Opinioni were never commoners, at least not ones without an incredible amount of support from the old families. “Anyways. Bonetto. We have to get you started. I don’t want to just have you be my henchman, but you need to have something under your belt before people will treat you as anything but a nepotism beneficiary, you understand?”

“Of course.” It was an arduous task in the first place to get you back in the country without being stabbed. You had no friends in many noble circles for your deeds as the Black Knight of Gilicia.

“So I have a couple things you can take command of,” Leo said, “I’ll start with the difficult one. The Auratus. Gepte. The Reich withdrew from those territories, and they’re supposed to be ours.”

“Yet the Feallinnese and Halmeggians take exception to that.” The two neighboring countries had occupied portions of land that were supposed to be Vitelia’s, and the King and the government had balked at actually intervening militarily. A decision that was a constant source of grumbling whenever the east was brought up by anybody.

“General De Nuvolere’s real popular for what he did in Paelli. We should take some of that thunder ourselves, only…” Leo crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, “Feallin is keeping tabs on us. Purposely going and messing with them is a bad idea if we want to keep our families safe. And Marcella is Halmeggian. She’d rather we not go provoking her relatives, you know.”

“You had to marry a Halmeggian.” You said, half in hest.

“You had to marry a mosshead,” Leo returned, “There’s plenty of people, mostly your folk, that really don’t think much of that choice. But that’s neither here nor there. They’ll learn t’ love you, but your hands would be awfully tied if you tried to make Auratus ours again.”

That it would be. Though it would undoubtedly give you much in the way of fame if you took the risk. You also had your own private army, that could allow for more subtler actions.
“I take it your other task for me to take up is closer to home.”

“It would start right here,” Leo said, “I would put the Revolutionary Leagues of Larencci under your command, and however it has to be done, bring the whole of the territory under your command.”
You tried not to laugh at that. “You said this was the easier one.”

“It is the easier one,” Leo said, “Either way, we’re playing big. Trying to get an entire region of Vitelia under us. We’re tilting at princes, Bonetto. We either start big or not at all.”

“As expected of he who calls himself the Revolutionary Man.”

Here they were. The voices that sought to consult you on how to live your life. They refused to ever be silent for too long, but letting speak out once in a while seemed to ensure they shut up, for a bit of peace. Sometimes they even had useful things to say.

The first voice called as though from above. It fancied itself saintly, you supposed. “Is the path not clear? You are a warrior, and know war. Damn the risks, go and fight. Finish the war you never could. That is what is righteous to your lost ones, the only path not selfish.”

In response, a more aggressive and direct voice. This one obsessed with the Revolution above all costs. “Let the old fool ramble. That war is fought and lost. The war for the future is exactly where you think it is. Let us begin the Revolution, as we were always meant to. Where it was meant to begin.”

“Must you be in such a hurry to charge for tomorrow, when it is forever to come? Think of what you already have, what you have already created. Are they not just as important? At least give them some time, some guidance. Life is so long, and childhood so short.” This voice was always gentle. Passive. Leery of hurt. You could only assume it was the balance to the fervor of the others.

>The Revolution in Larencci would arrive with your guidance- Leo had nothing to worry about.
>It had been a while since you’d managed an active front. For once, you wouldn’t have to be involved directly with any fighting…let that make up for any difficulties you’d have to overcome. You’d be the one to finally give Vitelia the land so many, including you and your old friends, had suffered for.
>Did you really have to act so hastily? Your family would be freshly arrived in Vitelia. You had to help them acclimate- at least for a year. You hadn’t come here to escape them, after all.
>Other?

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Previous Threads- Prologue:
Thread 1- https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5687489/
Thread 2- https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5771752/
Thread 3- https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5810248/
Thread 4- https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5879252/
Thread 5- https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5944961/

Twitter is @scheissfunker for updates and various other things, though I figure that's basically defunct at this point until some better shortform announcement platform takes its place.

I tried to summarize what had happened in the prologues, since it's been a while, but as always, feel free to ask any questions that you feel you would want to know in character. Or just in general.

>>6120405
We're so back anons.
>The Revolution in Larencci would arrive with your guidance- Leo had nothing to worry about.

Closer to home which Yena would prefer I presume, and 'easier'. Is Cesare recuperating in Lapislazuli?

>>6120405
>It had been a while since you’d managed an active front. For once, you wouldn’t have to be involved directly with any fighting…let that make up for any difficulties you’d have to overcome. You’d be the one to finally give Vitelia the land so many, including you and your old friends, had suffered for.
So that's it? What? You're telling me we're going to be some kind of Panzer Commander?

>>6120405
>Did you really have to act so hastily? Your family would be freshly arrived in Vitelia. You had to help them acclimate- at least for a year. You hadn’t come here to escape them, after all.
Gotta make sure the wife and kids are ok and 100% on board.
Bump those fervor numbers a bit.
Then we can really get our hands dirty.

>>6120417
>Is Cesare recuperating in Lapislazuli?
Yes- though he'll likely make his way to you, should you require him. The charade of him being invalid won't likely last much longer.

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I demand HIGH Fervor across the board, damn it!
Our children need to be educated!

>>6120405
>The Revolution in Larencci would arrive with your guidance- Leo had nothing to worry about.

>>6120405
>The Revolution in Larencci would arrive with your guidance- Leo had nothing to worry about.

>>6120405
>Did you really have to act so hastily? Your family would be freshly arrived in Vitelia. You had to help them acclimate- at least for a year. You hadn’t come here to escape them, after all.

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>>6120405
>Did you really have to act so hastily? Your family would be freshly arrived in Vitelia. You had to help them acclimate- at least for a year. You hadn’t come here to escape them, after all.
The time has come again.

>>6120405
>The Revolution in Larencci would arrive with your guidance- Leo had nothing to worry about.
And it's returned.

>>6120417
>>6120450
>>6120451
>>6120477
Let the Revolution come- you are bringing it forth.

>>6120426
To war, once more. Well, not officially a war.

>>6120433
>>6120457
>>6120463
Stay home a while. Some of the family's not been here as long as you.

Updating.

>>6120403
Do the Fealinnese really have that much reach in Vitelia that they can go after people's families?

>>6120578
>Do the Fealinnese really have that much reach in Vitelia that they can go after people's families?
It's not particularly certain whether or not they can, if they have the strength and influence to try, if Vitelia's boundaries are truly so permeable, and if they really want to, but the better question might be with all that uncertainty is if you'd want to risk it.

It’d be a hasty move, a responsibility taken up before your family was even acclimated to Vitelia, but it would keep you close to them anyways. Finally, you would be moving toward the future you dreamed of…

“Larencci is as good as ours, Leo,” you reassured him, “I’ll be ready as soon as you are.”

Leo smiled and clapped your back. “I knew you’d be up for it, Bonetto. It’ll take ‘til next week, but I’ll have all the information and advisors you need. Frankly speaking, Bonetto, I think this’ll be easier than we think. Larencci is the heartland of Revolutionary thought in Vitelia. There’s plenty of noble support, even, and with them in our pockets with little trouble? We can truly begin to change things in this country. Like we thought we could when we were young.”

That summoned a heavy sigh from the both of you. There were too many people that you both had left behind. Too many that you’d liked to be meeting with. “So what now?” You asked, “Did you have any plans besides that business?”

“Not really,” Leo said, “Yena and the kids aren’t coming round for another couple days, are they? That’ll be about when everything will be ready for you, too. You can have a holiday for a while.”

“I’ve been on holiday since I left Gilicia, Leo,” you said, “But if we’re not going anywhere, how about the old coffee house on the cliff? If it’s still there.”

Leo pursed his lips. “Honestly, Bonetto, it always felt wrong to check without you or Cesare…so sure. Let’s give it a look. Remember when the other guys would make passes at the owner’s daughter all the time? Wonder if she thought one of them would take her someday.”

“We’ll ask when we get there.”

When you arrived at the old place, though, it had been boarded up. Closed for renovations, a sign on the front claimed, but the place looked like nobody had touched it in a long time.

“What a shame,” you said, drawing your finger over the doorframe, to the broken bell that used to jingle whenever somebody came or left. “Nobody’s even bothered to buy it. It’s in such a lovely place, too.”

It was winter, and the cliff winds meant that it got quite cold up here. It was the sort of thing that made one want a good steaming hot cup of coffee, but there were none to be served here now. Even so, you and Leo sat at one of the weathered old tables outside, painted over, but with marks you recognized your friends having made underneath, gouged into the wood. In 1905, the Future Began Here. Such lofty aspirations, and so many of them in early graves from the pointless war that only benefited the rich and powerful.

“I’d liked to have shown Vittoria this place,” you said solemnly to Leo, “But I had hoped it would still be an echo of the café we knew. This would be a depressing place to show her now.”

Leo shrugged. “Show her it when we make it better then.” He leaned on the table, and warily drew back when it creaked and cracked under the weight of his bulky arm. You’d felt time sap you of some of your former youthful might, but you’d be shocked if Leo was even a little weaker than the Hero of the Arditi he once was, even if he claimed to not be nearly as strong as that now. “Vittoria will be sixteen this year, won’t she?” Leo went on, “Not long until it’s time for university, perhaps? Or an apprenticeship? She certainly isn’t going to be prowling about for a young soldier to grab onto the arm of, eh? Not much like her mother there, ha.”

Vittoria did have a boyfriend when you had last departed, though she hadn’t felt confident enough to introduce you to him. “I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think she has. Her second pilgrimage over the mountains comes when she’s sixteen, and she’s looking forward to that.”

Leo blinked at you. “Really? I thought she couldn’t stand that sort of mountainfolk culture. Hell, I thought she couldn’t wait to come back here, even if she barely remembers Vitelia.”

Other parts of Trelani culture? Yes. How the Nief’yem treated her despite her being a full blooded Nief’yem by their own laws, because she didn’t look like one of them? She certainly hated that, and even suspected her own mother of harboring spite towards her for it, no matter how you reassured Vittoria that her mother loved her dearly, how her friction with her mother was from her outspoken and rebellious nature and lack of appreciation for her heritage, not how she looked. Alas.

“The pilgrimages are different,” you explained, “She won’t say how. It’s a secret society kind of deal. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t mind it. Whatever it is, though, I certainly hope it’s not a one-way route into being some mystic peddler of trinkets and fortunes…”

“Pilgrimages into the mountains just to learn fortune telling?” Leo shook his head, “Are you not one for the supernatural, Bonetto?”

“Please. Parapsychology and spiritualism are not courses in the Azure Halls.” Vittoria had always tittered about seeing ghosts in her early years. She’d grown up quite a bit since then. Though since your university days, more and more happened that ever gave you doubts… “I’m hardly against some fun, but, but sure, there’s likely something more than that.”

“Aye. Lorenzo’s a much more traditional academic, isn’t he.”

“Perhaps too much of one.” Though you’d heard him and his older sister speaking plenty of another ambition. “Vittoria and Lorenzo have set their eyes on the Aurora Legion, you know. They’ve inherited the spark of adventurousness from Yena and I.”

“Cesare has suggested the same,” Leo said, “I heard he heard it from Luigi…Our sons, not our friends. Luigi is your friend, is he not?”

“He’s a prickly fat jackass who has a hatred for answering letters within the same year,” you said, “But he is.” You named one of your sons after him for good reason.

“Anyways. He heard the idea from your son and agreed. I think the stories I told him about that one Archduchy adventurer have made the idea of being a sellsword quite romantic.”

“Who?” you scratched your head, trying to remember back five years ago, “The fat man?”

“No, no. The Heller guy. Tall. Long black hair.”

Ah, right. “Stories? Not just the one we had?” Which wasn’t exactly one you liked the idea of recounting for how much of a debacle it had turned into.

“No, there’s a lot more now. He’s quite famous over in the wastes now. Got exiled from Strossvald not long after, made his own mercenary company. Fought a great big battle that he had no business winning and wiped the floor with his enemies. Maybe us being old pals will give us a discount on those prize services?”

“We have a mercenary company at home, Leo,” you said good naturedly. Though you weren’t sure how you felt about your children following the same martial path you did…

>If they wanted to follow a martial path, so be it, but you weren’t be the one to benefit. They should serve their motherland, not you.
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…
>Were you a man of no means? You would raise well educated children, damn it, and that meant sending them to the best schools, no matter the expense. Perhaps even to foreign schools, the peak of quality, perhaps in Emre or Naukland…
>Other?

“Speaking of,” Leo interrupted your brief thought, “Tell me about them. The to-be-famous Aurora Legion..?”

So you did. The Aurora Legion had been occupied with relatively simple duties on the western edge of the continent, and had expanded from two combat platoons to three from new recruiting. With the ease of their services, despite being well paying, the soldiers with grit and experience were forced to be the leadership of rather many enthusiastic youngsters who didn’t know real war. It wasn’t a problem yet, but your correspondences with your mercenary company had no shortage of groaning from the officers about a lack of blooded, hard edge amongst the troopers. Not a lack of soldierly discipline- but the deeper sort of warrior mindset that they argued was needed for a true battle in a real war, rather than chasing about insurgents and providing security, especially as occupied Holherezh had calmed some in that regard and the greater threat was seen in actions by the belligerent and expansionist Fealinnese just to the north and east of Trelan’s occupation.

They were well equipped and useful, of course, potentially even in your situation at home depending on the options you chose to pursue, but they could also be quite useful continuing to earn money in foreign conflicts, and keeping the peace, though undoubtedly better pay might be found in riskier theaters.

>As the primary patron and owner of the assets of the Aurora Legion mercenary group, you of course have command over them, and their present actions. They are presently engaged in low-intensity occupation operations in the Trelani Republic affiliate of the Pohjalan Governate. Though, being ideologically motivated, it is possible to pull them away from profitable ends, for a time…

>Let the Aurora Legion stay in their present place. You don’t need them being risked somewhere more violent, nor do you need their help when you have the Revolutionary Leagues here.
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…
>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.
>Other?

>>6120633
>>If they wanted to follow a martial path, so be it, but you weren’t be the one to benefit. They should serve their motherland, not you


>>6120635
>>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

>>6120633
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…

Its more important that they actually survive to see the coming dawn, and I'm not sure that the government would do all too well at preparing them sufficiently.

>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

Roll them out as advisors & support staff I guess, scouting and assorted intel gathering that can be passed on would be a bonus depending on the contracts we can land.

>>6120635
>>If they wanted to follow a martial path, so be it, but you weren’t be the one to benefit. They should serve their motherland, not you.

>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.

Would be funny but useful if we could ship them off to the Hogs for a couple of years, though I assume there'll be stuff closer to home.

>>6120633
>Were you a man of no means? You would raise well educated children, damn it, and that meant sending them to the best schools, no matter the expense. Perhaps even to foreign schools, the peak of quality, perhaps in Emre or Naukland
A good education opens many doors.

>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…
A loyal group of skilled men at our back is always a plus.

>>6120633
>If they wanted to follow a martial path, so be it, but you weren’t be the one to benefit. They should serve their motherland, not you.

>>6120635
>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.

>>6120635
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…
>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.

>>6120633
>Were you a man of no means? You would raise well educated children, damn it, and that meant sending them to the best schools, no matter the expense. Perhaps even to foreign schools, the peak of quality, perhaps in Emre or Naukland…
>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.
Send the kids to the Aurora Legion and the Legion to more dangerous fights sounds like a recipe for losing a kid or two, and the army's standards probably suck even more than when we had to give recruits some real training back in the day. The kids can get combat training later.

>>6120633
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

>>6120633
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…
>>6120635
>The Aurora Legion wouldn’t be a company worth its name, let alone the prestige you wished, if it did nothing but easy jobs and let the experienced men lose their edge, and the new recruits never gain one. Find them some more intense contracts. They can handle harder fights.

>>6120633
>If they wanted to follow a martial path, so be it, but you weren’t be the one to benefit. They should serve their motherland, not you.

>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

>>6120633
>Were you a man of no means? You would raise well educated children, damn it, and that meant sending them to the best schools, no matter the expense. Perhaps even to foreign schools, the peak of quality, perhaps in Emre or Naukland…

>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

>>6120635
First gay nerd shit thing of the thread I have to ask: What was Velekam's moon called again? I'm pretty sure you've told us before and I'd go back through the archive and check but suptg seems to be some having issues tonight

Rolled 2 (1d2)

I have to fuck with this count post because hiroshimoot thinks that replying to the whole thread is something the OP of the thread shouldn't be able to do. I'm not asking for much, 4chan, I haven't said a single slur in this post.

>6120645
>6120651
>6120690
>6120812
If they want to serve, they should serve the nation.
Maybe they won't go through the same process as you.

>6120649
>6120740
>6120805
>6120807
Your own children in your mercenary band? A nickname of the Black Knight?
Well, if you want a son named Ike then you have to shift over to Reinhold. Also there's no catgirls. Yet.

>6120658
>6120758
>6120821
Get those critters an education.

Alright, so for the tie, we'll just flip a coin. 1 is no merc, 2 is let them in.

>6120645
>6120649
>6120658
>6120805
>6120812
>6120821
Bring the Aurora to Vitelia. Which is another word for the dawn. But at night.

>6120651
>6120690
>6120740
>6120758
>6120807
They are ready for a battle worthy of their name, surely.

>>6120832
>What was Velekam's moon called again? I'm pretty sure you've told us before and I'd go back through the archive and check but suptg seems to be some having issues tonight
I don't actually remember, and I couldn't find it in my word documents or notes (though my notes are in a woefully inadequate state and will probably remain that way), as each time the moon is referred to, it's as "the moon," as Velekam only has...well, one moon. Then again, with suptg down I've also misplaced the name of the red star, so I could be wrong.
I don't want to be boring and say it's just "Luna" but the Emrean capital is named Lunaire after the moon and its ancient worship of it, so I might have cornered myself there. Unless one were to call it by its New Nauk name.
For now we'll just say it's "the moon" so I don't pull a Richter's Mom again.

>>6120868
Not that it matters but I didn't realise the second option was for them to join the Legion itself, I thought it was to secure them a normal apprenticeship/vocational training lol instead of going to college/university.

>>6120912
same, probably would have voted education otherwise?

>>6120912
>>6120918
Alright, fine, I'll run that back then.

>>6120633
>Your older children were about the right age for apprenticeship and learning such things. Maybe it’d be better than schools in Vitelia, these days…

>>6120635
>Bring the Aurora Legion to Vitelia, to Larencci. You’d need all the help and options you could get to bring about the changes you needed…

Mostly voting for the sake of it. Good to see this quest back, hope you're in good health tanq.

“So you’re bringing them back?” Leo asked, “When did you decide this?”

“Just now,” you said, “The contract they have with the Trelani is about to be up for renewal. It’ll run out in a couple of weeks and they’ll come on back here. Then the Revolutionary Leagues will have some backup.”

“And the children’s dreams of mercenary service?”

Yena would probably put her foot down on that one, even if you did allow it. “We’ll see if they feel the same once they have a higher education. They’ll be better than the common conscript at least.”

“If they’re anything like their parents…” Leo led on, but you finished it for him.

“Then what I think about it will hardly matter. I don’t intend to hold them to my will. Not a good precedent to set for them to witness the dawn.”

“Better keep an eye on any recruits for your band then.” Leo looked out over the cold bay. There weren’t so many ships these days, but the old battleship had returned along with you, moored far out where the water was deep enough for it. This was as close to Lapizlazulli as it could get, as the drydocks were further south, where the shore was thoroughly dredged. It was no longer so modern, perhaps, but it was such a powerful ship that you couldn’t fathom what would get bigger anyways. The Imperatore, it was called, and it was the scourge of the Grossreich’s navy, yet it had not been able to decide the war in spite of its victories.

A lesson to write somewhere perhaps. A tale of folly, becoming lord of the sea when the vastness of the ocean had nothing on its surface.

-----

Some days later, your family arrived on a ship, along with much of your accumulated possessions. The old house in Pietrecirchio was rented out for now, in case you’d need it again, though you doubted that. With the monetary bonuses from the Trelani Republic government coming to a halt, you could use the extra income. Even if Leo had said that he’d take steps to make sure you didn’t have to worry about your individual finances.

Elena and her son had come along, too…the son who had heard his whole life that he was an adopted orphan, but that was far from the case. His adopted mother was in truth his real mother, and his father was…you. Not by your will, but conspiracy of your wife. Elena had been an old flame from your childhood, and she had accompanied you to Gilicia, and beyond, helped find your wife and children afterwards, had been a constant friend, but when she had been wounded and fearful in the battle to rescue Cesare and the other Vitelians in Fealinn, she had confessed the truth.

Since then, it had been difficult to see her the way you once did, and now, her son, you son, Benito, was old enough that he should probably know the truth.

Now was not the time for that, though. After you met Yena at the dock with an embrace and a kiss, picked her up and spun her about, hired the teamsters to cart your things to the new house, it was nothing if not time to introduce the children to Vitelia, their first glance of it, as even Vittoria would have been so young upon leaving here that she like as not wouldn’t remember a thing. A trolley ride to the edge of the city, then, considering the size of your party, there was little course but to walk rather than wait for the evening trains.

“Papa?” Chiara asked you on the trolley, “Where are all the Nief’yem?” Your sole green-haired daughter. The only girl of yours treated normally at home, and as young as she was, the most hesitant to come here, though she was only six years old.

“There aren’t any here, darling,” you told her. “Or there’s very few. They might all be on this trolley.”

Chiara looked around doubtfully. “Vi and Ydela are Nief’yem,” she pointed innocently, and you heard Vittoria snort at that from ahead, while Ydela muttered something under her breath across the trolley car.

“They just don’t live here, Chiara,” you tried to expand her worldview as quickly as possible, “When you see your grandfather, you’ll be where the Nief’yem live, this is too close to the ocean, there’s no mountains.”

Chiara nervously folded her hands in her lap and looked down- the six-year-old surely would have been the hardest to stifle questions from, but it seemed she was working out another one, which was how she felt about suddenly being the only person like herself here. Though she wouldn’t be alone in that, with Ydela letting her hood down only within the trolley, though the winter sun was not so harsh on her. Giuseppe next to her, quiet even for a four year old boy, would have little useful input.

“Papa,” excitable Luigi grabbed the first chance to take over your attention, from the seat behind “We passed by a battleship on the way here!”

“It was going back to the base, I reckon,” you said, “It was out here a few days ago.”

“Can you get us on it?” Luigi half asked, half demanded, “You were in the army, right? That means you’re allowed on, right?”

“That’s not how it works, I’m afraid,” you told the boy with a pat on his head, “I don’t think the Army or the Royal Navy would much like to do me any favors.”

“Why’s that?” Benito asked from beside Luigi. The two were as thick as twins, even if they didn’t know they were half-brothers. Their birthdates were so close together too, that…no, not now. “You’re best friends with Leo, and Cesare said that he’s the hero of the Vitelian Army.”

“It’s complicated,” you answered.

“Ask Padrino to let us on the Battleship, Papa!” Luigi demanded, “Please?”

“I’ll see what he can do,” you said, “But both Padrino and Papa are going to be very busy soon, alright? Have some patience.”

“Awww,” Luigi groaned as he collapsed backwards into his seat again. Well, maybe he’d forget about that when you could show him the Legion, though their heaviest equipment was little more than common transportation trucks.

“Mama,” you heard Ydela say softly to her mother, beside her. “This place…it’s very bright…”

“Yes, dear,” Yena said as she redid one of Ydela’s braids, “It’s a lovely place.”

“No mountain shade?” Ydela said doubtfully, “I don’t see woods…”

“You can carry around your own shade, dear,” Yena said to her, “You can bear the responsibility of a parasol, can’t you?”

Finally, ahead, you overheard Lorenzo talking with his older sister. “Is it like you thought it’d be?” He asked Vittoria.

“I don’t know yet, Lolo. We just got here.”

Lorenzo tilted his head. “You can tell plenty from the first look. How it’s close to the sea, how it’s not so cold. The cliffs, the people, how even the stones are different…”

“…Yeah, I guess,” Vittoria said, “I wish it was summer here, but I guess that’ll come around if we just wait. The people…there’s so many more here, even though the streets are smaller.”

“Do you wish…he was here?” Lorenzo asked carefully.

“Oh,” Vittoria glanced back with a frown. “…I told him if he’s a man enough, he’ll chase me down. I bet he won’t, though…” For how dismissive she was, she was hiding something, you could sense.

…Well. All the children were here, and Yena, and you did have a few days before you’d become substantially more occupied. If there was any time to resolve anything, or set time aside to do anything, it was now.

>Talk with/Do anything with your family in the coming few days?
>Other Things?

I have to work tonight so a bit of a hurried and casual vote rather than delaying until I get back.

>>6121037
>Talk with/Do anything with your family in the coming few days?

Take them to see the sights of Lapizlazuli, maybe bring the older ones to tour the Azure Halls to see if they're interested.

>>6121037
>Talk with/Do anything with your family in the coming few days?
Oh man, we really should have stayed the year to make sure all the kids would be acclimated. This is going to be a mess.
Ok.
So first up, we're going to need to talk to Chiara and Ydela.
It's pretty clear they're going to struggle the most with this new change, so we need to spend time with them, get them into the glory of their homeland and the beauty of the dawn and all that shit. As young women and as the most inclined not to enjoy this change they need to be educated as soon as possible. So that means lots of quality time with their father.
In general, though, I think it's important we let the whole family know what is about to go down and why. The Dawn is happening, it's go time.
I'm sure Palmiro hyped this move up as a glorious return, but as young as they are, some sense of the reality of the coming conflict needs to be imparted upon them so they aren't utterly blindsided by what happens next.

This can be done while showing them the sights.

>>6121037
>Talk with/Do anything with your family in the coming few days?
>Other Things?

>Show them where we come from. What we did here explain the differences between here and Trelan best we can.
>Do cool thing we used to do or enjoy as a kid they didn't get to enjoy. Statistically maybe 1 of them will like it right? Maybe even somethings that caters to each of the things they like. We don't have much time so better use it well Bonetto!

>>6121037
>Talk with/Do anything with your family in the coming few days?
Get Yena and HAVE MORE CHILDREN

>>6121037
Soup porting >>6121048

>>6121037
Ydela did mention the lack of shade, so maybe take her to a park? Or botanical garden, the little spread you provided did mention she likes forest walks. Oh, and definitely show them the other sights. The Azure Halls will definitely interest Lorenzo and the docks may interest Luigi.

>>6121040
>>6121048
>>6121150
>>6121386
Going sightseeing- settling the score.

>>6121353
twinkiefactory.mov

Updating.

>>6120970
I'm doing alright, I'm pretty far north for anything like hurricanes after all, and all the big earthquakes hit hardest further south. Knock on wood.

>>6121564
Also you.

Of course, today would be a great effort to move and unpack everything, though with the help of the teamsters that could be done rather quickly, especially with how much larger the new home you were moving into was. Not everything could be smoothed over by the spectacle of your new surroundings, though, and why would it, when you wished to set a Revolutionary example? Chiara and Ydela were the most uncertain, and why wouldn’t they be? Chiara suddenly did not belong, and Ydela never did. Vittoria had dealt with such feelings by acting out, but Ydela was a quieter and softer sort, and not strong of body. You’d have to do your best to support them- Yena did her best, but she was only one mother of so many children. No matter how well she handled being pulled in so many different directions.

So you put yourself to helping them in order once you were at the new home. Such young children were at least easy to awe, which helped cushion the landing some.

“This whole room is mine?” Chiara asked excitedly, as the sum total of her belongings failed to fill anything but a corner, and the preexisting furnishings included a bed that, while squat and accessible, would practically swallow the little girl. “I don’t have to share it with Ydela?”

“It’s all yours, sprout,” you rubbed her green head, “Do you not like Ydela?” You’d been away from the family in general for near a year, even with occasional visits, distracted by all the preparations made alongside Leo when you first came back last year’s springtime. With children, relationships could change readily in but days.

“Ydela doesn’t like me,” Chiara said with sad solemness, “I don’t think she likes anybody.”

“Did she say that?”

“No,” Chiara said, “But she looks it.”

“Ydela’s just shy, Chiara,” you told her, “You’re sisters, even though you look different.”

“Lui told me that all the people back home don’t think she’s Nief’yem,” Chiara said. “But isn’t she?”

“What they think doesn’t matter now. That’s not home anymore. Here is home. Vitelia was always home.” You pet her head further, “Whenever anybody asks, say you are Vitelian. Not Nief’yem. Whether or not they think it, that’s the truth. You’re like anybody else here. Okay?”

“Okay.” Chiara said with resignation. “…Do I have to be Vitelian?”

Little girls. One moment, she wanted to not be the one by herself. The next she wanted to be unique. She’d get better with time, trying to put it on her all at once wouldn’t work, but you hoped this would help.

Then there was the other misfit daughter.

Ydela’s birth had been a troublesome one, with Yena falling very, very ill following, and you couldn’t be sure how much of her present state was a result of that, but it was something you kept from her considering her physical abnormalities. She had her mother’s fairness, yes, but her skin was ghostly white and burned in the sun easily, and rather than being green eyed like every other member of the family, her eyes were a pale lilac shade that few who first met her had ever seen before. Her blondeness was practically silver-white as well, all in all, she was nothing like any other part of the family…or most everybody else she’d ever seen.

“How are you doing, Yde?” You asked as you intruded upon her room. The eight-and-a-half-year-old hadn’t gone through her things. Her elder brothers had thought that she might be partial to reading because of her condition, but you only rarely saw her looking through books, and now was no different, as she peeking through the curtains outside.

“Oh, hi Papa,” she said, without glancing back. “I was listening to you talking to sprout.”

Maybe she was more like Vittoria than you thought, if she was being so direct. “How are you feeling, then? Your whole family’s here if you need help.”
“I’m fine.” Ydela said. “…They won’t care about me not having green hair here. But they’ll still call me things like mole-thing.”

“Oh, Yde, you’re a beautiful girl like your mother, you shouldn’t listen to people who are jealous of you.” You stood next to her, and looked where she was watching. It was a window towards Lapizlazulli, with all of its heights, and the sea beyond in the dip to the docks. “This is home, Ydela. I haven’t been to a prettier place. It’s just as vibrant at night, you won’t have to worry about the sun at all.”

“But it’s scary at night.”

“How so?”

“There’s…” Ydela paused, glanced at you, then back out. “I don’t wanna talk about it. I don’t like the dark.”

She was just eight, after all. “It’s not just what it looks like from the outside,” You knelt next to Ydela and pointed, “You see that dome? That’s the Florentia Building, the natural sciences study place of the Azure Halls. It’s open to the public, and the top floor is dedicated to the study of plants and environments. Even at night, it’s lit brightly. There’s parks between the cliffs, too. When I was last here, the Giardino di Vitelstadt was overflowing with winterblooms from the east. Do you want to go see that?”

“…That’d be nice.” It’d have to do as far as an enthusiastic yes was concerned. “Can we go shopping too? I’ve been saving my allowance…”

Her allowance? Hmph. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll buy you what you want.”

“I wanted to get a parasol.”

“You’ll look a proper lady with one, I can see it already,” You took her hand, “These gloves are old too, aren’t they?”

“Papa,” Vittoria leaned in from out the door, “I wanted to go shopping, I can just take Ydela with me.”

“We can all go,” you suggested, but Vittoria frowned at that.

“I wanted to go myself. I can take care of her, y’know.”

What would she want to go shopping for without you, but with Ydela? “Spit it out, Vittoria, I already have one evasive girl in the room here.”

Vittoria rolled her eyes and sighed dejectedly. “I want an atom suit, Papa. Mom won’t hear of it, but I know that she has one.” Frankly, the one Yena owned wasn’t something you’d let your teenage daughter ever wear. “I’m not a child, I can dress myself.”

“Have some care for your younger sister, Vittoria,” you scolded her, “Is she going to be going down to the beach in suntan swimwear?”

“Come onnnn, please?” Vittoria protested, “I’ll wear things over it so it won’t be sleazy. At least let me go to the markets here, this city must have everything Emre did!”

Well, she probably wasn’t wrong. “Let me think about it.”

Vittoria sighed dejectedly, but it wasn’t a no, so she moved on. Ydela had been quiet the whole time, and only now added, “Papa…I want to buy something with my money…”

Ah. “I understand, dear, but,” You stood up again, “Don’t feel like you can’t have something because you don’t have money. There’s plenty you’ll have to learn about that sort of thing.”

Vitelia was a long way off from such, but the Revolution was coming…and your family would have to know that these would be times of great change. It’d be a lot to put on their shoulders, yes, but better to let them know early on, now that you were here, now that you were returned to your homeland. That could wait a day, though.

What couldn’t wait was your wife.

Yena was all smiles since she’d arrived here, and you wondered if you were as well, since you hadn’t seen her in so long. She fretted about the lines developing on her face, but as far as you were concerned, she was ageing like the best Vitelian wines. Or at least, what you assumed they aged like. If she dared to enter any more contests of beauty, you were sure that even as she closed on forty years of age she would crush the upstart youngsters even in Trelan. What a head-turner she would be here in Vitelia. One might call her an exotic foreign queen- if she was not thoroughly Vitelian since her birth, and also, if you wouldn’t reject calling her nobility on principle, even if she was the daughter of the village elder of Monte Nocca.

“It’s a lovely home, Palmiro,” she half squealed as she ambushed you in the entryway and wrapped her arms around you, “The children are elated, I know. You said that Leo provided it?”

“Against my wishes to compensate for it, yes,” You put your arms around Yena’s waist. It was still so narrow- something that was not so usual in your lives, depending on the year. “I’m glad you love it.”

“And so much left over for the family, because he gave you such a good deal. Ah, I’ll have to send plenty of baking over, now that we’re closer. Marcella’s birthday was just a few days ago, and we weren’t here to have a party for her. Marcy hasn’t learned to cook in thirteen years, and I simply do not understand…”

That made you laugh, considering your history with Leo’s wife. “The closest that woman will come to a stove is to take it apart and put it back together again.” Though a couple of the tanks you’d been around could be called ovens of a sort.

“I taught Ydela and Chiara to bake proper Vitelian bread before we left,” Yena said, “Vittoria needs to be convinced that she won’t keep a boyfriend if she never learns to bake, and she doesn’t have the figure to make up for that, like Marcella…”

“If she grows like her mother,” you put a cheeky hand on her sumptuous bottom, “I doubt that.” You took your hand off quickly, though. Frankly, Yena was being overly amorous already with all the traffic going through the house, and doing this when Elena was around felt…inconsiderate.

Not that Yena seemed concerned, and encouraged, she pushed closer against you and drew her finger down your chest. “We’re back home now, Palmiro,” she whispered, “You know what that means.”

“You’re irrepressible, darling.”

Yena grinned toothily. “You make women irrepressible, my lion. How can I help it? Do you know what it feels like to languish for months without so much as your embrace, Palmiro? I feel as though I’ve been starving to death…”

Yena could not have failed to notice that you were also seeing her for the first time in months. Yes, you’d done it the last time you visited her, but your body had grown acclimated to a wife who hadn’t grown any less lustful for you than she had been the very first time you took her while breakfast burned, almost seventeen years ago.

She was feeling similarly nostalgic, as she continued in quiet tones, “When I saw the cliffs from the sea, I thought about the time we made Lorenzo under their shadow,” she said with sultry excitement, “When Vittoria was so young, we could be so adventurous. I can’t help but want to return there, Palmiro. Don’t you?”

You pushed Yena back with but a steady finger. “Hold yourself back for a little while longer, dear.”

“I am holding myself back,” Yena said with a soft smile. “We’ll have to go out for Emck, and then…hm hm hm…”

…You’d find out how much that was true that night.

-----

“Papa,” Ydela asked as you trudged groggily up the hilly streets of Lapizlazulli’s central district with her and Vittoria and Chiara, “Did you sleep okay?”
As a matter of fact, you didn’t. Yena kept you up all night. Your wife was still in bed sleeping it off when you had departed, but you were kept moving solely by fatherly duty and the power of Vitelian coffee concentrate. She hadn’t been kidding when she undressed and said that she had to make up for all the lost nights, because it certainly ached like it.

Thankfully the new house had more room because in the old house you would have disturbed the sleep of the rest of the household. “Papa has a lot on his mind,” you said, which wasn’t a lie. “In the war, Papa had to stay awake for several days sometimes with nothing but coffee. I’m doing just fine.”

“Which war?” Vittoria asked.

“Both of them.” Though one wasn’t, technically speaking, ever a declared war, it may as well have been fought like one. “Chiara, stay close!”

Excitable little Chiara was undeterred by the steep slopes of Lapizlazulli. Trelan made mountain people as accustomed to irregular terrain as mountain goats. However, Lapizlazulli didn’t crawl with constables and harmony like Pietrecirchio and Pietranello did. Leo had warned you that many cities were not particularly safe if you strayed the wrong way, even Lapizlazulli. A consequence of the distress of the nation, more like a molding and crumbling bridge than a burning castle.

To the little girls, though, this city was nothing but new experiences, even as you kept a wary eye out for young toughs that might need a lesson in pain for approaching your daughters.

The Azure Halls were left for the next day, as you considered that Lorenzo would appreciate being shown such things, while Ydela would be satisfied by one of the valley gardens, especially in winterbloom, as the walls of the crack whistled with cool sea wind- though such threatened to blow Ydela’s new parasol away, and you had to chase it down more than once as your pale daughter clutched her hood over her head.

They were all having a ball, though, and you hardly had to do a thing except answer questions and explain the city. There was much different from Trelan, you explained as you and Vittoria sat on a park bench while Chiara kicked a freshly purchased ball about, trying to get Ydela to play with her by your request.

“Vitelia is a kingdom,” you reminded Vittoria, “but there isn’t a parliament like most other places. It’s something that Trelan has over us, that the people have a say even in the highest rings of governance. Lapizlazulli has its councils selected by popular vote, but most of Larencci must bow to the will of the high house noble who rules the province.”

Vittoria had been distracted from her quest for inappropriately skimpy swimwear by the flood of other things to capture her mind, thankfully. Maybe you could delay it until her sixteenth birthday. “Are the people just okay with that?” She asked.

“Here? Yes.” You pointed to the Azure Halls, “This city is an enclave of thought, a sort of pressure release valve. There’s a few places like this. We discussed it regularly, when I was a student there. All of the troublemakers are funneled to places like here, where they make themselves useful, and away from where they can foment discontent.”

“Padrino said there’s plenty of discontent here. But it don’t look like anybody’s doing anything about it.”

“No,” you said with a sigh and a nod, “The natural instinct of the people is to trust their leaders to get it right, eventually. It’s difficult for the average person to get up and try to steer many other like-minded fellows to do anything drastic. Not when they’re already struggling.”

“So that’s what you came here to do then?” Vittoria asked innocently.

Well, you’d never exactly been hiding that. “Soon enough, Vi. That’s why I’ll be so busy soon. Things will begin changing for the better very soon.”
Vittoria looked to the Azure Halls, then to the statue of the garden’s patron standing in the middle. A larger-than-life bronze portrait of a Halmeggian aristocrat with his arms wide and birds and flowers in his hands. “That won’t happen without a fight, will it? It never does.”

You couldn’t be sure if she was wary of it as a worldly person would be, or welcoming it, like you did when you were young. “Probably not,” you couldn’t lie about it, “But Papa will do his best.”

-----

The next day, you took Lorenzo and Ydela to the Azure Halls, first to the Natural History dome, but then, to your old study grounds- the Library of Nullus, or as most called it, of Saint Nullus, named for a rather apocryphal figure that left no chronicle, nor even a name, but who many philosophers called saintly in his own way, but that the Cathedra by no means canonized. This place was the house of history, humanities, philosophy, and the moment you walked in you bid your two children to look up.

“The ceiling of the Library of Nullus,” you said after a speechless moment, “Is one of the buildings that gives the Azure Halls their name.” The ceiling was a tiled coating of Lapizlazulli’s titular mineral a luxurious mingling of blue and black and flecks of luster, but the final aspect had been enhanced in the decoration above. “All of that is the charted stars, even those normally unobservable at night here. The planets and constellations. It ever sought to be more real than the real night on these shores.”

Lorenzo continued to look up for longer than Ydela did, and you had to shake him for his attention again. “Lolo, we’re not even at the books yet.”

“Sorry,” he shook his head, long, girlish locks swaying. “This…just made me think.”

“Of what?”

“I’ve been reading the book by Augustus Superbus, his first,” Lorenzo said.

“Taking after your guardian saint I take it.”

“He had something he said about many people,” Lorenzo stole another glance upwards, “That they’re too focused on the dirt and the grass, just because it’s what they can touch. He says that’s the difference between highest men, and those who are best as peasants. Just looking up and seeing the lights too far away to know. It just makes me wonder how many people have come in here and never looked up.”

Most thirteen-year-old boys didn’t read Augustus Superbus’s books, because they tended to be written in Old Vitelian. “Lorenzo,” you told your son, “Would you be fine if I left you here for the day when we go? I’ll give you money for food at the café here, and be back for you at nightfall. It sounds like we might just get in your way.”

Lorenzo gave you a look like he didn’t want to admit that would be the case. “I’d like that, sure.”

You led them towards the history wing, where reproductions of classical sculptures lined the walls, including marble busts of every single ruler of the Vitelian Empires, the Kingdom, even the Khanate between with the distinctively Dhegyar warlords.

“Trelan doesn’t go as far back as Vitelia does,” you told your children, “It is a breakaway. A stray from the great rock. Their history is ours. That’s what it means to be Vitelian.” You gestured to their heads, “No matter your appearance.” You pointed to the bust of Titianus Superbus, the first Emperor of the First Empire. “Do you know who that is, Ydela? Without reading the name.” You already knew Lorenzo knew.

Ydela wrinkled her nose. “It’s the First Emperor of Vitelia. I forgot his name.” She looked down. “Oh.”

“The First Emperor killed many, many people to ensure that nobody quarreled against his rule.” You moved your point down the line, “Augustus Superbus made those that once knew naught but each other’s differences feel as though they were the same people. That is what Vitelians remember, that the Trelani do not.”

It wasn’t like you’d brought your children here to give them a history lecture, but it was the most important matter, considering that they had to learn that they were Vitelian for true. They would learn plenty more, you hoped, just by asking about the many wondrous things on display here.

-----

The last day, though you had to spend the morning in bed longer as Yena insisted on a second night straight of extended intimate attention (and you would be loath to deny her, admittedly), you took Luigi and Benito out, Elena having stayed these past few days to help, as usual. The two boys were very, very good friends, and the docks seemed a good compromise for being unable to put them on a battleship, or even a warship in general. Though as you showed them the merchant ships, the fishing boats, the markets and even the naval station for the merchant marine where Royal Navy sailors and marines loitered about, you couldn’t help but think, as you gazed at Benito, and how similar he was to you in your youth…

Should you tell him, now? That you were his father? That Elena was his mother? Elena disagreed with you on even telling him, though you managed to agree that he had to know sometime.

You’d be going boating for a little bit, a common hobby in Lapizlazulli but something utterly unknown to both boys. Best not to sunder the mood during that, but considering how occupied you were going to be in the near future, should you let it be for even another moment, you wondered…

>These two boys were your sons. They already acted as brothers. Why not let them know?
>This secret was the boy’s mothers’ to reveal to them. They’d know the right time. Best not to tread on the women’s toes on this.
>Other?
Also-
>Other final household decisions, gifts and such? (Keep it brief, there's quite enough family time before the civlike)

>>6121881
>This secret was the boy’s mothers’ to reveal to them. They’d know the right time. Best not to tread on the women’s toes on this.
>Other final household decisions, gifts and such? (Keep it brief, there's quite enough family time before the civlike)
I don't know, something personalized for each of the kids based on their interests, there are just too many to go through while I'm distracted, sorry.

>>6121881
>This secret was the boy’s mothers’ to reveal to them. They’d know the right time. Best not to tread on the women’s toes on this.
>Other final household decisions, gifts and such? (Keep it brief, there's quite enough family time before the civlike)
Get the two oldest weapons, some refresher training, and a regiment for while papa is gone. I'm pretty sure Bonetto has gone out of his way to train them before so it shouldn't be too bad for them. Just something to keep them sharp.
While we're gone they'll need to protect their mother and the others from anyone trying to start trouble. Gangs or otherwise.

>>6121881
>This secret was the boy’s mothers’ to reveal to them. They’d know the right time. Best not to tread on the women’s toes on this.

>>6121881
>>This secret was the boy’s mothers’ to reveal to them. They’d know the right time. Best not to tread on the women’s toes on this.
>Other final household decisions, gifts and such?
Since Ydela seems scared of the dark, maybe there's someone in the city who sells protective talismans that ward off ghosts and evil spirits? Obviously those things aren't real anyway, but when it comes to superstitions it's the though that counts after all. Or at least see if the night light has been invented yet.

>>6121954
>>6122001
>>6122046
>>6122059
Let the moms explain this, considering the only time you were aware of what was happening you thought you only made one of them with it.

On top of that, get the house in order and address some short term things.
Personalized for everybody can be their birthdays frankly.
Updating.

…You wouldn’t tell the boys yet. That was something their mothers would have to handle, and they would, have, to tell them. They were still young, though, and now was not a good time to shake your family’s world further. You’d be treading on the toes of the state soon enough, best not to brazenly do that with Yena and Elena at the same time.

No, for now, you’d just enjoy the last day of free idyll with your children…while thinking about how you could prepare them for the days to come, and what you could do for them before having your attention diverted. At the very least, you’d repeat parts of the talk you had with Vittoria, and Lorenzo, about what would be happening soon. Luigi was only ten, going on eleven this year, but he wasn’t a fool, only brash. He could understand well enough the concept of tough times ahead when he had lived in Trelan during its march to a war, even if it was an easy one.

What wouldn’t be so easy was leaving your home undefended. Could you get a couple of your Aurora Legionaries to defend your household for you? Could you ask Leo to provide some bodyguards? Yes, but you also didn’t want to disrupt your home if you could help it, and part of the acclimation would be ensuring some power was in their hands. So, when you took Luigi and Benito back, you no sooner had Vittoria and Lorenzo out with you in the afternoon, utilizing an automobile that had been freshly provided. A convenience you’d rarely used in civilian life, though you knew well enough how to operate it.

“Where are we going, Papa?” Lorenzo asked after five minutes of driving out, “We won’t be back too late, will we? Mother’s excited about dinner today.”

“You and your sister need a little refresher on how to shoot,” you said, saving that for now. Yena would hardly approve, and you didn’t want to frighten her with the implications of why you were doing this. “Your mother is a kindhearted, caring woman. She can’t fight. She won’t. So while I’m not there, I need to trust you two to defend the home. You shouldn’t have to, but you know what they say. Better to be prepared than surprised.”

They’d been taught such things before, but in this little course, you went about fixing some mistakes made from laxness, building on what you could. It was hardly an ideal range you had, some patch of woods with enough hill behind it for you to not feel bad about shooting off guns, but it had to do. Frankly, Vittoria was good enough with the pistol that you wondered if she’d found extra practice somehow. It was a small, personal defense caliber, and even as your eldest looked to you for a compliment on her good aim, you reminded her.

“Remember, Vi. It’s not like an air gun. Only shoot somebody if you absolutely have no other choice.”

Vittoria frowned. “I know that.” She looked back downrange to the perforated can that was nearly shot in half at this point. “Papa? You’ve killed a lot of people, haven’t you?”

“Vi!” Lorenzo gasped in surprise, but Vittoria didn’t seem to intend any irreverence.

“I have,” you said. “No, I don’t think I regret any times I did it. But maybe I could have avoided doing it sometimes if I was more careful, or more thoughtful. I’ve commanded men who had no such cares, for example. That’s why I’m telling you, over and over again, even when you’re sick of hearing it. Remember what shooting somebody means.”

Some more practice- until you ran out of bullets, whereupon you got out the sparring sticks from the automobile.

“Alright then,” you said, “Let’s see how much stronger you two have gotten. Both of you at once.” You tested your own stick in your hand and swung it twice. “Come see if you can take down your old man.”

Vittoria and Lorenzo stared, wide eyed.

“Uhh…” Lorenzo coughed, “We can’t beat you, Papa…”

“Maybe not. But if somebody wanted to attack you, they might send somebody as skilled as me. Stronger, younger. So you two should be ready to work together, in case you have this fight.”

Vittoria, at least, was undeterred. “Padrino said this day’d come, Papa,” she said, trying to smile through her obvious unease, “…You won’t tell Mom if we beat you, will you?”

You snapped forward and rapped Vittoria on the forehead with the flat of the wooden stick.

“Ow!” Vittoria fell backwards, holding her forehead, before scrambling back to her feet. “Hey!”

“Don’t get cocky unless you get bigger than your Padrino, Vittoria. Now. Again!”

>Go easy on them. Let them think they can catch you off guard. That confidence will go further than just beating your kids senseless.
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.
>Other?

Short and Easy vote because I spent too much time messing with rules and stuff that I eased back on and it's very late and I'm tired, so I cut this in two.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.
Every long journey starts with the first step. Engarde, kiddos!

>>6122089
>>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

Any malicious party going after our family won't be playing around, best to get them into that attitude.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.
Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122089
>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnJqH7PxDPo

>>6122089
>>Don’t let them lose a proper sense of what they’re dealing with. If they beat you, it’ll be something they can boast of. Don’t let them have even a fingerhold on what they can’t take themselves.

>>6122096
>>6122101
>>6122113
>>6122115
>>6122129
>>6122154
>>6122349
>>6122370
>>6122378
>>6122383
You'll be damned if you have children that would play video games on easy difficulty.
First lesson! The pain reaction!
Work starts early today and I woke up late, but I have enough to get the update out before then. Writing.

They didn’t stand a chance, of course, as you spent the next hour sending both your eldest children flying and tumbling whenever they tried to come at you. Vittoria was energetic, but impulsive and short tempered, and despite what you’d told her about that before, she was far from a bruiser to anybody but other teenage girls. Lorenzo was craftier, but he was new to a fight, and you’d seen the tricks that he might have thought were foolproof for their ingenuity.

Yet they were learning, and one time, Vittoria and Lorenzo hung back longer than usual without attacking (a luxury you never simply allowed- the first time they tried to hold back and talk, expecting you to wait, you attacked them) and signalled something. Good kids. They were learning that their opponents could hear.

First it was both at once. This failed, as they learned the advantage of a long-legged sweeping kick, even if it cricked your back to do it after so long without practicing it. Then it was one in the shadow of the other. You grabbed Vittoria by the collar and threw her into Lorenzo like you were bowling. The tactic that finally worked was when Lorenzo went first, unlike every other try where he tried to make Vittoria lead the way, and he snatched for your legs. You didn’t kick him as hard as you could, but you were still impressed that he managed to hold on, and try to roll to pull you down. It set you off balance just long enough for Vittoria to swipe at you, and leave a scratch on your cheek.

“Good.” You held up a hand, as Vittoria’s eyes widened with dread upon realizing she’d hit you in the face, perhaps not what she intended. “Brush yourselves off. How do you both feel?”
“Like my dad kicked me in the chest,” Lorenzo sulked sorely as he got up.

“I could go for another hour,” Vittoria tried to put on some bravado, but she was even more winded than Lorenzo was, and she was still grasping at her side where you’d swung the sparring stick into her after grabbing an earlier failed strike by her wrist. You were surprised she wasn’t complaining about the strike you’d accidentally forced into her breast, which you simply weren’t used to your opponents having, nor your daughter, frankly.

“This’ll be hard to explain to Mom,” Lorenzo grumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair and tried to tie it back into a tail again, when it had shaken loose.

“Just don’t tell her about the guns,” you said, “And don’t tell them I gave them to you now, either. You have plenty of room to hide them in now. Be smart about it.”

“Gave?” Vittoria blinked? “I…thanks, Papa. But…does this mean you’re not getting the-”

“Papa, don’t get her the atom suit,” Lorenzo was blushing red, “I don’t wanna see my sister in that.”

“Shut up, you grass-capped little goblin-”

“Shh,” You shooshed them both, “If you wanted to fight, then you should have gotten it out earlier. Save it for your next sparring session.”

>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.
>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.
>Other?

-----

“What in the world did you do out there?” Yena asked as you led your eldest children back in, the sight of her in an apron once more sending your imagination spinning, even though she was fully clothed under it. “Wrestle goats?”

“Sparring!” Vittoria grinned at her mother, “We’re taking care of the house while Papa will be busy.”

“You were sparring?” Luigi popped out from the stairs upwards and ran to you, “No fair! I want to learn too!”

“Maybe when you’re less a little turnip sprout,” Vittoria teased him. Luigi gave her a smoldering look, then whacked her on the bottom as hard as he could and ran off. Vittoria yelped and sprang upwards, then tore off after him, shouting threats.

Yena was bemused by the activity, but sighed with a smile nevertheless. “She’ll be taking care of the house, hm.” She said sidelong to you, “At least she’s not found some bleached-hair dandy on the shoreline…”

“What’s cooking?” Lorenzo asked after. “Is it..?”

“Yes, Lorenzo,” Yena picked a pebble out of his hair, “With your Papa’s favorite, too. Since he’ll be hard at work soon, and might not have many hot dinners at home soon. Now hurry along, it’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

After dinner, and lounging about the house, resting off the day, it was about time to put the children to bed. There was one you had to spend some extra time on, though.

Ydela was sitting on her bed in her pajamas, on top of the covers. The curtains were pulled open- from the outskirts of the city, the night sky was brighter, not dark like from inside the brightly lit cliffs, though it still didn’t shine quite like it did when in the rural parts of Trelan. Or, oddly in your memories, like it did on the frontlines in the war.

“Hey, Yde,” you sat down next to your daughter, “It’s almost time for bed.”

“I know.” She said morosely, “I’m not tired, but I’ll try.”

“You said it was scary when it was dark,” you reached into your jacket and pulled out something you’d bought from a wandering mystic while out with the boys. It was a carved piece of salt stone, set into a resin backing framed with wood. A crude piece, all told, but the dangling spring cowries were said to ward off evil dreams of the depths. “I got this charm for you.”

Ydela looked, then reached out to take it, cradled it in her hands. “I thought you didn’t think evil ghosts were real…”

“They aren’t,” you said, “but if they were, then this thing will scare them off.” You gave her the same explanation the mystic did, as there was a certain logic to it. “The salt of the mountain traps them, and the cowries consume them,” you pointed to each piece, “And it’s scented with an anointment of honey, to warn of what they’re in for if they come close. So if you still feel anything around, it can’t hurt you.”

Ydela already seemed to feel better, like all of that made perfect sense. “Thanks, Papa.”

“Anything for my little girl, Ydela,” you stood up, “Now go under the covers, sweetie. It’s time to sleep.”

“Papa?” She asked meekly as you turned the lights off, “Could you stay with me until I go to sleep?”

“I think your mother wants me with her,” you said, but you went back to her anyways, and let her nestle against you until you were decently sure she was sleeping.

It didn’t put you in a mood to do the deed with Yena, who was waiting for you under a sheet, in the nude. To her disappointment, when you locked the door, you didn’t immediately seize her.

“Is something wrong, Palmiro?” Yena asked as she wrapped her arms around you, “Did the children say something strange?”

“No,” You said, taking your shirt off, “Ydela just couldn’t sleep. She might be better about it now. I got her a charm to ward spirits off with. She acts just like Vittoria did, sometimes. It’ll pass.”

“Mm,” Yena shifted over and straddled you, “You’re a good father, Palmiro. I chose well, don’t you think? Now hurry up, we don’t have all night.”

“Darling,” you moved Yena’s luxuriantly long hair from in front of her body, so you could look at it better, “I need to be up early tomorrow. We can’t go at it all night again.”

Yena leaned forward and kissed you, “Just once is enough, Palmiro. We just need another baby.”

“Just one more baby?” you asked as you leaned forward and kissed her back.

“I never said that,” Yena scolded, “I wanted ten…but I’ll settle for a couple less…”

-----

“You need some coffee, Bonetto?” Leo asked as you sat heavily next to him in the car he came to pick you up with, “Seems like you could use a few more hours in the sack.”

You glanced over at him and sighed.

“Yena?” He asked.

“Yena.” It wasn't like you didn't enjoy it, it was that you'd tried not to have this exact scenario happen where you were once again shriveled up in the morning.

“Reminds me,” Leo started up the car, “Marcella’s pregnant.”

File: port_giovanno.jpg (140 KB, 815x815)

140 KB JPG

“Congratulations.” You fiddled with a knob on the front of the car, “This has a radio?”

“New miniature type, yeah, doesn’t even make the car cost that much more. Just find whatever you like on there.”

“I thought you and Marcella just wanted two, though?” You asked, “Now’s a bit late. Your kids will leave the house while the youngest is still little.”

“Cesare and Chiara have been getting more independent anyways lately. I think she’s felt lonely,” Leo shrugged, “I always thought she felt the same with machines as she did with people, but then, I suppose she’s had a lot of time with them lately, and not so much with me. Makes me feel a bit bad, even if she says it’s fine.”

“You can’t make fun of me for not pulling out anymore, then,” you mused as you found a brass band on the radio.

“Like hell I can’t, Bonetto.”

Your new “office” in Lapizlazulli’s downtown was a multi-tiered building crammed into a corner, a thin structure, with only a couple rooms per its three floors from just looking at it. Newly purchased and appointed, a pair of tough looking young men sat in the foyer, standing up and saluting you and Leo as you came in.

“Signore Bonaventura, Signore Leone,” the younger one recognized you both breathlessly, “Good morning. The coffee pot is still hot.”

“Both of you have any?” Leo asked as he looked over to the small kitchenette in the back.

“No, Signore, not until you have.”

“Just grab some,” you said, though it looked like somebody already had a few cups themselves. “Are you two the only ones here?”

“No,” the older guard said, “There’s the new secretary. Yours, I believe, Signore Bonaventura.”

First you’d heard of them. “Well, Leo,” you said, “Better introduce me.”

“I actually had some good luck with finding them,” Leo said as he led you upstairs, “You know her. Or you might now, I don’t know.” He opened the door and let you in. “Antonia, we’re here.”

The smartly dressed young woman sitting at the file-smothered desk with a half-full coffee cup did indeed look familiar. The blonde hair, the green eyes, she could practically be-
“Hello, cousin,” Antonia said dully as she hooked a finger around her coffee cup. “I think this is the first time we’ll have met, actually. I’m your uncle’s youngest daughter.”

“Born just before you left, apparently,” Leo said, “You’re an inspiration in getting the country folk to head to the big city. I wanted to find somebody that Yena wouldn’t feel threatened about. I’d say you were in luck, but honestly, Bonetto, I think the rest of your family breeds the same way you do, so it might have been a guarantee.”

“A pleasure to meet you anyways, cousin,” you said with a nod.

“Come along then,” Leo gestured to you both, “To your chair, Bonetto. Top floor. Lovely view of the sea.”

Indeed. You stepped forth and eased yourself into the chair behind the desk, both rather shoddy dark wood with old cushions, but it was a start, and they were comfortable enough. “With that,” Leo said with playful gravitas, “You are now Chairman of the Larencci Revolutionary Leagues. You’ve got quite a bit of work ahead of you,” he tapped Antonia on the shoulder, “But you have capable help, and I know you can do it. I’ll just leave you to get it done. Call me if you have anything to report, any problems, or…hell, just to talk, Bonetto. I’ll see you around.”

Antonia didn’t waste a moment as Leo left, as she was carrying an impressive amount of files and folders, enough to compose several university tomes, and she laid them all on your nice clean desk immediately, filling it up completely.

“This is what you’ll have to look over,” Antonia said, “If you wish to be fully informed.

“This is rather a lot,” you said, picking up and glancing over a few small-text reports for a moment before letting it all go, “I’m used to this sort of thing, but not in this system.”

“Your part is simple enough. Just relay your instructions, and it will be done.” Your secretary flipped through a few more pages, and laid them down, beginning to sweep up the rest. “The beginnings won’t need you to utilize much information, anyways. It is doubtful your attention will be required for much of it at all, it is merely to inform what actions are practical, anyways.”

Alright then. Best to keep it slow and simple at the start, then. It wasn’t like you had a whole lot at your fingertips relative to the province…yet. Your main advantage at the start seemed to be being beneath notice…

“First, then,” you said, “These Revolutionary Leagues of Larencci. Where are they?”

“All here,” Antonia said, “Several hundred of them. From all over the province. There are more, but these are who was ready to answer the call in a short amount of time. Your mercenaries are also accounted for here, and ready.”

>Your base unit is the Revolutionary League. Politically motivated volunteers, they can be formed from 1 Manpower, but at their base, are unarmed and untrained. Making them into anything else requires resources, and potentially resource maintenance. However, they do not need to be armed to take actions such as agitation or protest.
>Your Aurora Legion are a different matter. They are well armed, well equipped, well trained and experienced, as well as privately funded by yourself. There are, however, not altogether many of them.
>Presently, you have 2 units of Revolutionary League, and 1 unit of Aurora Legion.

“…Fine,” Antonia said in a clipped voice, “Then ask me what you need to know most. I have prepared for this situation, and can tell you whatever you need to get you most acclimated to the present situation.

>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?

Again cut off early by work, but hopefully this is something substantial enough.

>>6122524
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.

>>6122532
>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?
Operation Goals. Potential Rivals and Threats. General Local Sentiment about the current state of affairs.

>>6122532
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.

>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?

I assume the full mechanics for stuff like resources and units will come in the next few updates, so I'll focus on more background knowledge questions.

-Info about the Territorial Lords of the province, or whatever the Vitelian equivalent is.

-Military/Gendarmerie/Police units stationed in the province.

-Major places of interest besides Lapizlazuli

-Other pro and anti-government organisations operating in the province (liberal democrats, far-rightists etc.)

>>6122524
>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.
We don't need to see Vittoria in an atom suit...

>>6122532
>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?
>The general sentiment of each province.
>The king's standing with his ministers (i.e. if he can be overthrown and replaced like interwar Romania)
>The sentiment of mid-level commissioned officers and if dissent can be sown among NCOs in the army.

>>6122524
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.
She is a woman of means, if she truly wanted it she would find a way.

>>6122524
>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.

>>6122532
>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?
Supporting >>6122545 and >>6122548 and >>6122558
Also general logistics and the like.

>>6122532
Seconding this >>6122566

>>6122548
Actually I'll swap to
>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.

Also is there some lines that got cut off for the last paragraph? From the wording it sounds like it.

>>6122524
>>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.
It might seem a bit hypocritical to deny her the atom suit considering how zealously we dressed our own wife in one, however I think Vittoria may be putting the cart before the horse here. First she must find a man who she cares about intimately enough to want him to see her in an atom suit; only then does the atom suit find its true purpose.
>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?
Among other things we need to know more about Antonia herself. She is our own blood, after all. Perhaps we can take her out to dinner?

That was the busiest Sunday in a god damn long time.

>>6122545
>>6122562
Can you stop this headstrong girl from doing what she wants anyways?

>>6122558
>6122566
>6122571
>6122574
>6122774
You will obtain this power when you know its true purpose.

>>6122545
The over under on what's even to be done.

>>6122548
Tell me more about where we are. On the ground as well as the political spectrum. Not any other spectrums.

>>6122558
A general overview- even if it's one over your initial scope.

>>6122774
You're a cousin figure with blonde hair and green eyes and you do my secretarial work, I have a strange urge to take you out to dinner and get intoxicated.
Nah I know what you mean.

Updating.

>>6122574
>Also is there some lines that got cut off for the last paragraph? From the wording it sounds like it.
Somehow, yes. Just a small portion, though.

----
“Forgive me, Antonia, but there’s so much to cover here that…” You put your palms up, “I’m not quite sure where to start.
“…Fine,” Antonia said in a clipped voice, “Then ask me what you need to know most. I have prepared for this situation, and can tell you whatever you need to get you most acclimated to the present situation.
----

Small enough, but I guess in my rush to get it posted I chopped out a line. Oh well.

>>6122524
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.

>>6122815
Are you going to have a ruleset doc for the civ part like you did for Ashen Dawn, or will the system be more simple than that?

>>6122532
>Any information on the Futurists groups. Which ones are most loyal to Leo, those that might potentially become more loyal to us, moderate ones, radical ones, etc.

>>6122524
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.

>>6122532
>What are the most pressing details you feel you need to know, now that you are in command?
>Popular support
>Elite support
>Logistics

>>6122524
>Lorenzo had a point, though. Vittoria could be rebellious if she wanted to be, but she could at least be a prudish one.
Can't think of any information to ask for other than what has already been mentioned

Update will have to wait until tomorrow, so you all know.

>>6122924
>Are you going to have a ruleset doc for the civ part like you did for Ashen Dawn, or will the system be more simple than that?
Nah, this'll be much more freeform and narrative. Getting things too crunchy will just get in the way for this I think.

>>6122524
>Though you had to side with Vittoria. She was a grown woman. She could have what she wanted.

You steepled your fingers, wondering how exactly you should act the part of Revolutionary Leader. Over time, being a military officer had lent a natural authority, but this didn’t feel the same. The feeling harkened back to earlier idealism, where there weren’t meant to be hierarchies. Because you were all young, optimistic, impressionable, and most decidedly, at the bottom of any ladder. Now that you had decades of experience, you no longer felt so validated to drag everybody down to the same level, at least as far as authority went. If you’d learned anything, it was that power, at least, belonged firmly in the right hands, the right ideals.

“Firstly,” you started, “What is our goal? The Revolutionary Leagues want many things, but what are we doing? Why? That needs to be defined before anything else.”

“Hm.” Antonia paused, “In the frame of Signore Leone’s plans? I’d think you’d be very familiar.”

“Of course I do. I’m just confirming what this organization’s aim is.”

Antonia thought for a second, but said something she’d clearly already put much thought into. “Succinctly, our goal in the long term is to seize control of the country. It might not be wise to repeat that elsewhere, but we are quite safe in this building to discuss such drastic actions. Obviously, that is not practical to do right now, but in the shorter term, our aim is to gain as much control as possible over the country, and here in particular, the province. Whether this is through alliances, insertion of sympathetic figures or outright seizure of authority, it matters little so long as you do not make outright suicidal decisions. As long as they all answer to you, and to the Revolutionary Leagues, and Signore Leone rather than the current authorities, then we will have progressed."

Antonia cleared her throat. "However, the most important thing is to be try your best to be circumspect about it. The aim is to be in as powerful a position as possible without either being forced to or forcing our opponents to resort to open warfare. Doing that too early, of course, would result in being crushed. The King’s Ministers already recommend martial law in some places such as the north, and it has only not been acted upon because of the Royal Family, as well as the protests of particular nobility, not to mention the Signore Delle Opinioni and the Vilja Domkarl.” While the ministers did have their own power, it came from the King, as they were advisors and executors of his will. For them to supplant his will, they would need to have particular control over him. Something they either were unwilling to gain, or the old king found some stubborn spine in him yet. The Crown Prince also had to be accounted for, being much like how Lucius IV was in youth.

In any case, the finish line was the stars, then. “And the usual suspects would be against this.”

“The King and the Nobility? Perhaps not as much as might be thought. Plenty of the nobility are vocal about societal ills and change. What their goals are may vary, but as a class, they are not united. Even King Lucius is quite passive, compared to his Ministers and the Provincial Dukes. There are also the counterrevolutionary fronts that are supported by them, as well as the Segrete Famiglie that are unofficial enforcement of the present status quo. Certain criminal organizations are more sanctioned and enabled than others when their actions suppress the right rivals. One cannot forget, as well, rival revolutionaries who would rather see themselves usurp our popular position. Vague, I know, but the totality of our enemies is not relevant to you currently. I will explain who opposes you in Larencci specifically when we arrive at the topic.”

“One last thing regarding the national scope,” you said, “I’ve been around the country. I haven’t been to Larencci in a while. How do the people here feel about the concept of the Revolution sweeping in?”

“Obviously, Lapizlazulli and its surroundings are quite open to it. In fact,” Antonia picked out an abstracted map that seemed to imply allegiances, “It is the sole territory in Larencci that we can presume is under our “control” in the way that we aim to have the whole province. Monetary benefactors, volunteer organizations, even weapons procurement pipelines are all effectively ours here. Of course, we do not control the Royal Navy, the garrisons, or other such things. Remember that our command and influence is of a subtle nature, but it is command. Not that it is enough. We need the province as a whole, right up to its Duke.”

Vitelia’s geographical structure had changed little over the course of the kingdom, even since the Second Empire, though the administrative definitions had. The provinces were each administrated by a Duke, and within the provinces were counties, ruled by Counts, but not necessarily in the case of free cities such as Lapizlazulli and other administrative abnormalities. The power of a Count was rarely absolute, either, as even their wealth had to be balanced with the support of their subjects lest their holdings become paralyzed. Officially speaking, the King had the power to revoke and grant authority to families at every tier of nobility, but King Lucius IV was not nearly as daring as he had been early in his administration. The power of absolute monarchy went unused most of the time, but in these times, the weakness of the King had allowed the Dukes significantly more power than they normally had, especially with their alliances in the King’s Cabinet.

“With Lapizlazulli’s presence and temperament, this must be the easiest province to flip, isn’t it?” You surmised.

“Yes,” Antonia said, with little to debate. “Starting anywhere else would be difficult, and pushing over any other province will be substantially easier with an entire province to call a base of operations, Signore Bonaventura.”

“We’re cousins,” you admonished, “Call me Bonetto.”

“No, Signore.” That sass from a younger, subordinate woman? Perhaps her demeanor wasn’t so prim and proper after all. “More than the cultural factor of Lapizlazulli, our main advantage here is not particular discontent or potential support, but that Larencci is much laxer. Other provinces would be far quicker to respond to the options we might try with force, while we are not strong enough to threaten to meet them in kind.”

Thus the reason for Leo saying this would be the easier task then. “So we don’t have particular enemies yet?”

“Rivals, yes. Enemies, not so much. We have not acted decisively enough to earn their ire.”

“Tell me about these rivals, then,” you said, though you could guess at a few of them.

“I take it that you are familiar with those who call themselves the Augustans,” Antonia reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette box. She also had a lighter in her hand soon after- and didn’t ask for permission to smoke before she lit up. Only now did you notice a plain porcelain ashtray on your desk. “Considering your history and friendships. As well as the Vinstragan Vanguard.”

Indeed, you were. The Augustans were most popular amongst military officers and similar militarists. Their ideals were simple, and consisted of “whatever leads to the restoration of Greater Vitelia, is correct.” A mercenary attitude but a certain goal, they were currently most defined by being dissatisfied with the King and his administrators. The most famous Augustan was of course was General De Nuvolere, and if you had gone north, you would doubtlessly have had their support for similar actions to take back Vitelian land.

Given how a large proportion of the Gilician Conflict’s result had been based on a demoralized and dissatisfied army, it might have been assumed that the problem would have been addressed. To some degree, it was, particularly with the officer corps, but the army’s funding had been cut in favor of noble kickbacks that were meant to aid ailing economies. As you and Leo had found out, despite any good intentions of such a practice, corruption had ensured that this had not led to prosperity.

In short, the Augustans and the martial class in general could be friends or enemies at a whim, regardless of idealism, unless you somehow made yourself a lifeline or a member of their club. Or did something quite extraordinary in advancing their goals.

The Vinstragan Vanguard, on the other hand, were arguably what Lapizlazulli was most influenced by. They were a loosely defined group of intellectuals from all walks of life, from dubious dabblers in futurist theory to master professors, and members came from all walks of life, including a particularly large portion of upper class and nobility. To call them a particular faction might not be accurate, as the collection of members were more coffee house associates and debaters rather than true allies, but their moderate views meant they were as risky to overstep near as they were easy to appeal to. Republicans, liberals, they were coffee with the cream in it, to put it bluntly. They’d see how well that worked out for them.

“Tell me about these other three,” you pointed further down the page to miniaturized photographs, most taken covertly from the looks of it. “The Utopian Front, the Giardino Rosso, and this Stato Futuro. In order.”

“The Utopian Front,” Antonia said with a sniff, “Are a collective of idealists. A mob of people who agree on an easy idea. To solve poverty by taking from the rich, or forcing them to pay for better social programs. To say they’re doing more than preaching to their choir would be a laughable implication, but they are quite popular with the lowest rungs. And why wouldn’t they be? But that leads us to their adjacent, less savory brethren. The Giardino Rosso.” She produced a logo from her files, a collection of four red flowers whose vines intersected into a cross. “You could call them the militant arm of the Utopian Front. They claim no affiliation, but that is simply a lie. Most of the leadership of this organization are expatriates from Emre, and their followers have one goal. Violent uprising and subversion. They consider no diplomacy and they accept no compromise. Such things are for the Utopian Front. They would be very useful if they weren’t so dangerous. Their entry into Larencci’s political sphere could be very damaging to us if they do anything to cause tensions.”
That left the Stato Futuro. “This is a foreboding name they have here. And a presumptive one.”

“They are the ones the least is known about,” Antonia said, sounding somehow hurt that she had so little to say about them, “Because they act very subtly. The most that we know comes from an anonymous member who told us where to find certain things. Those things told us that the Stato Futuro are a group of power brokers lying in wait for opportunity. A chance to install themselves and their cabal under a new, powerful, popular leader, to replace the old order’s monarchy.”

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So, that was people against the status quo- or perhaps for it, depending on what direction it took. Anybody with even a fraction of knowledge about these competing groups could see why Vitelia was in such flux, but that it held together at all was due to the Status Quo, the Powers that Be, the current authority. A network of stakes and chains of nobility and military and unconscious society whose inertia kept Vitelia going in spite of everything.

“Tell me about who’s going to get in the way, then,” you went on. “The army, I take it, but we’d have to be fools to provoke them.”

“They are close by in particular force, and thus must be accounted for. Larencci borders Halmeggia,” Antonia said, “And Halmeggia currently occupies land that has been officially ceded to Vitelia by the Reich, ostensibly to protect their citizens. Tensions are understandably high, and military presence similarly alert in the border regions and settlements. Even if Halmeggia is about as threatening as a fishmonger’s backroom. While they’re more focused on looking east, it would be a fantastically poor idea to be enough of a problem to distract them from that task.”

“But they are distracted, though,” you observed.

“They are. So the primary enforcement besides the city police are the Larencci Household Troops…who have supplanted them in most of the province anyways. Besides here in Lapizlazulli. The constabulary is much like how you left it, though it is underfunded. The policing of the streets here is no longer your responsibility, though, so don’t pay it mind. There are more important matters for you in particular.”

The safety of Lapizlazulli seemed very important to you, especially considering your family lived in it, but Antonia was right. You weren’t being entrusted with cleaning up streets or snatching delinquents, the cleanup could take place when you could clean everything up.

“It sounds like enforcing law and order may be an option to take over, even so,” you said.

“If it is done to assert ourselves as the unspoken authority, yes.”

“Then it is an important matter.”

“Attempting to asset authority that was has the potential to step on toes, Signore. The better options if possible are to avoid an expansion of responsibility. Our manpower is not infinite. Assuming the duties of the state before we are the state frees up their resources. They are our enemy, lightening their burden is not conducive to the Revolution.”

Disowning charity and service made you pause for thought. Yes, you would be much more able to try for it later, but you expected the voices within to speak up at such a dilemma. They were, however, silent. Perhaps their thoughts were too obvious to have to speak them now?

“I can’t help but notice,” you had reminded yourself, “That the subject of the Church has not come up yet.”

Antonia brushed her hair from her face. “A foregone conclusion. The Utopian Elite may proclaim their atheism as wisdom, but the overwhelming majority of the country follows the Cathedra as strongly if not more so than the King. Crossing the Church will please a select few and nobody else. Besides, you fought alongside the Gilicians and the current Vilja Domkarl. Years of effort would be wasted by aligning yourself directly against them.”

The Church in Vitelia was as much a structure of the old order as the State, however. They would be loathe to sacrifice their present position, you presumed, and the Revolution could not be second to anybody, unless perhaps, it could not help but be second to God. Unless some considered them to be one and the same? Such an idea certainly wasn’t amongst those floated by the old Young Futurists. That was more an idea that Chiara might have followed…

“So that’s the cast of this play,” you said, “Show me a map of what we’re working with. It’s been some time since I’ve had to look at the whole of the province.” An understatement. Most inhabitants of Lapizlazulli forgot the rest of the province even existed, outside of Alessandra’s Bay.

Antonia bid you wait a moment, and returned with a map, as well as an overlay, both of which could be pinned to an easel that had been folded in a corner. The overlay had the effect of removing much of the detail, save for presumably the important parts.

“This is Larencci, separated into its counties,” she said, “As well as the important settlements within, their county capitals are named primarily.” Counties tended to be named after their capitals, and referred to as such. “The others are local centers not special enough to name in the scope of these operations.”
“Like where we come from.”

“We would not even be on a map like this, Signore.” Antonia pointed her cigarette, “The southern terminus is our territory. It needs no introduction. Lapizlazulli is wealthy, industrious, and populous. To its north is Larrocia, the seat of the Duke Di Larencci, Di Giovanneluce. The provincial capitals are where the majority of Household Guards and city police are to be found, as well as the most people and resources of the county. It has been a chaotic place as of late, however. The Household Guards and police have both been very busy with extremely active cells of the Utopian Front as well as their friends, and plenty of Vitelian Vanguard movers and shakers have chosen the city as their place to congregate. Some of them for our direct benefit, others perhaps not so much.” She dragged on her cigarette, and then tapped her chin with the back of her cigarette as she exhaled smoke, “It may be a difficult obstacle, but control of the provincial capital is extremely important. As are the county capital settlements.”

You pointed to the right of Larrocia on the map. “Alessandra’s Bay, then. One of the main bases of the Royal Navy and its dry docks.”

“And everything and everyone that supports it. It should be obvious that military bases are not places for violent action, but you can be certain that you may find those who would exert force for you. The Royal Army and Navy are not beholden to the authority of the Duchy, where the Household Guards and Police are. Needless to say, the Augustans have much sway in Alessandra’s Bay, and could be helpful there, or a hindrance.”

An act of centralization under the king before the Emrean Liberation, though who could say how much it helped keep loyalty to the king rather than divesting the provinces of their martial prowess. “Halmaluce,” you moved on, “A free city with special rights to Halmeggian trade, if I remember correctly.”

Your secretary-cousin nodded. “You do. Tensions have been quite high between visiting traders and their contacts, and the military garrison. The Duchy would take particular note at being subverted there if it went the wrong way. Halmeggians may lack might, but they know petty scheming well enough when it comes to diverting strength away from them. They are doing so, supposedly, through a criminal underground. Though we would need to investigate further to be certain.” Antonia took the lead for the next county. “Larrocompato. The northern capital, some call it, and a vital county. In a theoretical action against Halmeggia, it would be the heart of preparations and assembly. That means plenty of trade from the north flows through as well.”

“The boons of riches and the risk of the attention of the army if we do anything wrong,” you said.

“Not so much as you may think. The actual strength of the Royal Army headquarters itself north in Castellargo, where that presumption would apply. Larrocompato is where the Duke Di Larencci takes extra care to preserve power, though in his place, he has bequeathed it to his son, who has…Revolutionary sympathies, it is rumored.” She took a deep breath of finality on the cigarette, “Then there is Sudoscuro. It is a backwater of little importance to anybody.”

It was south of Chiara’s lands, though. What should have been her lands.

File: LarencciMap.jpg (363 KB, 1700x1473)

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“I will explain these marks on the map, Signore,” Antonia leaned forward and snuffed out the cigarette on the ashtray on your desk. “They are abstract, of course, but are not generously so. They are reasonable low estimates. The only reliable kind these days.”

>The first important resource is money, coin, wealth, under the Vitelian Silver Libra. Money is a multifaceted resource, able to be used to buy and bribe, but also necessary to upkeep anything that requires such things as wages or maintenance. On the map, it is marked with an o symbol.

>The second resource is Manpower, MP. This represents willing recruits and allies to your cause that are outside of particular obligation such as, say, operating the economy. Anything that requires people to do, requires Manpower. Unlike other resources, in this current phase, Manpower is static, rather than a per-turn income, though opportunities to secure more or extract more from territory will occur. Manpower is marked with an i symbol.
>The third vital resource is Armaments. Armaments are important to provide the means for any violent action, or to threaten with them, or defend against them. Most importantly, they equip militant units, which are the actual means of doing such, and accumulating them is important in maintaining such units and their operations. Armament income is marked with an x symbol.
>Taking control of a region grants access to its total resource output. In order to control a region, you must control of over half of its Vital Settlements including its capital- often towns or cities.
>Each “Turn” takes place over the course of two weeks, though events may interrupt this normal flow if your personal attention is required/requested.

“That should be everything for now,” Antonia said with a sigh, “As far as larger scale matters go. We can break for a while before I tell you how our “forces” can be employed. You will, of course, not be leading them personally. You have better things to do.”

“I’d appreciate a break, yes,” you said, “If you don’t have plans, Antonia, would you like to come over and have dinner with my family? They’ve not had much chance to meet their relatives yet.”

It had been a friendly gesture, but Antonia had a slight curl of the lip that implied annoyance unsaid. “…I would rather not meet your mountainfolk, Signore Bonaventura. I believe you should avoid reference to them in general when doing this work.”

“Explain.” Though you already had an idea of it, you wanted to hear how she would put it. Especially since you hadn’t actually said yourself that Yena was a Nief’yem.

“Speaking freely, most of the hill folk would find your choice of relation distasteful at best, regardless of the presence of green-hairs within the boundaries of Greater Vitelia. Most consider their loyalties divided and their beliefs to be but a sleight of hand to conceal outright Earth Paganry.”

Perhaps with Yena that was true, but not with the children, as far as you knew. “That isn’t anything that you nor anybody else need worry about. I am not a double agent for some mountain cabal, I can assure you.”

“It isn’t that. It’s just public perception, Signore. Regardless, I will leave for a break. When we reconvene, we can proceed.”

So, Antonia left the room with a resolute clacking of high heels, while you set your eyes on the map of Larencci. Where to start, you wondered. Obviously, the capital of the province was just to the north, and attempting to act upon it would be very decisive, but you seemed to lack particular information on it. Other provinces were more out of the way, but perhaps easier with your limited forces and resources. Though Antonia seemed confident that what you had would be enough to get the ball rolling nevertheless…

>Select a southern county to start operations in. After this initial selection, you will only be able to act upon and move into counties and settlements adjacent to or with a railway to a controlled county or settlement.
>Larrocia, the provincial capital. It might be the center of the duke’s authority, but that also might mean it would be the most significant piece to topple, if you were bold enough…
>Alessandra’s Bay would be vital to control for its military presence alone. Perhaps making inroads there would make bargaining with the armed forces easier later?
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.
>Other matters to take care of/request after? (Further mechanical aspects will be explained after this choice.)

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

We need expand our own foothold first to get the ball rolling, and to mak sure we're not too dependent on the graces of other factions.

My envisioned order would be Hamaluce>Larrocampato (see if we can flip the Duke's son)>Sudoscuro>Castellargo/Baia di Alessandra>Larroccia

>>6123992
>>6124010
Also not sure if it falls within other matters but between the Army and Navy is either one noted to be more radical or pro-government in particular?

Was thinking about how a lot of the revolutionary actions in WW1 came from sailors (Kiel mutiny/the Baltic Fleet's role in the October Revolution). Though IIRC the King favoured the Navy pretty heavily in his early days and unlike the Army they had some success during the War so they might remained more loyalist?

>>6123992
>>Larrocia, the provincial capital. It might be the center of the duke’s authority, but that also might mean it would be the most significant piece to topple, if you were bold enough…

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.
Save the bold moves for a bit later.

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

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>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

>>6123992
>>Alessandra’s Bay would be vital to control for its military presence alone. Perhaps making inroads there would make bargaining with the armed forces easier later?
We need to get Luigi on board a battleship so we need to ally ourselves with the navy. It's the only way.

>>6123992
>Alessandra’s Bay would be vital to control for its military presence alone. Perhaps making inroads there would make bargaining with the armed forces easier later?

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

>>6123992
>Larrocia, the provincial capital. It might be the center of the duke’s authority, but that also might mean it would be the most significant piece to topple, if you were bold enough…
Fortune favors the bold.

>>6124272
Why do we need to have Luigi on a battleship again?

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

>>6124289
Because he wants to go on one >>6121035

>>6124289
>Why do we need to have Luigi on a battleship again?
How else are we gonna get a Panzerschiff Commander spinoff

>>6124010
>6124037
>6124050
>6124223
>6124260
>6124280
>6124291
To Halmaluce.

>>6124029
>>6124289
Aim High.

>>6124272
>>6124274
Go for the sea power.

I won't be able to update until I get home from work today, this afternoon turned out to be really busy.

>>6124014
>Also not sure if it falls within other matters but between the Army and Navy is either one noted to be more radical or pro-government in particular?
The Army and Navy both, at one point, were supported quite generously by the King, but that was quite some time ago now as both have languished following the Emrean War.
Granted, they both rather appreciate the king himself, but neither is that fond of his government or its demeanor, thus their proneness to adventurism such as in the west.

>>6123992
>Alessandra’s Bay would be vital to control for its military presence alone. Perhaps making inroads there would make bargaining with the armed forces easier later?
This sounds like fun.

>>6123992
>Other matters to take care of/request after?
How's the Halmeggian Utopian movement doing right now? Any chance to get resources from across the border?

>>6123992
>Halmaluce was in a precarious state from the sound of things, and thus ideal for you to take firm actions within. It should be the easiest to start with of the south, and your start would be better off easier than not.

Going for the provincial capital or Baia di Alessandra seemed like it would require the aid of potential rivals. Not a grand start for the people who you intended to bring about the Dawn in Vitelia. No, you’d rather begin with a victory you could call your own, and that meant beginning this revolution in Halmaluce. Would it bring the revolution to Halmeggia too, you wondered.

Maybe. You knew rather little about the eastern neighbor’s precise problems at present, but you knew at least two things for certain. One was that the Halm-Auric family that ruled the country was in constant backstep in authority as its antiquity meant little to the ambitious up and comers, and the other was that the people seeking to assume the monarchy’s authority had either an assumption of invincibility or remarkable ignorance for what was expected of them. The Halmeggian Parliament, meant to be an extension of the people’s will to properly rule the country alongside the king, made infamously poor decisions throughout its existence.
Arbitrary taxation, planning shortfalls, failure to pass through or enact policy and self-effacing trade deals were normal policy, and individual initiatives from the throne or the nobility often had to fill in for the failures of the government. It was said that the typical Halmeggian expected as much from their Parliament as they expected from intellectually disabled children. Some said that it was because they were mere puppets of the nobility, some the same but for the royal family, and some further said that it was a conspiracy by the Halmeggian upper class to demonstrate representative democracy as a foolish endeavor compared to the decisiveness of Absolute Monarchy.

Or as the Young Futurists said, an example of the ineffectiveness of Republican theory, let alone blended with old style monarchy.

That was what you had heard in idle rumor throughout the eighteen years of the Halmeggian Parliament’s existence, as far away as Trelan when travelers and expatriates would bring news. What most Vitelians thought was that anything wrong was a plot by the Reich, though. Would there be resistance or revolutionaries to potentially work with across the border? Who could say yet? You’d certainly not heard of a significant movement despite the discontent, likely due to lingering loyalty and hope for the golden-eyed royals, still coasting leisurely from times long passed where their ancestors broke the back of the Dhegyar Khanate. Perhaps in the future…

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After you’d gone down and gotten coffee from the first floor, you returned to your desk, thinking now about Halmaluce and how you might make it yours rather than taking any recess. You had the Aurora Legion, true, but they were just around one hundred fifty fighters, three platoons and their support staff. A small infantry company. Not enough to capture a city were it a siege in a war…though certainly more armed men than a medium sized city such as Halmaluce would have as a police force. That was even before you counted the Revolutionary Leagues you currently had at your disposal. That would be the next topic when Antonia returned.

“It’ll be Halmaluce,” you told her once she had come back, “It’s the one we can most likely take over without needing help.”

“Very good, Signore.”

“I wanted to ask about the Revolutionary Leagues available to me. I’m familiar with their organizations, but that tells little.” Especially considering how varied they were in effectiveness and styling. Often their only similar quality was that they threw in behind Leo. “Especially compared to my own private force.”

“I am no soldier, Signore,” Antonia said, “But I can tell you the obvious. Even though many Revolutionary Leagues include former military personnel, that is not a rule nor a majority, and they are certainly not organized like such. When it comes to martial prowess, I’m sure your personal troops are better. Even if they employ many foreigners. Many mountainfolk.”

“Captain Donomo Alga is quite Vitelian, Antonia.” You pointed out, “But I see your point. They could be seen as foreign entities in the wrong situation.”

“There are Emrean expatriates in the Utopian Front, but they are not so outwardly recognizable. That, and the Revolutionary movement has particular respect for them. I am simply stating what I believe the average Vitelian would think.”

“Moving along,” this topic would go nowhere. You weren’t about to cull the ranks of your experienced fighting men for appearance’s sake, especially when you doubted that most would consider it more than a petty annoyance anyways. “What are these Revolutionary Leagues’ capabilities? We have several hundred of them ready now, I want to know what they can do.”

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“A rabble at your command, basically,” Antonia seemed hesitant to disappoint, but this was the reality of it. “They do as any large group of people might. Aid, advocate, intimidate, protest, spur action, get up to mischief in general. Their main qualities are their numbers and willingness to follow your will. Anything further will require special effort to prepare them.”

Something that would be aided if you utilized the Aurora Legion to train and organize them, but you didn’t necessarily need soldiers, depending on your plans.
A plan you ought to decide on now, given that you’d decided where to act.

>You lacked sufficient information to act particularly forcefully. Spread your forces throughout the county to gather information first, perhaps to simply observe and wait for opportunity.
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.
> You needed as many troublemakers as possible, able to cause as much mischief as possible. Arm these Revolutionary Leagues, and send them off to Halmaluce, to infiltrate and await instruction. (Equips Revolutionary Leagues with Armaments, -1 for each, no upkeep)
>Hold back on deployment for some time. Better to have people capable of actual coordinated operations than a mob, when you deploy them- even if they’d hardly be proper soldiers. (Spends the turn training Revolutionary Leagues into Revolutionary League Militia, more capable, but requiring upkeep of -1 Armaments per turn)
>Other?
Also-
>You now have access to your resources. Manpower is static based on owned provinces and attained bonuses- but may be found in other ways.
>Lira can be used to buy Armaments at a rate of 1-1 and Manpower at a rate of 2-1. However, money can be very useful for other things when deployed in large amounts, so it may be better not to go bankrupt.
>Manpower can similarly be used for things besides offensive usage.
>You may also raise as many Revolutionary League from spare Manpower that you have, and arm them for the cost of -1 Armaments. However, to train them into anything else, they must be deployed first, then trained.

>>6124902
>You needed as many troublemakers as possible, able to cause as much mischief as possible. Arm these Revolutionary Leagues, and send them off to Halmaluce, to infiltrate and await instruction. (Equips Revolutionary Leagues with Armaments, -1 for each, no upkeep)
Why does the map look like Maine...

>>6124902
>>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.

Well alright then.

So, what I'm getting from a two vote tie in basically the very first turn is that what I've got planned here isn't going to work out. That's fine, it's still early so it's not that big of a pain in the ass to discard it and start again, but I'm going to need to know as soon as possible if that's how it's going to be, because it's going to take some time to plan out an alternative.

I am absolutely not going to be potentially rolling off every turn resolution.

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.
The silent majority stands by us, we need only to give them a voice.

>>6124902
>You needed as many troublemakers as possible, able to cause as much mischief as possible. Arm these Revolutionary Leagues, and send them off to Halmaluce, to infiltrate and await instruction. (Equips Revolutionary Leagues with Armaments, -1 for each, no upkeep)

>>6124902
>You needed as many troublemakers as possible, able to cause as much mischief as possible. Arm these Revolutionary Leagues, and send them off to Halmaluce, to infiltrate and await instruction. (Equips Revolutionary Leagues with Armaments, -1 for each, no upkeep)

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.
We need to put off arming as long as possible so we may get a good societal outlook.

>>6125211
How big are the various settlements roughly?

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.

>>6124902
>Around five hundred men was enough that you could just assert yourself. Though not necessarily violently. Deploy all your forces to Halmaluce, though keep the Revolutionary Leagues unarmed. They were there to affect societal change, not to kill people. If they needed help then that was what the Legion was for.

>>6124911
>>6125229
>>6125237
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4VxOr31kzI

>>6124919
>6125214
>6125215
>6125313
>6125327
>6125419
>6125423
Everybody's taking a trip to the city. No playing with guns unless you're paid to.

Updating.

>>6124911
>Why does the map look like Maine...
spoilers

>>6125390
>How big are the various settlements roughly?
Large town sized, population of several thousand at most- though they're more representative of support in the countryside than being important in and of themselves.

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The Aurora Legion’s one hundred eighty two personnel, combat, command, and support staff included, were sent off with the three hundred and sixty eight Revolutionary League volunteers to go to Halmaluce. You held a brief meeting with the Captain of the Legion beforehand, to make sure he was on the right track. Donomo Alga was not a brutal minded warrior- if anything, he was the opposite, and he could be trusted not to make an unnecessary scene. The Aurora Legion in general might have been just as Revolutionarily motivated as the Leagues were, and perhaps even more knowledgeable on the fact, as philosophy was an important part of drill as well. Your troops knew Ange, Doumer, and Marevetro (The authors of the basis of Utopianism, the dialogue of its ideal structure compared to contemporary corruption, and the analysis of economy and what bound it and directed it, respectively) as well as they knew their weapons. Perhaps the Aurora Legion was not as large as it could be, but it could not be said to be a cynical formation for that.

“Signore Bonaventura,” the dusky Sea Vitelian, Alga, saluted as he entered your office before the deployment had occured. “Our platoons are boarded on the ferries, as is all of our equipment. I’ll be boarding a seaplane courier the moment our meeting is finished.”

“Nothing new to report, then?” You asked, “Have you been to Halmaluce before, Captain?”

“I have not, but a few of the men have,” he said, “Besides. We aren’t going to cause trouble, are we?”

“I should hope not. But the Revolutionary Leagues may need your help.”

“We will be ready for anything.”

“One more thing,” you looked over the Aurora Legion’s documents another time, “What are these…acquisitions? I certainly didn’t procure them.”

“Ah, ha,” Alga said sheepishly, “They were…a dowry?”

“An Emrean Cannon Zephyr model of 1910 tank was a dowry?” This would be an interesting story.

“Some Feallinnese drove them out and got them stuck in our territory. The locals stole them and gave them to us for our good behavior. They thought we would protect them with them. And we did, for a time. One of the Kallean’s wives knows her way around it.”

“Was it her dowry?”

“Ah, no, one of the NCOs bagged a Holherezhi outrider woman.”

“…You know what? Good.” You put the page away. “I’ll hardly complain about the bargain.” For some reason, Alga seemed to think he was expecting a dressing down, and he loosened his shoulders. “Just remember. This won’t be a holiday, like some people thought Holherezh was. There won’t be any language barrier, but Segrete Famiglie won’t ever try and fight a force like you head on. Practice the utmost care. Leave the stupid mistakes to the Revolutionary League, and if you can, stop them from making them too. Anybody who gives you trouble, tell them you answer directly to me.”

“Yes, signore.”

“That will be all. Send me a telegraph when you land.”

That was that. You met the leaders of the Revolutionary Leagues as well, and though they were eager, they were also as young and inexperienced as expected, and you doubted they listened to any warnings or advice that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They’d be useful in their own way. Especially since, as they went without weapons save for whatever small things a few of them might personally own, they wouldn’t be able to cause you the worst trouble even if they wanted to. As you told them, they were there to affect change, not to kill people. All they needed to do was make the silent be heard.

As long as there was a silent Revolution waiting to be spurred within that place.

-----

Two weeks had passed. Not that you hadn’t been kept busy, and when you did make it home, you usually were of little mind to do anything but eat and go to bed. After days of intermittent touring, analyzing reports, seeing the people and various other tasks set out for you to solidify your role as the Leader of the Revolution in Larencci, you found yourself short on metal energy and focus at any other time. What were the children up to? Was Yena’s smile a genuine one and not a forced one? Already, you were losing track of your family again. You consoled yourself with the thought that things would calm down over time, as the biweekly report from Halmaluce, the very first, came in.

“All of your men and the deployed Revolutionary Leagues are embedded within the city, Signore, Antonia read off the telegraphs, “…You have already drawn some eyes, but such was inevitable. The activists are the least are unarmed, and the mercenaries there for their protection. It is difficult for them to ascribe any violent intent to you yet.”

>Various actions will raise HEAT, the amount raised depending on the severity of action or event. Deploying forces will only raise Heat by a very small amount, while acting forcefully will raise it by a large amount. The higher that Heat is, the more drastic actions taken against you may be. Reducing Heat is available by performing innocuous or charitable deeds, or by simply remaining inactive.
>Getting too hot in the Province carries the risk of National level intervention- it would be best to try not to risk that unless well prepared.

“Practically every important figure in Halmaluce has requested a word with you,” Antonia said coolly, either unimpressed or very well controlled, “The Duke’s Magistrate of the City…the Mayor, in other words. The Chief of Police. Representatives from the Casa Foglie family. As well as,” She lowered the page, “The Halmeggian Duke, Di Abbraccio. Lord of the Halmeggian side of the inlet, you see.”

“Any of those not particularly friendly in wording?” You asked.

“You arrived with over five hundred men, including a mercenary company and a tank. That show of force has them staying polite for now, Signore.”

“Smart.” Though perhaps they could be provoked, if that was the right way forward. Trickery and sabotage weren’t domains you excelled in though. You’d always kept overt and clear, not a man of hidden thoughts and plans, but powerful ones. “Then let’s go over what the men have found out.”

One was that the Casa Foglie and Di Abbraccio were closely related. In blood, even, as the don was a member of the same noble household. They both supported the Duke’s Magistrate, who in turn kept their business from being interfered with in exchange for enrichment from the illicit trade of contraband and captivity of markets. The Chief of Police was the one outlier from this shadow over the city. Underfunded and only supported from without, the Chief of Police and the criminal underground only maintained a ceasefire presently because the Mayor, despite everything, was still decided by election while the Chief of Police was an unusual direct appointee by the Duke. A threat of mutually assured destruction- if the Mayor fell, the Police would surely be unable to control the chaos.

The common people, of course, blamed the various economic and unrest troubles upon the Halmeggian population, both those who lived there as well as those who were only in town for business. They were the ones who benefited from the Casa Foglie’s disruption of markets and slanted protection rates, after all. They were the ones who flourished in spite of the Vitelians’ downtrodden state. Yet their belief was that the Mayor and the Police were what protected them from things getting any worse…until you had suddenly arrived, your motivation unknowable as of yet.

“A forceful approach might resolve the matter of authority quickly,” Antonia said, “But it may be the most prudent option to side with the Secret Family and force out their competition, pragmatic while we have the excuse of needing to be. If the Mayor needs police, we take its place, in exchange for the county’s support.”

“And a black mark against us should we try to claim ourselves as nationalist forever after,” you said with a turn of your lip. “The Revolution’s birth in aiding criminal thugs. The Revolution of drug peddlers and pimps.”

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“Indeed. But dealing with the Secret Families as well as Halmeggia may become inevitable later, to subvert the Duke. It is only an option. The other obvious approach is to aid the Police Chief in stomping out the criminal family and Halmeggian influence. To besiege the Mayoral Hall and treat it as a war for Vitelia. Such open rioting and violence would probably bring quite a lot of attention, on the other hand.”

“Then the more subtle option,” you said, “The election coming up. The Magistrate would rather keep his seat than be forced out, wouldn’t he? We have enough potential demonstrators to sway public opinion. Even the Secret Families cannot falsify an election that is guarded by the Aurora Legion. We can either threaten him with that fact, perhaps sweeten the deal with some motivational money, or we can bypass him and just support his opposition, and then with the new Mayor, aid the police in bringing down the criminal underworld.”

Antonia raised an eyebrow and sniffed. “That would be elegant, but the one problem is the time needed.”

She referred to the fact that the county mayoral elections (for those which were free cities and counties, at least) were rippled in timing from south to north, and even though the south’s affairs were handled first, Halmaluce’s elections would only come in the midst of March. You could be spending much time waiting, perhaps riskily. Also, while you didn’t have a hard time limit to take over the Province, it would do no favors to anybody, yourself least of all, to be slow and ineffective at doing so.

The time to decide had come, however…

>Meet with the Chief of Police. You were once a constable yourself. Even if it made Halmaluce a battleground, was it not proper for Vitelia to restore its ownership of its own city? To free its own citizens? Perhaps the Duke would even appreciate the support, though it was certainly not requested.
>Act with pragmatism in mind. A quick meeting with the Halmeggians and the Secret Family could see any puppet you like placed in charge of the county, potentially, so long as you were their steadfast ally. It would be a good prelude to working with them further, as well.
>Try to negotiate with the Duke’s Magistrate of Halmaluce to fortify his election. As a civil servant, he had to know how well a hostile populace could be motivated against its leaders in a democratic selection…and it would be a fair one…
>Was this not a Revolution by the people? There was little need to work with anybody or make any wars. Find the opposition to the Halmeggians and the Secret Family and do your part to make sure they win. Even if it would take time, you would not owe anything to anybody.
>Other?
Also-
>Raise any Revolutionary Leagues, Arm/Train any? Other movements or actions to take?

>>6125704
>Meet with the Chief of Police. You were once a constable yourself. Even if it made Halmaluce a battleground, was it not proper for Vitelia to restore its ownership of its own city? To free its own citizens? Perhaps the Duke would even appreciate the support, though it was certainly not requested.

Even if we get heat, public opinion can probably act as a shield for us here, just like how the authorities are wary of acting against Leo.

>>6125708
Also raise 1x League and arm all three of them.

>>6125704
>Was this not a Revolution by the people? There was little need to work with anybody or make any wars. Find the opposition to the Halmeggians and the Secret Family and do your part to make sure they win. Even if it would take time, you would not owe anything to anybody.
Creating an independent and separate power base sounds good and helps us avoid the pitfalls and backstabbing allies 'pragmatism' and 'being part of the system' would've brought us.

>>6125704
>Was this not a Revolution by the people? There was little need to work with anybody or make any wars. Find the opposition to the Halmeggians and the Secret Family and do your part to make sure they win. Even if it would take time, you would not owe anything to anybody.
>Other (We should also talk to the police though, if nothing else than to get them on our side and let them know they have our support if we have theirs. Try to sway them to the opposition we're creating. )

>>6125704
>>6125731
+1

>>6125704
>Was this not a Revolution by the people? There was little need to work with anybody or make any wars. Find the opposition to the Halmeggians and the Secret Family and do your part to make sure they win. Even if it would take time, you would not owe anything to anybody.
>Other (We should also talk to the police though, if nothing else than to get them on our side and let them know they have our support if we have theirs. Try to sway them to the opposition we're creating. )

>>6125704
>>6125731
Support

>>6125704
>>6125731
Supporting.

>>6125704
>>Meet with the Chief of Police. You were once a constable yourself. Even if it made Halmaluce a battleground, was it not proper for Vitelia to restore its ownership of its own city? To free its own citizens? Perhaps the Duke would even appreciate the support, though it was certainly not requested.

>Raise any Revolutionary Leagues, Arm/Train any? Other movements or actions to take?
If we go with the "Meet with the Chief of Police" option, raise 1 League, arm it, and deploy it in Halmaluce, also arm 1 of the currently deployed Halmaluce Leagues.
If we go with the longer-term election vote option though, I would only vote for raising 1 armed League and deploying it to Halmaluce

If the newly armed and deployed League can arrive and then begin training I would also want them to do that. I want to maintain our current ready manpower if possible.

>>6125731
+1

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6125708
>>6125837
Detective on scene.

>>6125720
>>6125731
>6125767
>6125776
>6125795
>6125799
>6125838
The Revolution is its own force.
Though if anybody wants to hitch a ride...

>>6125715
Raise a League and give them all guns.

>>6125837
Only one armed, and make it a militia.

Well, I suppose I'll flip on the recruitment phase? I don't think not having anything in there actually counts as "I don't want to do anything," does it?

Updating.

>>6126033
Second one is raise one and arm two I believe, with one League converted to militia

>>6126068
I had made my vote conditional so since we went with the the longer term option to aid the opposition I did only want 1 League raised then just that one armed.

>>6126138
my bad, I misread the fourth option

The city’s rulers had a weak enough grasp for you to disrupt it just by arriving. What need did you have to bargain with anybody but the people themselves? Though, you wouldn’t be operating as a band of criminals, no. You’d let the Chief of Police have his meeting- let them know who would be taking the city back, if they’d like to support you in that endeavor. If they were wise, they would.

A little more force might be necessary for that, so another group of young delinquents and ambitious dreamers was assembled from the lists that had volunteered their services. This group would be different in intent. Rather than being unarmed, they would be supplied with weapons. Ostensibly to defend themselves, but an armed mob of a couple hundred young men also sent a very clear message, especially when you could send quite a few more, should you feel like it.

They could have used more training, but given that they weren’t going to war, maybe they didn’t need it.

>Training of Revolutionary League or anybody else into more advanced units can only be done in controlled territory. They can be reinforced, armed, or specially equipped outside of it, though.
>Arming Revolutionary League, as well as deploying them, causes a small amount of Heat Rise.
You went along with them for a couple of days, to a city you’d never actually been to, as an in-person visit had been accepted by the Chief of Police in a show of good faith.

With the start of February, the winter on the ocean was a mix of chilled wind and warm water, and you spent the few hours on the ferry with the Revolutionary Leagues heading into Halmaluce. Some reverence was forced to be shown to you, as you weren’t there to be bombarded with questions or attempts to associate, but you still observed and listened from afar. These youth were almost two decades removed from your time, and certain aspects of their culture were unrecognizable to you. Particularly their speech, but it was something you’d heard Vittoria picking up. Something called chiacchiere di classe, or trendy talk. From what you understood, it consisted mostly of repetition and alliteration for emphasis, and that implied favor or affection, even if it was for a seemingly negative trait or observation.

“The guy with the scar on his head,” you listened in on a conversation between some youths that were about the age you and your friends were when you formed the Young Futurists, “That him? The rivoluzione rivoluzionario? The big rosso rossastro?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Looks pretty scary.”

“Ai, I think he can hear us, you dummy dumbs…”

“Better to be scary, don’t you think? Don’t want anybody thinking he’s a weaky wuss.”

If they were going to school, they hadn’t learned to speak Vitelian there, that was for sure. You turned your attention to the coastline, to the fishing boats where shellfish farms were being tended, to the larger fishers coming back from the deeper seas, some of which were daring enough to risk venturing south to waters near the southern Maelstrom. It took a concerted effort to sail out far enough to touch it, but fish could always be found there, so every so often, a fishing boat would simply fail to come back. Far Fishers were the odder section of Sea Vitelians, but as they said, Sea Vitelians wouldn’t have come here if they had the sense bred out of them to not face the fear at the edge of the world.

Antonia had come along with you, largely to continue to handle the minutiae alongside you, but her eyes didn’t seem so burdened while out like this, and her persistent frown didn’t have as much weight in its corners.

“There aren’t many women in these Revolutionary Leagues, are there?” you observed to her.

“No, Signore. In fact, there are none in the ones on this boat at all.”

“Not appealing to many women?”

“On the contrary,” Antonia said, “But if they’re to help us, the men cannot be distracted, and when boys and girls come together in youth organizations like this, they don’t act sensibly. If they want to treat the cause as a party, then they can do so in places we’ve already won. There are exceptions.” She put a hand to her chest. “Like myself. Not that I am being expected to take part in a mob, I hope.”

“You’re far too educated for that.” You said, nodding to the League men all over the ferry, most of whom…were probably not students. “They remind me of when my friends and I were young, but they’re not as fortunate. None of them have an actual education about Utopian subjects, do they?”

“Higher education is expensive. Most of the masses don’t have the opportunity to be taught.” Antonia said simply and flatly, “They’re angry, frustrated, trapped. The Revolutionary Leagues offer a way out where they can do something about their future. As far as they’re concerned, they don’t need to know the specifics. They just need to know who their leader is. They believe you and Signore Leone know best.”

You weren’t sure how utopian that line of belief was, especially with your belief that a proper Utopia required that its people be knowledgeable and wise, not perfectly obedient. “I never did ask how you managed to afford a university education, Antonia.”

Antonia looked to the land rather than you. “I was tempted with the easy way forward. The way that I imagine many might have took. I chose instead to work hard. To be tireless. To suffer for every step. I made it through, but I had debts. Debts that were cleared away,” she looked back, “By you, Signore cousin.”

You had never been aware of such a thing, and expressed as much.

“Signore Leone made the monetary arrangements, but he said that the money had been sent by you.”

Right. You had sent money to Leo and his causes, but you hadn’t expected him to do such a thing with some of that money. He hadn’t told you about it either. Perhaps he thought you might disapprove of him helping your family with funds meant for the Revolution…

Antonia had put a cigarette in her scarlet lips, and shielded it against the wind as she lit it, took a breath, and sighed it out long and loud. “I followed in the footsteps of you that I saw, and I might have held you in spite for that, had you not freed me from any consequence of that. I cannot help being cold natured, Signore, but make no mistake. I am in your debt. No matter your plans or plots, I will be by your side in this Revolution.” She stared dimly to the horizon over the Vitelian shore, rolled towards the skies like a great carpet.

It was strange that something so significantly felt was only now admitted. Was she that reserved, or very, very careful, since she had not actually met you in so long?

-----

Halmaluce was a city that had eyes upon you before you had even stepped off onto its docks. Merchant ships flying the ensign of the Kingdom of Halmeggia were numerous, and from the number of people around and on them, practically a city of their own. The docks were a crowded mess, and intermittent Vitelian and New Nauk flitted over each other here and there. Both tongues you could understand, from a time now so long ago where a speaker of one was as a rule the foe of the other. Then not long after that, such a rule was turned upon its head.

The Revolutionary Leagues did not have such a perspective, and they spoke loudly and arrogantly with a nationalist pride. Then turned to arguing amongst themselves about whether or not a Halmeggian was really a Vitelian anyways. They all openly wore newly acquired weapons, and from the looks of the locals, they were practically being viewed as an invading army…

Perhaps not the image you’d want to cultivate here, but you’d be working on fixing that soon enough.

The Aurora Legion had spread itself over three main sections of the city for the Revolutionary Leagues to encamp in. The cheapest living spaces, and in some cases, the streets and alleys, had been commandeered as barracks in the short term. The best training for these Revolutionary League boys might be such regimented, harder living standards, but plenty of them may as well have come from such conditions anyways. Whatever the case, if there were complaints, they had not been brought to your attention besides the idle grumbling of any mass of young men.

There was naught to report. The Secret Families and the Police had both been observing your people, questioning, trying to ascertain your intentions. From Captain Alga’s picture of the situation, nobody had the strength of arms to fight the mass of men you’d accumulated in a straight up fight, and saw no reason to cause problems…yet. Though there had also been some news of Halmeggian ships bringing in mysterious passengers and cargo. Perhaps the potential of you causing trouble was being recognized by Duke Di Abbracio of Halmeggia.

He was not who you were going to meet with, anyways. He was in Halmeggia, a place you needed not visit right now. Your business was with Halmaluce’s Chief of Police, the Duke of Larocci’s appointment, a man named Salvator Brocchi.

A small briefing on the man had been prepared for you. He was a Sea Vitelian, ten years your elder, but during the time of the Emrean War, he had served as a watch commander for the Marines aboard a cruiser, and afterwards, was involved in the Gilician conflict. He might not have seen much in the way of intense battle, but he was no stranger to keeping the peace. A wise appointment, to your surprise. Not one made of greed or nepotism, from first glance, but in spite of that, he had been unable to restore order. Not with the resources provided, not with a complicit authority. It made you think on if things went higher up the ladder, with the waste.

Anybody would have expected that you’d have to go to the Police Station yourself. However, Chief Brocchi was instead waiting at one of the outposts of the Aurora Legion, with a few constables. They were in totality less well armed than even the singular squad leader disinterestedly smoking at the corner.

“Hello there,” you walked forward, as the Aurora Legionaries saluted your approach. “At ease. You are Signore Brocchi, the chief of police of Halmaluce?”

“And you are Palmiro Bonaventura,” the Chief said back to you with a mix of defiance and offense, like you’d tread muddy boots on his carpet. “Explain to me why your mercenaries and rabble have decided to move in and make a home here. You might not know it, but my hands are plenty full as is. And from what I’ve heard, you brought in another group of heavily armed men with you.”

“Have the visitors been causing trouble?” You asked, nonplussed by the lack of respect.

“Nothing beyond the normal disruptions of youth. But I wasn’t born yesterday, Bonaventura.” The police chief stepped up to you, hands in the pockets of his long, deep blue coat. “What’re you plotting here? Everybody in town’s jumping at the chance to have a word, but as far as I’ve heard, you only came here for me.”

What was there to hide? “I want the same thing as you, Chief Brocchi,” you said, “I want to bring out Halmaluce from under the shadow of crime and foreign bad actors. I want to rid it of the Casa Foglie, and the Mayor too, if they are not repentant. If you want to help us help you, then I’ll gladly have an alliance.”

The Chief seemed intrigued, but still perturbed. “How exactly do you plan to do that?”

“The elections,” you revealed readily, “I don’t plan to have anybody break any laws, Chief of Police. I know that the Mayor is working with the Casa Foglie to subvert your best intentions. But he can be replaced with the shred of democracy we’re allowed in this country. Without the chief magistrate being in their pocket, and with our help, how can the Halmeggian negative influence remain?”

The Chief sniffed at you, cocked an eyebrow, and harrumphed. “Maybe you think yourself above Giardino Rosso, but you know who the opposition to the mayor is? That outright socialist, Andro. The status quo might just be better than him.”

Sounded just fine to you. “We’re going to do what we came here to do regardless of your opinion, Chief Brocchi,” you said calmly, “All I’m saying is that we can help each other.”
>Ardor-4

Brocchi remained skeptical. However, even if you weren’t a crafty plotter, or the most intelligent man, when you spoke, people listened. Brocchi was no different. Your magnetism couldn’t help but catch him.

“Help us help you, Chief,” you said, “I was a constable in Lapizlazulli, once. I know what you want to do. I know what you’re not strong enough to do. I’ve had people telling me what’s happening here. The citizens of this city are frightened, frustrated, and you’ve been doing your best to keep them from boiling over into one another while unable to attack the causes. That will all change. Surely having a mayor you disagree with politically is better than having a criminal one?”

Brocchi chewed on his lip, but he couldn’t find anything to argue. Not when you were laying his conscience out in front of him. “Maybe by a hair. Fine, Bonaventura. The Halmaluce City Constabulary will work with your people. Not openly, but we’ll stay out of your hair, as long as you aren’t harassing the locals. That includes the Halmeggians. Most of them didn’t ask for what the Casa Foglie are doing, and a lot of them might vote too.”

“Can they?” you wondered aloud, “Are they citizens?”

“The Mayor decreed it so in the county. The Duke is too hungry for new people in his rule to deny the county. As long as a citizen has papers for the county, which are trivial to provide from the local government.”

File: larencci_turn2.jpg (400 KB, 1500x1300)

400 KB JPG

The message was clear. It would be more practical to play nice with the Halmeggians…or figure out some way to restrict their ability to vote. Admittedly, a lot of them in the “other” city seemed to be just as poor as the average person in the rest of the city…

At least you had one person in this city who wouldn’t oppose your plans. Frankly, things here might just be easier than you thought, so long as nothing extremely unlucky happened, and you were even slightly wise about how you chose to go about things.

“A word of warning,” Brocchi said, “I don’t care how reasonable and innocent your plan might be, the Secret Family and Duke Di Abbraccio won’t let this place go without a fight. Maybe even a nasty one. Just be ready for something bad to happen.”

He had no reason to be sensitive to your senses. The Grossreich had made it so that you could never be surprised by anything bad that might happen.

>No need to do anything but make friends. Don’t react to any provocation or violence, unless asked specifically. You’re here to help, after all. (You’ll definitely take the first blow- but how much could you really be hurt if all you’re doing is demonstrating and educating the people?)
>Make it clear who’s actually saving this city. Permit the Legion to plan and execute the opening strikes, if the Chief thought there would be a war anyways. (Force is allowed- but might not have significant enough impact)
>Let everybody off the leash. No point in waiting to be the first one with a bloody nose. You’d been allowed to move in here. Make it clear who has to leave. (May have severe consequences, but is fast and impactful)
>Other?
Also-
>You have lots of spare Lira. Utilizing a large amount of it can be done to boost public support in a province where you might otherwise lack it. Not outright bribery in and of itself…though such is an option. Bribing the poor for more manpower (this is not the same as public programs and charity, of course, even if the effect is slightly similar in the abstract) or buying weapons are also options.
>If you wish to train any League into Militia, they must be in a fully controlled county. Remember that Militia requires armament upkeep.

>>6126210
>No need to do anything but make friends. Don’t react to any provocation or violence, unless asked specifically. You’re here to help, after all. (You’ll definitely take the first blow- but how much could you really be hurt if all you’re doing is demonstrating and educating the people?)

Maybe we can set an ambush for whatever hired muscle the Casa will have? Pretend to hold a big rally outside town and whack them en route, for example.

>>6126210
>>6126213
+1

>>6126210
>No need to do anything but make friends. Don’t react to any provocation or violence, unless asked specifically. You’re here to help, after all. (You’ll definitely take the first blow- but how much could you really be hurt if all you’re doing is demonstrating and educating the people?)

>>6126210
>>Let everybody off the leash. No point in waiting to be the first one with a bloody nose. You’d been allowed to move in here. Make it clear who has to leave. (May have severe consequences, but is fast and impactful)

>>6126210
>No need to do anything but make friends. Don’t react to any provocation or violence, unless asked specifically. You’re here to help, after all. (You’ll definitely take the first blow- but how much could you really be hurt if all you’re doing is demonstrating and educating the people?)
>You have lots of spare Lira. Utilizing a large amount of it can be done to boost public support in a province where you might otherwise lack it.
Spending 2 Lira to gather public support and put our money where our mouth is could help draw more sympathy if we are going to take an attack on the chin. We could even spread out units of the armed League to provide security to anyone fearing retaliation for accepting our assistance like a reverse mob protection racket.
Also,
>Raise and arm one Revolutionary League in Lapizlazulli and get it training
Just in case.

>>6126210
>Make it clear who’s actually saving this city. Permit the Legion to plan and execute the opening strikes, if the Chief thought there would be a war anyways. (Force is allowed- but might not have significant enough impact)

>>6126210
>Let everybody off the leash. No point in waiting to be the first one with a bloody nose. You’d been allowed to move in here. Make it clear who has to leave. (May have severe consequences, but is fast and impactful)
>Boost Public Approval with 2 Lira

>>6126210
Seconding >>6126381

>>6126381
Phone posting just to specify I support spending the 2 Lira on public support no matter what.

>>6126210
>Make it clear who’s actually saving this city. Permit the Legion to plan and execute the opening strikes, if the Chief thought there would be a war anyways. (Force is allowed- but might not have significant enough impact)

>>6126381
>Raise and arm one Revolutionary League in Lapizlazulli and get it training
Also supporting this

I would recommend getting in touch with the socialist too. Also we must enlighten our men on futurism, the fire of change should be fueled both by anger and purpose.

>>6126213
>6126225
>6126255
>6126381
>6126447
You may have the moral high ground, but will it be worth not having the initiative?

>>6126298
>>6126430
You know war. If one is coming, then you know to be the one to start it.

>>6126394
>>6126498
Let the people who know what they're doing, get to what they get paychecks for.

>>6126381
>>6126447
>>6126498
Raise and train a unit of militia. You've enough weapons to maintain it at least.

>>6126381
>6126430
>6126447
Spread around the wealth some.

Updating.

>>6126582
Hey tanq random question but how are literacy rates in Vitelia during this time period, both overall and compared to other countries in Vinstraga?

>>6126668
>how are literacy rates in Vitelia during this time period, both overall and compared to other countries in Vinstraga?
Vitelia has it rather decent in most of the country, though the rural and mountainous areas both are the outliers of what would otherwise be an 85-90% literacy rate. Without Gilicia, it's higher, a small boon.
Basic education was one of King Lucius the Fourth's pet projects to modernize the country, but few appreciate that these days.
Most places in Vinstraga have a similarly high literacy rate, even in Sosalia, with the shared language being far easier to educate the whole of the territories with. As a whole, 75-90 percent is the usual variable thrown around, though the majority of the outliers are associated with very rural or tribal places such as the Pohjanask territories in the northwest reach, or the most rural parts of the Reich and its protectorates, with the last outlier being places of exceptionally poor common populations such as Baou or Paelli. Even Twaryi has a relatively high rate of literacy at 70 percent, though practically none of that is in New Nauk.
A full and detailed analysis would have to come some other time. However, the outright highest are, as they would proudly say, Naukland and Valsten, as well as Delsau, with a literacy rate that is near total (even with the Yaegir forest tribes in Naukland who have been harassed into near modernity over the past century).

While you were in Halmaluce, it behooved you to meet with the political opposition. The one besides you, at least. The claimant to legitimate government who’d be tested soon enough, that you hadn’t gotten to know yet, not until the trail forward had been planned. Sooner was better than later, though, and you made the arrangements as quickly as you could.

Though he could have gotten back to you sooner by a factor of a day, the main challenge to the sitting Mayor did agree, gladly, to meet with you. Specifically, a charity fair had been planned on the spot for you to spend a healthy amount of coin donating to the poorer locals. They’d be fed, provided necessities, and hopefully be recruited into the spread of awareness and guided towards the future, if not here, then in any of the events that would follow.

That fair, guarded by your mercenaries on the outside and brimming with anxiety both within and without despite the best smiles and hospitality of the Revolutionary Leagues, was where you first met the man who introduced himself as Di Rouge.
He was a Sea Vitelian, with a smile slightly too wide and hair that had been dyed and oiled jet, perhaps because of the roots of grey in his beard and mustache, short and close cropped, though he was about as old as you were. He didn’t seem to be false in his face, however, nor his warmth as he took his hand in yours.

“Good day to you, Signore Bonaventura. I am Marino Di Rouge, hopeful servant of the people of Halmaluce. I am surprised to see the Black Knight of Gilicia turn a Revolutionary leaf.”

“It is hardly a new leaf, Signore Di Rouge.” You weren’t aware of that family. Was it merely one you hadn’t heard of? You asked that. Also that it was Emrean rather than Vitelian.

“No, no, I have shed my old name,” Di Rouge said, “Once, my family owned this county as their possession, but beset by debt, they had to relinquish it to the city. My family has dreamed of making it their own again…but I share no such compunction. No such feeling of arbitrary obligation. So, after my sojourn of education in the great new liberated state of Emre, I decided to dedicate my life to the new cause of the Dawn. Many other enlightened nobles have shed their old names like me to serve as vanguards of the future, rather than relics of the old order. I returned here five years ago, and have hoped to bring such liberation here too. Alas,” His smile became a sheepish one, “I had only my name, and having shed that, I found little success. Admittedly, my foes are ones I have had no means to fight until now, but…”

“The Revolutionary League is here to aid you,” you finished for him, “And your campaign. The Judge Above willing, the people will have their eyes opened to a future they will experience in short time.”

“You would have my utmost gratitude.” His smile lessened. “Though I do think, now that the people of Halmaluce have a chance, my rivals will not be able to simply ignore me like they have in the past. I will try not to act boldly, but…the people of Halmaluce will not rush to put their support behind a coward. I hope you understand.”

You did. Though admittedly, the biggest wrench that could be thrown into your works now would be if some misfortune canceled this man’s triumph before it could be made into yours and Vitelia’s…

-----

“I will be back in a few weeks,” you told Captain Alga as you took the ferry out after your meeting with your new ally, “Whatever you do, don’t be the one to strike the first blow. Be careful, try to defuse any conflicts peacefully, and above all else, don’t act rashly.” Though Donomo was a cool headed and kindhearted man, so you doubted he needed to be told. Merely reminded of your concern, in case his nature might be taken advantage of by a more daring subordinate.

Alga nodded, but already had reservations. “With respect, Signore, the Casa Foglie might not be the most brutal Secret Family, but they are still a group of criminals. They are used to working subtly. Especially with all the youngsters, even if we’re under control, they might find a way to make us act first.”

“Then keep that tight leash on the Revolutionary Youth too,” you said, “They might say they answer to me and not you, but you answer directly to me. If anybody gives you too much trouble, I will fly a seaplane here myself.”

“Have you learned to fly an airplane?”

“No. It would be a very direct trip.”

Captain Alga laughed lightly. “That should be unnecessary, Signore.”

Time would tell. You saluted and went on your way. There was plenty more to do back in Lapizlazulli.

The first thing to do would be rounding up the rest of the volunteers to the Revolution, arming them, and getting them drilled. The few military veterans amongst them were picked out to train others, and an accelerated course in fighting would be conducted over the next few weeks. They would be a far cry from proper soldiers, but they would be more than a mob. They could at least play at proper march, could at least know how to clean their weapons and approximate wearing a uniform correctly, though you’d have to talk to Leo about exactly what a Revolutionary paramilitary militia should wear. Probably something drab and unassuming. Your Aurora Legion already looked enough like Vitelian soldiers that it confused people here.

It felt like being transported back ten years, to put recruits through their paces again. Plenty of these young ruffians thought they were tough, only to be proven wrong. Any attitude had a tendency to be cut low by a run up and down the hills. Lapizlazulli was no Monte Nocca, but it could lay plenty of the unaccustomed low if taken too much at once.

Being so close to home meant you were close to your family, at least. Your older three children pushed themselves into training, on the condition that they not even think about sneaking into the unit. After all, plenty of the League boys were just a little older than Vittoria, and you didn’t need them trying to chase after her.

The training of a Revolutionary Militia, even if it wasn’t intruding on anybody, and even relieved the local constabulary some by putting mischief makers to physical toil, was definitely catching attention. Especially when the local papers couldn’t help but report on it in some way or another.

You could only imagine what Halmaluce’s local journalists must have been typing up.

-----

Vittoria and Lorenzo had gotten permission from their illustrious father to practice at a new range constructed by and for the Revolutionary League Militia that was training here- already calling themselves the “First Lapizlazulli Legione della Leggende.” Luigi was left behind, despite his protests. He might have helped dig it, but he was a blabbermouth little punk when he got set off, and they were already sneaking it beneath their mother’s notice. Their siblings had to be bribed to keep them from tattling, but the price of a pack of chocolate cream sodas was worth this. Though both Vittoria and Lorenzo had to share the cost, what with the stuff practically being served in gold cups these days.

“The full-size Lucy, Lolo?” Vittoria watched her brother try and carry a rifle as tall as him, “Who you trying to impress, swinging that around?”

“It’ll be lighter when I grow bigger,” Lorenzo said with a huff, “And Papa says the weight helps you control it.”

“Ain’t you ambitious,” Vittoria said with a little smile, and put her hand on that gun. “Let me try that out first. Tryin’ t’ show up your big sister like that, scamp.” She tested its weight and length, “Already wanting to take my place as oldest kid, huh.”

“No.”

“Eh.” Vittoria frowned and squinted at Lorenzo. “Why not? Mom always wanted a firstborn son.”

“No, she didn’t, Vi. She always wanted you. I talk with her and you don’t. I know better.”

“Whatever.”

“I don’t like being the oldest kid while you’re gone, Vi,” Lorenzo said, “There’s so much that I think might happen, that I won’t know how to deal with.”

“You’ll have to figure it out, Lolo,” Vittoria said, “I’ve gotta go on pilgrimage in a few months, when I turn sixteen. It won’t be the last time. You’ll have to hold things down like rocky stone.”

“Do you have to go?” Lorenzo asked sullenly, “Actually? While papa’s out all the time?”

“…Yeah. I do.” Vittoria said with a pause, “It’s important. I can’t say why, but trust me. Especially with what’s coming up. It’ll be better for everybody if I do.”

“Whatever that is.” Lorenzo’s sullenness only deepened.

Vittoria put a hand on her brother’s back. “Hey. You’re a lot stronger than you think you are. Won’t be long before you’re stronger than me, even, and smarter too. The only person doubtin’ you is you. Are you gonna just trip yourself when I’m not around t’ catch you, cabbage bud? I’ve gotta leave home sometime. I ain’t mom.”

Lorenzo chewed on his lip, watched his sister make three shots. When the range was cleared and she came back, annoyed, with a spread that would have been fine for anybody else, but it was off target. “If you’re going on pilgrimage, I just want one thing.”

“Alright.” Vittoria hooked a finger under an emerald lock and flipped it over her brother’s head. “I’ll cut your hair for you so y’ don’t look so friggin’ pretty girl.”

“I don’t want you to get any boyfriends. Don’t go looking for them, and if they come to you, turn them down.”

Vittoria was taken aback, and curled a scowl in Lorenzo’s direction. “What are you, green grand-dad? What makes you think-”

“You’re going away for…I don’t know how long. You and mom don’t get along that great. I don’t want you just…going away. Because somebody else is more important to you than me. I don’t want that to happen, Vi. Not yet.”

Vittoria couldn’t help but give him a humored look and a sigh. “You oughta gun for girls your age, Lolo.” His ears pinkened, and he sputtered a half-formed protest, but she cut him off. “Fine. No boyfriend. I promise.”

-----

There was but one week left in February when Leo came calling, announced well ahead of time by Antonia, to check on how you were doing.

“Starting on the border, Bonetto?” He asked when you showed him the pieces on the board, “Picking a fight with the Segrete Famiglie too. I like the boldness. Marcella wouldn’t agree, but I think you might have been better in the Arditi.”

“That would have felt against fate.” That, and the armored units did have a much greater higher survival rate. You definitely weren’t as blessed as Leo, who had never even been significantly wounded in combat. “You’ve brought the whole family along?”

Leo nodded. “Lapizlazulli’s a beautiful city. It’ll keep Yena off your crank for a bit too, won’t it.”

Speaking of. “Yena’s pregnant again.” You’d thought with her ageing that it would get more difficult. Not yet, apparently.
Leo grinned and clasped hands with you. “Great job, Bonetto. Pregnant wife club. Let’s start it up. Bring in Cesare and your old driver too.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window of your office, over the jewel-blue sea and its crown of mist. “Anyways. I didn’t want to come here to crack any whips, Bonetto, but…we might not have a whole lot of time for the slow and steady approach.”

“It’s looking like it’ll work well though,” you said, “We haven’t provoked anybody, and we’re in a very strong position.”

“Nah, don’t much up your plan in Halmaluce, I’m just saying after.” Leo pursed his lips and looked under the map of Larocci, flipped over to the map of Vitelia, tapped his finger on the province of Lindiva. “This damn place. Have you been keeping up with the news, Bonetto?”

“It’s the other side of the country. I haven’t been able to.”

“It’s all been economist talk there anyways, but something’s happening, Bonetto. Something bigger’s brewing up. I think they’ve got a Revolutionary idea going around, but not the kind we want.”

That made you sneer. “What, a revolution of capitalism? That’s the only thing I can think of them appreciating.”

“Something like that. If they paid into taxes, a lot of the country would be much better off, but they’re trying to dodge tariffs, too. Avoid growing food crops, driving up the price of grain. They’re playing this game like they’ve got five of a kind, and their fifth king’s not one that’s in the deck. Lucius might have lost his spine, but he can’t tolerate them acting like this. Not in these times.”

You stepped next to Leo, and looked down to the street, where a platoon of Revolutionaries were practicing their marching, led by an enthusiastic officer who was lacking in skill and grit, though not heart. “Maybe they could be coerced into more sensible behavior?”

Leo looked down to the group, then back up again. “No. They’ve locked down tight against this sort of thing. If the Lindivans saw anything like you were doing here?” he gestured down, “This Revolutionary Army thing? They kick Leagues out. They’d catch you and lock you up. A guy I met with even said they’re making more of their own uniforms. Turning their profits into making more of their own weapons. Trying to sell outside the country. It’s looking grim, and all the friends I’ve got say there’s not much we can do about it without a lot more strength.”

You understood the implication. Leo needed Laroccia sooner rather than later. Perhaps, he’d need even more. “I’ll do my best to help.”

Leo exhaled stiffly. “I appreciate it, buddy. Though I don’t know how long we’ve got. Just letting you know. Maybe we can’t prevent whatever’s going to happen, even if you sprint for it, and even trying’ll make us lose what we’ve got. Like going all in on a roulette with a live bullet in the spin.” He shook his head, “Got a lot on my mind, Bonetto. It’s making me lose my hair, I swear. Let’s blow off some steam instead of spending all my holiday dwelling on this. You find a new coffee place?”

“I haven’t.” Truth be told, overworked as you were, you were accustomed to it. Adapted. You didn’t feel that stressed at all…

“Then let’s round up all our families and find one. Cesare and Chiara are about the right age to learn to like coffee.”

“Chiara’s six.”

“Psh.” Leo punched you on the arm. It was a love tap but, Judge Above, was that man mighty like a hero of myth. “I named my Chiara first. Smartass.”

-----

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Things were proceeding apace. Perhaps a little too well. Yes, there were reports of Revolutionary League being ambushed and beaten up when they weren’t careful, tiny skirmishes of tit-for-tat, vandalism, but thus far, your operation in Halmaluce wasn’t being impeded. A healthy sum went into helping the locals there, and together with Di Rouge and the Police, there was said to be an wind of hope blowing into the city that hadn’t been felt in a while.

That might change, though. The mayoral elections were only next month, but anything could happen in even a short amount of time, and if you were going to be stopped, the Casa Foglie would surely be acting soon…or worse, they might bide their time to sweep your feet from under you once you were sure you were firmly planted.

>The League training in Lapizlazulli will develop into Revolutionary League Militia at the start of next turn. They can be trained further after that, if desired, though into exactly what won’t be known until they’re done cooking. They cannot be moved until then, either.

Surely there was more you could do than wait, though perhaps, that might be the best thing to do…

>Let things lay and develop. Everything that needed to be done right now had been done. (Keep things quiet. Reduces Heat.)
>With the money you had lying around, there wasn’t any reason to be frugal. Put more money into Halmaluce. It would only help everybody. (Specify an amount to invest. Just doing this won’t result in Heat gain.)
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)
>Other?
Also-
>Ask After/Do Anything with anybody else?
I should probably cut down on so many interactions now that the pieces are set up, just to keep pace, but I’ll hardly say no to further talking.

>>6126852
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)
Move one armed League south to secure the way to Baia di Alessandra
>Also
Arm one of the remaining unarmed Leagues in Halmaluce

>>6126852
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)
>Ask After/Do Anything with anybody else?
Le this: Arm one of the remaining unarmed Leagues in Halmaluce

>>6126852
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)
>Other (Indentify some of the local mafiosos in Halmaluce. Both Halmeggians and Segrete Famiglie. In the case of a serious attack or plot against us, we can spring our Aurora boys on them.)
The way I'm seeing this, we should definitely control the outlying settlements. Less chances of plotting against us and less access to Halmaluce itself. Plus, I would like the Leagues to start agitating and protesting more considering the elections are nearby. Nothing too violent, but we want these brash and bold young men to give a voice to the people. If they were too attack us, we will simply raise our voice that they are attacking those who are feeding and clothing the poorest amongst us.

Besides, the additional noice may attract the attention of the Mafiosos and keep them less observant when our Aurora lads and policemen start sniffing around.

And if we lose the elections, if nothing goes our way? We call election fraud and oust the mayor from his position. The League will rile up the common folk, we will have control of the countryside and our boys will be on the heels of those gangsters. I think it's a decent plan.

>>6126852
>With the money you had lying around, there wasn’t any reason to be frugal. Put more money into Halmaluce. It would only help everybody. (Specify an amount to invest. Just doing this won’t result in Heat gain.)
Just one for things like soup kitchens and clothing for the poor, little things that are enough to prove that we're on the side of the people.
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)
>Other (Indentify some of the local mafiosos in Halmaluce. Both Halmeggians and Segrete Famiglie. In the case of a serious attack or plot against us, we can spring our Aurora boys on them.)
Control the outlying settlements to prevent Halmeggians and Segrete Famiglie plotting.

Also I'd like for Bonetto to write a book about our life someday in the future, just to explain what our logic was when becoming the Black Knight of Gilicia if nothing else.

>>6126852
>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)

>>6126955
Supporting everything said.

Also i suggest sending a few people(less than a whole unit) to Baia and spend a Lira to start infiltrating and setting us up. We need to start acting faster and maybe consider converting two provinces at the same time. We have the money and people to do it at least so far.

>>6126922
>6126952
>6126955
>6126979
>6126975
Plan the next move- secure the outlying settlements so you can move earlier, as well as get more votes. Even if it will surely be seen as presumptive.

>>6126975
Spend a bit to gain a bit.

>>6126922
>>6126952
Provide more weapons.

>>6126955
>>6126979
Try and gaze into the underworld- and heat the end of the winter up a little.

I'll call it in an hour or so. Though with small variations on actions taken I ought to consider what's a vote against something or simply an add-on, considering even though it's small amounts of resources for now, it might not stay that way for long.

>>6126975
>Also I'd like for Bonetto to write a book about our life someday in the future, just to explain what our logic was when becoming the Black Knight of Gilicia if nothing else.
I mean, I'd think such a thing would be down to a player vote, though I could throw that in. Considering that the choice to swap sides was a choice made for the sake of old friends against unseen malevolent powers, even if it wasn't seen as the wisest one to make later.

>>6126852
>>Did you need so many people in one place? Perhaps it was time to start thinking ahead. Move your Revolutionary Leagues to start securing the next ways out of Halmaluce. (Putting forces into small settlements is usually enough to control them, at least in the short term. Though this will raise heat.)

>Arm another League

>>6126987
Does training Militia further also increase their upkeep as well?

>>6126987
How much better is a Militia over an Armed League? Can it take on two, three of the latter?

>>6126852
>>6126955
+1

>>6126975
>Also I'd like for Bonetto to write a book about our life someday in the future, just to explain what our logic was when becoming the Black Knight of Gilicia if nothing else.
Supporting this too.

Alright that nap lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.

>>6127005
Another league armed.

>>6127031
More going after the baddies.
And perhaps importantly disregarding altered democracy. A flawed system anyways as far as a Utopian is concerned while it exists outside a Utopia, is it not.

Updating.

>>6127009
>Does training Militia further also increase their upkeep as well?
Not at this stage, no. They would have to get and use equipment that would be costly enough to have to replace besides just basic gear, basically.

>>6127028
>How much better is a Militia over an Armed League? Can it take on two, three of the latter?
Readily, in the right circumstances. Though it'd be better to describe the difference in something besides raw strength.
An Armed League is the same as it was before, they just have a whole lot more weapons, the ability to cause more chaos, to generally be an intimidating threat to any non-martial organization that has to deal with them. However, they still lack proper coordination, skill, or really anything that makes them more than a mob of loyal seekers. They are in no way soldiers no matter what they might think.
Militia have just enough training to realize that there is a gulf between them and true soldiers. They're nowhere close to being actually good at coordination and discipline, but there is a uniformity, the beginnings of espirit de corps, and standards to uphold. Hence why they require maintenance. Their gear is used enough to need replacing, and they know when it should be replaced, rather than thinking a gun is just a magic machine you pull the trigger with.
Though the world shouldn't be expected. They only have a few weeks of training, after all, but it's enough for them to know what they need to do next, as well as having the structure to enforce such. So once they're militia, they'll only get better with time even without dedicated training in a place where they do nothing but.
The last bit wasn't something I originally thought of but reconsidered when thinking about how things work.

Sitting and waiting for things to happen was something you should have been used to, considering how often you’d had to do the same in much more dangerous circumstances against the Reich, and in Gilicia, but it still captured your focus and attention in directions that held little point. Unable to distract yourself with family matters while remaining on call for any developments that you anticipated, and with the unit of militia more or less becoming autonomous as its leadership grew into their roles, you occupied yourself by banging out the start of your memoirs.

It had been an idea you’d had for a while, especially with Leo closing in on completing his book on the Supra Hominem, which you had contributed some ideas to, your own personal futurism tome a shelved project. He had been a student of philosophy, while you were one of history, and that would be reflected in your works. You felt your long experience something worth recording, maybe pondering. How many times had you wondered if you’d done the right thing? Wondered why you were doing it? How many others could find fellowship and wisdom having read the sum of your life? It was easy to be motivated by, less easy to gather anything certain besides memory from. An autobiography was a simple matter, but if you wanted it to be truly reflective of what happened, there were things you had to be certain of that weren’t so easy to get at…

It was easy to reminisce in the days before the war. When all was dreams and romance. Difficult to realize how many names and faces you’d forgotten. Everything was an adventure up until the start of the war, as even your preemptive raid on Reich lands had been one without the blood, suffering, and death that would come later. Even the horrible thing that had happened to Yena was something avenged, and you knew that, later on, she was here. Happy, even after all she had been put through.

The siege of Castello Malvagio, the razing of Sella Castella, where the streets flowed with the blood of innocents running like rivers. The Black Coats, the hateful enemy, the crimes of the Grossreich never repented for. Then the hunt to clean those vermin. The creation of the Special Armored Regiment that you followed Chiara to, and the battles there.

You kept it clinical, but wondered if you should. Was it truly just battles and drinking bad coffee, the friendships that would fade away when you weren’t forced together in the trench? Should you include, you wondered, how you had placed your first child in Yena before you were married, a sign of the times where romance could only be found in the scant time it could sneak in? The conflict between Marcella and Chiara over the man who had saved their lives, and the only resolution being an untimely death none asked for? The seedy bliss of New Sella Castella, the hive of wonton abandon in the shadow of the dim hopelessness of the front?

No history book you’d ever read had included such realities, and considering the Emrean War from your perspective without them…made you despondent at the end. The awful, humiliating end, the crashing down of Vitelian ambitions. No heroic victory to be found despite all the efforts of heroes.
It was impossible, for now. You moved on to the next part. In the dark after the Emrean War, when the Gilician Conflict brewed, and when it finally began proper, you had aligned yourself against the country you and your friends had shed so much blood and tears for.

Why?

It had made sense at the time. The old commander, your eminently wise Colonel Di Zucchampo, the dreams of a fallen friend, the impotence of watching Vitelia descend further and wishing to act against those that were engineering its decline for their benefit. Then, being placed in command of the very enemy you had once so righteously hunted down. Not the same people, of course, but weaponized exile criminals just like them. You’d been graced with the name Black Knight for that, and become so infamous that you were specifically exiled for a decade after.

It had forced your family to flee the country. For you to exist in Trelan for the span of that time. To only become directly involved in deciding Vitelia’s future within the past year. What had you gotten for it? Gilicia had given you a large sum of money, as though paying an unscrupulous mercenary. Admittedly, you had become a rather rich man in Trelan and had founded the extranational Aurora Company with your accumulation of money, but besides that? Gilicia had gained its independence, and Vitelia, while unshackled from one band of power brokers, had hardly been freed from what ailed it. Gilicia did not reintegrate as a free province to start a trend of change, like Di Zucchampo had hoped, as his faction was beaten out by the zealous secessionists that were inspired by the Judge Above, and more pointedly, the man who was now the Vilja Domkarl in the Holy City. You could not even live in the nation you’d helped make, as the Gilicians were hostile to mountainfolk, and Yena nor your children could ever live as themselves.

Had it been worth it, all that considered?

>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?
>The choice had been short sighted, indulgent, and had thrown your life and your family’s into chaos. Vitelia might have mandated that you fight, but it did not demand that you abandon it.
>Did what followed not matter more? That you made so much in spite of it all? Maybe no matter what you did, it was a stumble, but what happened after was most certainly not.
>Other?
Also-
>Other notes/regrets/successes to highlight?

Outside of your attempts to forge the hot iron of recorded history, it was busy being spun anew just down the coast. The Revolutionary Militia were freshly organized in Lapizlazulli, ready for service even if they were not anywhere close to proper soldiers, they at least understood how they were expected to act. A band of armed Revolutionary League had spread out along the southlands of the county of Halmaluce as well, spreading their good word and looking for foreign involvement and Secret Family domination. Their sheer numbers apparently frightened off any malcontents, and they assumed the casual and nonserious work of helping out like public servants.

Yet there was much more bad news than good that afternoon.

Wireless reports came in like a flood the day it happened. Rumors swam like schooling fish. The truth was impossible to know for most, for a time, but Captain Alga got you what had happened in satisfactory time, even if the news was terrible, and spreading all over Vitelia, not just the county of Halmaluce.
The Casa Foglie had struck. One week before the elections were set to begin.

You’d commanded your Revolutionary Leagues to agitate and demonstrate. The Aurora Legion had been put on a mission to investigate the Secret Family’s leaders, connections, and markets. Even so, while it was easy to see that something was being planned, that the beatings, bashings, and ambushes were just precursors to something larger, the greater plots had not been unveiled in time to stop them.

A series of bombings had thrown Halmaluce into chaos, the first and most prominent being an attempt on Di Rouge’s life. The Aurora Legion had been in charge of his security as usual, and they had been baffled how it had happened. Every visitor was screened, the location searched and picked through like looking for needles in a haystack. Yet a massive explosion had blown up from underground, just in front of the podium where Di Rouge was speaking. Forty-one people had been killed; hundreds more injured. Di Rouge himself was severely injured, and it wasn’t certain if he would pull through. Other bombings and shootings had targeted Revolutionary League demonstrations and sympathizing property owners- five others in total, none on the same scale, but still inflicting casualties. The city was frozen with fear- the Revolutionary Leagues were biting at their lead to strike back, and even the Aurora Legion, suffering four killed and eleven wounded in the attacks, were simply waiting for the command to strike.

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It was your decision now whether to thaw the cold in Halmaluce with flame. The police insisted you hold your men back- let them and the Aurora Legion handle it, but most doubted that the Revolutionary Leagues could be held back, especially as armed as they were…

>So they wanted war? They would have it. Loose the men. Order would be restored. If one was to be avoided, perhaps that should have been considered before bombing civilians.
>Make no official move. Command the Revolutionary Leagues to hold back, but you wouldn’t reprimand or stop any individual actions from the fringes. How could you be expected to? They were lucky you were not waging open battle.
>Withdraw your Revolutionary Leagues and place your new Militia within Halmaluce. Now was not the time for revenge, or violent mobs. The statement by the Secret Family and perhaps Halmeggia had been made. All you had to do was ensure the ballots remained open.
>Other?

>>6127222
>Did what followed not matter more? That you made so much in spite of it all? Maybe no matter what you did, it was a stumble, but what happened after was most certainly not.

>Withdraw your Revolutionary Leagues and place your new Militia within Halmaluce. Now was not the time for revenge, or violent mobs. The statement by the Secret Family and perhaps Halmeggia had been made. All you had to do was ensure the ballots remained open.

We can pay them back in full after the election.

Other stuff:
I kind of want to get a basic intelligence apparatus going, see if we can convert some of the Leagues or locals into informants and such. This incident proves we need to know more about our enemies in general.

>>6127222
>Make no official move. Command the Revolutionary Leagues to hold back, but you wouldn’t reprimand or stop any individual actions from the fringes. How could you be expected to? They were lucky you were not waging open battle.

>>6127219
>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?

>>6127222
Withdraw your Revolutionary Leagues and place your new Militia within Halmaluce. Now was not the time for revenge, or violent mobs. The statement by the Secret Family and perhaps Halmeggia had been made. All you had to do was ensure the ballots remained open.
>Other (Now that they've shown their true nature, make a public statement against the criminals. Turn the people's fear into rage and promise both the Leagues and the voters that upon victory there will be retribution against the tyrannical terrorists that strike at opposition and civilians alike like mad dogs. Put that charisma to use and motivate the base not into a mob but a movement for social change.)

>>6127222
>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?

I would want to avoid having the streets run red just yet, but I feel like something is needed as a show of force.
>Withdraw your Revolutionary Leagues and place your new Militia within Halmaluce. Now was not the time for revenge, or violent mobs. The statement by the Secret Family and perhaps Halmeggia had been made. All you had to do was ensure the ballots remained open.
>Other
>Establish armed day and night Milita patrols to guard the streets, especially around polling areas for the upcoming election.
I was also thinking of funding a 3 Lira bounty pool on any information that leads to the capture of those responsible for the bombings. The funding could be set up under a quick and dirty intelligence service like >>6127224 mentioned and for enough money, someone has to have seen something, at least enough to secure the election from further attacks.

>>6127255
Also based on this:
>a massive explosion had blown up from underground, just in front of the podium
If there is some underground area these rats are planting bombs in, I want to know about it yesterday.

>>6127219
>>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?
>>6127222
>>Make no official move. Command the Revolutionary Leagues to hold back, but you wouldn’t reprimand or stop any individual actions from the fringes. How could you be expected to? They were lucky you were not waging open battle.
Surely any violence that happens now can be blamed on the criminals as a direct result of their actions. No one will blame us for simply defending ourselves. Why contain it?

>>6127219
>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?

>>6127222
>Other (Now that they've shown their true nature, make a public statement against the criminals. Turn the people's fear into rage and promise both the Leagues and the voters that upon victory there will be retribution against the tyrannical terrorists that strike at opposition and civilians alike like mad dogs. Put that charisma to use and motivate the base not into a mob but a movement for social change.)
>Make no official move. Command the Revolutionary Leagues to hold back, but you wouldn’t reprimand or stop any individual actions from the fringes. How could you be expected to? They were lucky you were not waging open battle.
Use one Lira to support any leads your men might find.

>>6127219
>What else would you have done? Fight for a Vitelia you no longer believed in? That would have hardly been worthy of anybody calling themselves Revolutionary, would it?
>>6127222
>Withdraw your Revolutionary Leagues and place your new Militia within Halmaluce. Now was not the time for revenge, or violent mobs. The statement by the Secret Family and perhaps Halmeggia had been made. All you had to do was ensure the ballots remained open.
The additional suggestions from anons are good too.