The Hohenzollern Empire 3: Iron and Blood - A Roman Reich Megacampaign

[adriankowaty]

Now it's time to retake Holstein and East Poland!

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 190: Reconstruction​

"While our legions rebuild, we must focus on restoring the Reich's influence in the world by more peaceful means. And I don't care if we have to be nice to the Norse and Persians, as long as it works."
-Sigismund II

"I'm only going to say this once. Give us our rightful territories, or die."
-Metternich

The Reich was whole again, and now instead of fighting itself it could focus its full power overseas again. Sigismund's first target was South Eimerica, specifically Neu Rhomania. The colonial province had been largely untouched by the civil war, with only the major cities along the northern coast and Amazon delta suffering from occupations and battles. As a result, thousands of refugees fled here to escape the chaos in Europe. By the end of the war, there were enough bureaucrats in Neu Brandenburg for Sigismund to integrate the capital region into a normal administrative region.

Metternich suggested and led an attempt to expand the Reich's sphere of influence by peaceful means, as the Kaiserliche Heer (the name of the imperial legions after the war; the name Reichsheer, though it had been in use since the earliest days of the Reich, fell out of use because of its links to the Maximist legions) was still in the process of rebuilding and was in no shape to wage another war. Ambassadors were first sent to New Peten to gain favor with K'uhul Ajaw Ah Cacao III. Sigismund was interested in leasing a few Mayan islands for use as military bases and getting into the Caribbean markets. Other ambassadors went to the Ryukyu islands to negotiate a trade deal with King Ko I. What caused uproar in the Provisional Diet, though, was Metternich's decision to also send diplomats to Persia and Scandinavia. While Persia did significantly help out the Siegfriedists in the civil war, many in the government and in public still viewed the Persians as the historical enemies of Rome based on the long history of warfare dating back to the days of the Parthians and Sassanids. Scandinavia, of course, was the Reich's most recent enemy, having fought the legions repeatedly in the Commonwealth Wars and before that in the Norse crusades of the medieval period. Metternich, however, quickly justified his actions with a lengthy treatise that was published in all major newspapers and read before the Provisional Diet. On Persia, Metternich wanted to repay them for their support in the civil war. The Romans and Persians had only gone to war maybe three times in the last four hundred years, as opposed to probably four hundred years of constant on-and-off warfare in late antiquity. As for Scandinavia, Metternich borrowed a page from the Maximists' book and claimed that the Norse were "Germanic brethren" who had to be reconciled with Roman civilization. He did not renouce the claim that the Norse were enemies, but he argued that the Scandinavians had to be placed, or forced if necessary, into the Roman sphere of influence in order to protect the peace in Northern and Eastern Europe. In addition, he also implied plans to render the Norse economically and militarily dependent on the Reich, a "fate worse than outright subjugation through warfare."

Meanwhile, the Swiss began work on a remarkable feat of engineering.
In 1853 under the stewardship of the Swiss industrialist Alfred Escher, who created the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt in 1846, the Gotthard Railway Company was founded, with Escher planning to build a tunnel through the Alps for railway use. Despite initial difficulties to finance the project, and resulting costs of about 11% over budget, the financing was shared among private and public investors from the sub-provinces and provinces of Schweiss, Italia, and Germania. The bidding war between an engineering company from Geneva and Italia was fought viciously, and finally, the Swiss engineer Ludwig Favero won the project. Because of his low bid, and the extra costs during construction, Favre increasingly found himself at odds with local politicians and investors alike.

The tunnel was built from 1854 to 1864 and marked the first large-scale use of dynamite, developed in 1847 but would not be patented for several more decades. Construction was surveyed by the Swiss engineer Ludwig Favero, who suffered a fatal heart attack inside the tunnel in 1859. Construction was difficult due to financial, technical and geological issues, the latter of which, despite extremely high safety precautions and regulations, led to the death of around 200 workers (the exact number is not known) mainly due to water inrushes; many were also killed by the compressed air-driven trains carrying excavated material out of the tunnel. There were also serious health issues caused by an epidemic of hookworm infection (Ancylostoma duodenale). Medical investigations led to "major advances in parasitology, by way of research into the aetiology, epidemiology and treatment of ancylostomiasis". A strike of the workers in 1855 was crushed by the Kaiserliche Heer, killing four and wounding 13.

There is a memorial for the dead workers near the station building at Airolo, created by the Italic artist Vincenzo Vela.

While most of the Reich had returned to peace with the defeat of the Maximists and the surrender of Goering's fractured rebel faction, a few rebel groups refused to surrender, fighting on in Italia, Illyricum, Arabia, Greece, Caucasia, and Hispania. Sigismund, realizing the wartime mobilization order was still in effect, decided to send the conscripted legions into battle one last time. In several key battles, the legions broke the back of the rebel armies for good, killing thousands of them and scattering the rest into the countryside, where they would no longer threaten the government.

After the Battle of Medina, Sigismund decided that the conscripts had served long enough. He thanked each man for his service to the Reich and issued a demobilization order, allowing them to return to civilian life.

Naples was liberated from rebel occupation the last day of October 1854, ending the rogue Siegfriedist threat for good. Peace finally returned to all portions of the Reich, allowing citizens to focus on other things, such as Shakespeare's plays, which saw a revival in interest first in Britannia and then in the rest of the Reich. The most performed play was Shakespeare's final and arguably best work, The Apocalypse, detailing the careers of two Inquisitors as they fought demons, angels, and heretics to save the Reich and Christendom from the Apocalypse during the Fifty Years' War of the 17th century.

The Indians did not take kindly to the Reich intruding on their "rightful" sphere of influence. Once Prithivipala got word of Roman ambassadors negotiating deals with Gunduz, he sent some of his own to "convince" Gunduz to reconsider.

Meanwhile, the Sick Man of Eimerica continued to suffer as another crisis broke out, again over the treatment of the Tarascan people. The Russians, wanting to protect their economic interests in the Alliance, backed Moctezuma I. The Tarascan people sent a diplomat to Berlin, begging Sigismund II to support them. Metternich turned them away at the door, not wanting to anger the Russians and expecting the crisis to die down quickly.

The crisis did not die down, for as soon as the Tarascans learned that the Reich was not willing to help them, they turned to Pierremaskin and his pan-Eimerican ideals. The Emperor of the Fox gladly put his support behind the Tarascans. As a result, a conference of the Great Powers was convened, where Sigismund declared his support for Tsar Yeremy I of Russia.

In late December, while diplomats from the Great Powers met in Tenochtitlan to discuss the fate of Tarascan, a man named Heinrich Giffard traveled from the Gallic city of Versailles to Trappes in a hot air ballon, awing spectators and proving that flight was possible.

On 1 January 1855, the Provisional Diet's tenure was up, and a new regular Diet was convened, the first since 1847. The conservatives continued to lose control over the Diet, while the liberals maintained their plurality. One of the first things the new Diet advised Sigismund to do was to move all legions to the Lithuanian and Scandinavian borders in preparation for the reclamation of the lost territories.

In the Corporate Republic of Kanata, Ltdl, CEO Haraldr Yngling's rule was becoming quite tyrannical and heavy-handed. His approval ratings plummeted over the years, as he failed to deliver on his promises of recapturing the lands stolen by the Fox. When the Markland stock exchange crashed, all Kanatan stocks lost their value, and the Republic filed for bankruptcy. Taking advantage of the chaos, royalist groups rose up, demanding the restoration of King Egill I to the throne. They justified their rebellion by a clause in the Republican Charter that governed Kanata's government: by describing their insurrection as a "corporate takeover," they claimed legitimacy as a rival corporate faction. As the Kanatan army had been privatized and disbanded to guard Yngling's numerous mansions, the royalists found little opposition, easiliy seizing Markland and storming Yngling's mansion. The CEO was executed and the Thorfinn Bay Company nationalized. The royalists sent an invitation to King Egill I to return to his throne, which the king readily accepted. The Kingdom of Kanata was restored on New Year's 1855, with the Republic and constitutionalism abolished for good. However, not everybody was happy with the return of the King. Some radical groups, opposed to both the corporatism of the anarchists and the monarchism in Markland, began advocating for reunification with Scandinavia itself. They argued that independence from the Fylkirate had only brought chaos and humiliation to Kanata and its people, and by returning to direct Scandinavian rule they could gain the necessary manpower and resources to fight and defeat the Fox. Egill and most of the public were strongly opposed to reunification with Scandinavia, for obvious reasons. With no way of legally furthering their cause, the pan-nationalists rose up against Markland, deciding to enforce unification with Scandinavia with violence. With the Royal Kanatan Army still being rebuilt after the royalist restoration, much of Kanata fell under rebel occupation rapidly, with some militant groups marching on Markland. After the death of Moctezuma I due to severe stress over the Tarascan Crisis and the coronation of Huey-tlatoani Tizoc II Acatl, Egill decided to reinstate his alliance with the Reich, hoping that Berlin could send support against the rebels. Sigismund obliged, sending equipment and advisers to train and modernize the Royal Army, not wanting the Scandinavians to regain their footholds in the Eimericas.

On 1 February 1855, Karol Ferdinand I of Lithuania passed away and was succeeded by his son, August. Metternich took note of this and advised Sigismund to move quickly on recovering the lost territories while Lithuania was still adjusting to its new ruler.

The newspapers printed on 17 February 1855 were deemed worthy of archiving because of their excellent articles detailing the royalist restoration in Kanata, but Sigismund was angered because only now did they publish articles detailing the end of the civil war.

In March, Tupac Amaru IV threw in his support for the Tarascans, joining with the Fox to oppose Russia and the Reich. Tensions quickly escalated, with only the Jin dynasty remaining neutral. Meanwhile, Sigismund focused on improving relations with Scandinavia, hoping that should the pan-nationalists win in Kanata, he could "convince" Tyke to reject their offer of unifcation.

In April, Yeremy sent an ultimatum to Pierremaskin, demanding that he step down and restore the status quo or face a war. Despite the Russians having no way of waging an overseas war, Pierremaskin was forced to concede, and the crisis ended. Empowered by Yeremy's successful diplomacy, Sigismund sent ultimatums of his own to Scandinavia and Lithuania, demanding the return of the seized provinces on threat of war. The threat was backed by a military buildup on the Lithuanian and Scandinavian borders. Although Sigismund knew that he could not fight a protracted war against either nation, he hoped that Scandinavia's friendly relations with the Reich would help out and that August I would not call his bluff.

Both countries folded immediately, returning the disputed provinces to Roman control at once. Sigismund had triumphed yet again, boosting his legitimacy. The Reich was completely whole again, this time without any bloodshed. Persia, meanwhile, saw the revived strength of the Reich as a sign that they should lean more towards Berlin for protection rather than Delhi. Gunduz decided she would rather align herself with the Reich than continue seeing her country's economy suffer under a massive influx of Indian businesses. On 16 April 1855, she issued a proclamation declaring all economic and trade treaties with India null and void.

As usual, the newspapers were late in detailing this update, discussing instead the restoration in Kanata, the recapture of Lublin, the end of the Tarascan Crisis, and the Battle of Medina. However, they did discuss news that the pan-nationalists had won in Kanata, forcing Egill to agree to unification with Scandinavia. However, Tyke as expected refused to accept the title of King of Kanata, protecting Kanata's independence at Sigismund's insistence.

---

Glory! Honor! Victory! So, when's the parade? I'm very keen on attending. Say what you will, the Maximists held terrible parades.

That is, if the Maximist Diet ever agreed to vote on one without one faction threatening to shut down the government if their ideological demands weren't met.

Six years of madness finally ends! The Roman Civil War is over, the Reich can rebuild, and Maximilian can work on his garden. The economy is stronger than ever, people can live their lives free once again, and peace has returned... until the Reich decides to retake that land their "friendly" neighbors took during the war.

Nobody takes land from the Reich and lives to tell the tale!

Bravo, a fine and slow end to an evil traitor. Now the Reich can reclaim its land and glory. I'm certainly interested as to where the Inquisition will go now.

But then it wouldn't be unexpected!

I think it's time to give Scandinavia and Lithuania-Ruthenia a good thrashing. I'm sure they're cowering now that the Reich is unified once more.

They probably are, if they're not worrying about rebels or Russia.

...I don't know, I still think Konrad got off easy. Reminds me too much of how Jefferson Davis got off scot free.

Well, Jefferson Davis did serve time in jail and only got out on bail, so he didn't exactly get off scot free. Also, keep in mind that while Konrad did lead the rebellion that triggered the war, he was effectively out of power for most I wanted to emphasize that Konrad's "punishment" was supposed to be "worse than death," but I think I wasn't clear enough on that. So I added in the previous update a comparison with Cain.

And now the fun process of rebuilding the Heer.

Not to mention waiting for war exhaustion to tick down from near 100% before starting more wars. My militancy is constantly threatening to go through the roof.

Now it's time to retake Holstein and East Poland!

Surprise Anschluss!

 

[Michaelangelo]

Cowards. A good war would have been fun.

At least Persia has some sense. They know who to cozy up next to.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Regaining the land from Scandinavia and Lithuania without a single war is an excellent sign that the world is aware the Reich is back in proper form, ready to enforce the status quo. It's kind of nice seeing Persia align with you; perhaps this is the first step in repairing relations and forgiving the ancient past.

Kind of bummed Kanata going back to normal. So much for being unique...

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 191: Absolute Power​

(Note: I have changed the flags for India, Yavdi, and Song to the EU4 versions.)

"As of right now, only Hohenzollerns can serve as Senators unless I otherwise decree it."
-Sigismund II, to the 1857 Diet

"Vampires? What's next, evil angels?"
-A prominent Carpathian social scientist

The Roman economy was booming. It was growing faster than it ever had in the last fifty years. The end of the Civil War apparently had fixed all of the Reich's economic problems, for now taxes could be raised to seventy or eighty percent without driving the middle or working class into poverty. The aristocracy and capitalists could be taxed with 100% rates and still find enough money to pay for their daily needs, if not their luxury needs. And although the Roman industry was the largest in the world, Sigismund was still not satisfied. He first turned his attention to foreign-owned factories, a legacy of the Civil War, when the rest of the members of the Concert of Eurasia invested thousands into building up Maximist and Siegfriedist industry by funding factories. Now that the Civil War was over, why were these factories still under foreign ownership? Sigismund declared in December that all such factories were to be nationalized and placed under the ownership of the imperial government while suitable capitalists who were willing to take full ownership and responsibility over them were found. The Kaiser also encouraged the funding of a military-industrial complex to boost research into industrial and military technologies to make Roman industry and the legions utterly unchallenged by any other Great Power.

The Concert of Eurasia in 1855 saw very few changes, other than the fact that all three Chinese empires were Concert members. Russia had the Alliance under its protection, while the Tran had taken over the Ming's tributary system. Other than that, nobody else had a sphere of influence. Metternich sought to change that, sending diplomats to gain influence in Persia.

The convening of the 1856 Diet saw a continued decrease in the number of conservatives. For the first time, conservative senators numbered less than forty percent, and a simple majority over the liberals, who maintained a plurality, was only maintained by an alliance with the reactionary factions.

In Oceania, the Ming and the Indians continued to expand, with the Chinese seizing more land. Prithivipala discussed the colonization of the continent with Sigismund at one point, claiming that the central territories were once supposed to be claimed by India, but thousands upon thousands of Chinese settlers migrating into the region and displacing the Indian settlers forced Delhi to concede the lands. There was still a significant Indian population in central Oceania last Sigismund checked with Prithivipala.

Sigismund also continued on implementing his social reforms. In February of 1856, he decreed that all employees were limited to working for at most eight hours each day, for their own good. Meanwhile, Fylkir Tyke II put his support behind the avant garde intelligentsia of his realm, realizing that they could be useful in furthering Norse cultural progress. In a heavily militarized nation where most of the people followed a highly militarized religion and identified with a highly militarized culture, this focus was probably not Tyke's best choice.

The summer of 1856 saw another spike in "vampyre hysteria" in Dacia, where superstitious citizens claimed to be attacked by undead bloodsucking aristocrats. Non-Dacians saw this hysteria as proof that the Dacians, ancient enemies of the first Roman Empire, were not as modern as other Romans, while a few others claimed that this was just a cover-up for Maximist or even republican or anarchist support. Several imperial legions were sent into the area to help "hunt" the "vampire" and to calm down the people (as well as round up potential Maximist and anarchist sympathizers).

Another event occurring that summer was the discovery of a fossilized skeleton of a man in Germania. Because it was found in the Neander Valley, near Dusseldorf, the man was dubbed "Neanderthal" (from German 'Neandertal', after the Neander Valley). Scientists were amazed by the new finding. They did not know what to think about it. The Bible implied that the earth was around several thousand years old and that man descended from Adam and Eve, but this inexplicably contradicted that. Strange theories on the origins of man and the earth began to circulate, positing that the earth was a few thousand years older than expected and that the skeleton belonged to a man from a time possibly before the Great Flood. Whatever the case, the true story of the Neanderthal would not be known for several more years.

In other news, some cities began paving their streets with wood, for some reason.

In the Eimericas, the absolutist government that Egill I had presided over after his restoration collapsed to a liberal revolution, which restored the Vinlandic Hogting to power. No sooner did this happen did radical Norse pan-nationalists arise, demanding unification with Scandinavia. As the Royal Kanatan Army was still being rebuilt following both the restoration and the liberal revolution, the rebels made significant and rapid progress, quickly seizing the northern territories and marching south towards the Jormungandr River. In the event of a rebel victory, Sigismund made sure to tell Tyke to decline any attempts by the rebels to offer him the crown of Kanata. To accomplish this, he ordered Metternich to put Scandinavia under the Roman sphere of influence, to render the Norse dependent on Roman military protection and economic strength, to remove any will and ability to largely self-govern (though Scandinavia would not be an outright puppet), and otherwise force Tyke to listen to any and all of Sigismund's whims.

In Persia, though, Metternich had a harder time than in Scandinavia. It appeared that every single Great Power was opposed to the Reich gaining influence over Persia. India's attempts to slander the Reich's reputation in Isfahan was expected, but Metternich did not expect the Ming, Tran, and Russians to join in on discrediting the Reich's name by spreading vicious rumors about Sigismund's attempts to "take over Persia and finish what Heraclius started."

The rest of the year passed without much incident, other than the fact that Wanyan Xiongying decided to grant the Kamchatkan tribes autonomy for seven years. Three tribes--Chukchi, Kamchadals, and Khodynt--gained autonomy status as Jin puppets until roughly 1864 or 1865, at which point the Kamchatkans would hold referendums on returning to direct Jin control.

The 1857 Diet opened with the conservatives continuing to lose control to the reactionaries, alarming Sigismund significantly. He knew that while the reactionaries were firmly anti-Maximist and could help in suppressing the remaining Maximist holdouts in the west, they were also opposed to many of his social reforms and promises of equality to all Roman citizens. He could not let them or the liberals gain control. Therefore, he declared that the Upper House of the Diet would be made up only by Hohenzollern family members unless he appointed another faction to power, which he would not do. This would remain in effect until Sigismund found enough conservatives to maintain the balance of ideologies within the Diet.

Other than the fact that a solar eclipse occurred when the Diet convened (and was predicted in the newspapers nine days ago), causing mass panic that was quickly suppressed by imperial police, not much was of note about the 1857 Diet.

The cotton industry continued to grow, especially in Alexandria, where the cotton produced was of the highest quality in the world. The booming local economy attracted many to the city, which quickly became the largest in the Reich. Vienna, Berlin, and Constantinople were the second, third, and fourth largest cities in the Reich, respectively. All four cities boasted populations well into the millions.

In February, an improved steam turbine was developed by scientists at the Imperial University of Berlin, and the Bureau of Economics ordered it to be quickly integrated into the general economy, boosting farming and mining output significantly.

In March, the first football club, FC Stettin, was founded, coming into immediate conflict with players of rugby football. Developed from the ancient Roman game harpastum, rugby involved a ball, running, and throwing. It quickly became popular among the working and middle class citizens, who had no time for upper class sports such as tzykanion, or polo as some called it. The arrival of FC Stettin caused complications between the players of rugby and those of football, a newer game developed from the Chinese game cuju and the Greek game episkyros. FC Stettin laid out the rules of association football, setting it apart from rugby football. Membership in the club rapidly increased, and within a few years there were similar clubs in other parts of the Reich, particularly in Hispania, Italia, and Britannia.

As the summer of 1857 began, the Fox continued to expand. Pierremaskin ordered settlers out into the wilderness of northern North Eimerica to claim more land for the Native Eimerican peoples before the Chinese or Norse could claim it. The colonization of the region called "Indian Lakes" by Chinese explorers who mistook the natives for Indians set off a colonization rush all across the Eimericas, with the Jin and Fox sending waves of settlers into the frozen north to deny each other more land and the Tawatinsuyuans and Romans sending expeditions into the Amazon to once and for all set the border between Tawatinsuyu and Neu Rhomania. Over the summer, the "Scramble for Eimerica" saw the last vestiges of Eimerican wilderness incorporated into civilization, whether it be Chinese, Fox, Tawatinsuyuan, or Roman. Kanata helplessly looked on as all of its neighbors expanded, with no way of its own to expand and colonize.

A month later, Egill I of Kanata died of severe stress. He had gone through simply too much in life. First, he had lost over half of his country to the Fox. Second, he had survived multiple revolutions, one of which deposed him, one of which restored him, and two of which threatened to undo his ancestors' work by uniting Kanata with Scandinavia. He could take it no more. And so on 17 July 1857, he passed away. His son, Gandalfr, was crowned the next king.

Gandalfr I of Kanata

Back in the Reich, following the establishment of FC Stettin, a mountain climbers' club, the first in the world, was established. Many of its members planned to scale at least twenty mountains in the Alps in their lifetime. It was around this time that many came to realize that despite having suffered greatly over the past few decades, especially in the liberal agitation of the 1840s, the Maximist wars, and the Roman Civil War, all citizens suffered equally. They were all in this together. A sense of national unity arose out of this feeling of togetherness, with citizens joining together in their quest to work for a better future for all Romans.

By October, the Scramble for Eimerica had been completed. In the Amazon, Tawatinsuyu had clearly won the Scramble, having taken much of the land for itself, but Neu Rhomania had significantly expanded as well.

In North Eimerica, the Jin finally brought the Great Basin under their control and began looking north again, towards the frozen wastes of the Yukang (or Yukon) territory. The Fox, though, were paralyzed by the waves of Kanatan separatists and Norse pan-nationalists that frustrated attempts by Michigan City and Chicago to maintain order. Meanwhile, Markland and much of southern Kanata were overrun by Norse pan-nationalists.

The Scramble, despite its name, was not limited to the Eimericas. The Reich also expanded in West Africa. After receiving word that Mali had sent an expedition to claim a patch of desert on the border with Mauretania, Sigismund ordered troops deployed to secure the region and connect the Roman enclave at Arguin with the rest of Provincia Mauretania. The operation was a success; Bamari conceded the territory without a single shot being fired.

In November, a large creature called the "Hadrosaurus" was discovered by the prominent Roman scientist Dr. Laudrich. Like the discovery of the Iguanodon and the Neanderthal in the previous year, this find challenged the accepted notion of the origins of man and the earth. Even the Church was at a loss at how to explain this, with some patriarchs commenting that the fossils could be those of men and creatures living before the Flood.

In December, Gandalfr conceded to the demands of the pan-nationalists, who had taken over his palace and held his family hostage. The pan-nationalists eagerly took the opportunity to strip him of his crown and present it to Fylkir Tyke II, hoping that he would accept it and take control over Kanata. To their disappointment, Sigismund "convinced" Tyke (on pain of economic sanctions) to turn down the crown. The pan-nationalists awkwardly handed the crown back to Gandalfr before being brutally slaughtered by the Royal Kanatan Mounted Police.

The 1858 Diet was the first Diet in a long time where the conservatives had a majority. In fact, the conservatives were the only senators in the Diet, all other senators being sidelined for now. This naturally angered many in the government, but Sigismund assured them that this arrangement was only temporary until all Maximist sympathizers were eliminated.

As the year got underway, scientists at the Imperial University of Berlin finished their research into basic medicine, which would hopefully boost the supply limits of the legions and make them easier to keep equipped in the event of a war.

It looked like this year would be another quiet one. No battles were discussed in the papers, and no revolutions took place. Instead, journalists wrote about the canal system of the Reich and how it was in decline. They also discussed a meeting of prominent lawyers in Berlin, where they would discuss potential updates and amendments to the Augustinian Code. Finally, as if acknowledging that the coming year would be uneventful, they wrote about the state of the Balkans, where Germans and Greeks gathered together to celebrate the long peace that had existed in the region since the reign of Friedrich the Glorious.

However, 1858 would be far from quiet and uneventful.

---

Cowards. A good war would have been fun.

At least Persia has some sense. They know who to cozy up next to.

If only India knew to stop screwing around with my influence.

Regaining the land from Scandinavia and Lithuania without a single war is an excellent sign that the world is aware the Reich is back in proper form, ready to enforce the status quo. It's kind of nice seeing Persia align with you; perhaps this is the first step in repairing relations and forgiving the ancient past.

Kind of bummed Kanata going back to normal. So much for being unique...

That was completely unexpected. I know that I buffed the reactionary rebels slightly so that the constitutional monarchies might revert to absolutism, but I did not foresee that it would affect Kanata as well. Oh well...but let me say here that this is not the death of anarchism yet.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

The Diet is unified favorably for the Reich! Hopefully that can last a long time, so the poor Reich doesn't end up in another civil war. That said, you're alluding to future events...

The colonization race to take what's left unclaimed of the world is exciting. I'd hoped the Reich would take more of South Eimerica, but perhaps that's just you focusing on Africa.

Love the vampire bit, though with the Reich's luck those rumors will turn out to be true.

 

[Michaelangelo]

I'm most concerned about that newspaper article about ghastly puppets being an accepted part of daily life. What nightmare-fuelled world are these people living in?

I see India surpassed you as #1 power for a bit there. I think they need to be knocked down a notch, especially since they interfered with your attempts to sphere Persia.

 

[EmperorofMordor]

Let a now unified and totally in control Hohenzollern dynasty now rule over all the world! Except Dacia, because who needs vampires, anyway.

 

[adriankowaty]

Wrong choose. Maintaining all power in conservative's hand means that people will revolt to retake power and voting rights.

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 192: The Miracle of the Cave, Part 1​

Lourdes, southern Gallia - 11 March 1858

"Come back!" Fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous rushed through the thick shoulder-high wheat of her father's farm, chasing after the runaway sheep. "Come back!"

Ahead, a small white shape flashed through the thick wheat, easily outrunning her. She could only hope that the sheep got tired and stopped.

"Father's not going to like this!" she called. "He will be angry you ran away for so long!"

Up ahead she saw the sheep bolting into a small cave entrance in the side of a nearby hill. She straightened out her clothes and rushed inside after it. She would need to get a change of clothes once she got the sheep back.

Her feet splashed through small puddles, and her nose breathed in stale cave air. The cave's interior was dark, with the only light coming from outside. She looked around. Where was that sheep? If it had fallen and cracked its head open, her father would kill her.

Thankfully, she spotted the sheep near the wall of the cave, strangely quiet and still but alive.

"Are you okay?" she asked the sheep, kneeling and patting the animal on the back. "Don't worry, we'll be going home at--"

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and a loud ringing noise. Bernadette screamed as the deafening ringing blasted through her head and searing white light nearly blinded her. The light came from deeper inside the cave, not from outside. And what was that ringing noise? she wondered.

Do not be afraid, child, she heard a voice from inside her head.

She stopped shaking, realizing that she had curled up in a fetal position near the cave wall and the sheep, which had not moved at all. "Wha...who is this?"

Look up. You know who I am.

Bernadette warily looked up, into the center of the light. Her eyes were no longer strained by the intense heat and brightness, protected by some means. It felt good. Not earthly good, but something...heavenly, divine. A face emerged in the light--female, young, lithe, and graceful. Bernadette recognized it at once from the icons in church.

"Saint Wilhelmina."

Exactly.

---

The Diet is unified favorably for the Reich! Hopefully that can last a long time, so the poor Reich doesn't end up in another civil war. That said, you're alluding to future events...

The colonization race to take what's left unclaimed of the world is exciting. I'd hoped the Reich would take more of South Eimerica, but perhaps that's just you focusing on Africa.

Love the vampire bit, though with the Reich's luck those rumors will turn out to be true.

I wanted to take more of South Eimerica as well, but I just got distracted and forgot to pay attention. And there isn't really much to colonize right now, as I don't have machine guns yet.

I'm most concerned about that newspaper article about ghastly puppets being an accepted part of daily life. What nightmare-fuelled world are these people living in?

I see India surpassed you as #1 power for a bit there. I think they need to be knocked down a notch, especially since they interfered with your attempts to sphere Persia.

I'm surprised you overlooked the article about the solar eclipse.

India? Usually India's in 4th place. It's Russia that's rank 2 and sometimes rank 1, because they keep spamming armies to "garrison" their border with me, for some reason. They've got at least two hundred thousand men there right now!

Wrong choose. Maintaining all power in conservative's hand means that people will revolt to retake power and voting rights.

Yeah, I thought so. It was a bad choice, because now I can only pass reforms if I change ruling party, which I do not want to do.

Let a now unified and totally in control Hohenzollern dynasty now rule over all the world! Except Dacia, because who needs vampires, anyway.

Another reason why Dacians are barbarians. Superstitious citizens.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Visions of Saint Wilhelmina? For someone outside the Hohenzollern, that's surprising. Is this good, or just the start of more problems?

 

[Michaelangelo]

The Reich is saved! Saint Wilhelmina returns!

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 193: The Miracle of the Cave, Part 2​

Bordeaux, the next day

"So why are we here?" asked Doctor Owen Niederung. "I have to get back to my paleontology dissertation!"

In response, Head Inquisitor Theodoros Mukhtar tossed a newspaper to the tall man with a short beard. "I was in Gallia on vacation, because I was getting sick of waiting for Wrangel to send another update on the situation. And then I heard about this. Fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, a poor farm girl in Lourdes, claims to have received visions of Saint Wilhelmina. Since we're both in the region, I thought that it would be a great time for you to get some field experience. It's a perfect beginner's case for you, Niederung."

"I'm still not sure about this," replied Niederung, "Maybe she was hallucinating or something?"

"That doesn't explain the bright light villagers reported emanating from a nearby cave that Bernadette was confirmed to be inside of at the time."

Niederung sighed.

"You wanted to be an Inquisitor in your spare time, right?" Mukhtar said. "Well, this is what it's like. You can never be a part-time Inquisitor. Either you're in or you're not. Everything else is just to cover up your Inquisition activities."

"Fine, I'm in."

Lourdes, a few hours later

Niederung stepped off the carriage. The ride had shaken him vigorously, and he could barely stand, but he knew he could not be bested by a mere road this early in his case. He was an Inquisitor; he was supposed to handle things far worse than horrible roads.

He walked into the village, straightening out his preacher's outfit and making sure he had his anti-angel sword with him, hidden under his robes. The first thing an Inquisitor did when on a case was to ask questions of the locals, so that was what Niederung did.

He knocked on the door of the Soubirous farmhouse, and a small man wearing glasses appeared from behind the half-opened door.

"Are you Herr Francois Soubirous?" he asked.

"Yes," said the man.

He held up a badge containing the insignia of the Inquisition--a double-headed eagle laid over a pentagram, with some Greek motto below it. "My name is O.C. Niederung," explained Niederung in broken Occitan, "I am with the Imperial Inquisition. Do you mind if I ask a few questions to both you and your daughter?"

"By all means, sir, you are welcome in my house." Francois pulled back the door, beckoning Niederung inside.

"You're from the colonies, aren't you?" said the miller as Niederung sat down at the dinner table, a rather plain wooden one. "Neu Brandenburg or somewhere around there?"

"How did you know?" said Niederung.

"Ah, after a while you just get used to seeing people," said Francois, "Many people used to travel through this village, selling stuff. Once you've seen enough of it, you can tell where they come from. Usually nowadays we just get tax collectors from Paris or Berlin."

"Okay, but let's focus on why I'm here--the visions," said Niederung, "Your daughter reported that she began seeing visions of Saint Wilhelmina yesterday. Did you see any of that? Anything unusual?"

"Not much," replied Francois, "I was in the fields tending to my wheat. I sent Bernadette to recover a sheep that had strayed from our flock. I saw her going in the direction of one of the nearby caves, and then a few minutes later I saw this bright light coming from inside the cave. You can ask the other villagers too. A lot of them also saw it."

"And how long did this light last?"

"A whole two minutes. After that, she came back and told me what she saw in the cave."

"Where is she now? Can I also ask her some questions?"

Francois turned his head to face upstairs. "Bernadette! Could you come down here for a moment?"

A young girl in traditional Occitan dress, not the usual German clothes that Niederung was accustomed to, bolted down the stairs.

"Yes, father?" she said.

"We have visitors," said Francois, "A man from the Inquisition is here to ask you about your experience, so that he can confirm it was not the Devil."

Niederung was about to shout "What?" when Francois frantically motioned to him to stay silent.

She turned to face the Inquisitor. "Hello, I'm Bernadette."

She curtsied to him before taking a seat.

"You have any other family?" asked Niederung.

"My wife's dead, and my other child, my son, is in Cordoba studying," said Francois, "Took a big chunk out of my life savings to send him there."

"So, Bernadette, can you describe for me what you saw in the cave?" asked Niederung, taking out a notebook.

"I had found the sheep," explained Bernadette, "It was standing near the wall of the cave. I reached over to pick it up when there was this loud flash of light and a ringing noise. At first the brightness and the loudness of the light and ringing caused pain in my head, but it went away after a while."

"Did this light have a particular shape to it? Did you hear any voices?"

"Oh, ja. It was shaped like a person, only made out of light. It was very tall, with its head reaching to the ceiling of the cave. I could see that it was casting shadows of large wings, even though its form had none. And it spoke to me as well."

Niederung jotted down what he heard in the journal. "And what did it say?"

"It said, Don't be afraid, and, You know who I am."

"Who was it?"

"It revealed its face to me. I recognized it as that of Saint Wilhelmina in her youth from the icons in the local church."

"Did anything feel...off about this light?"

"No. It felt heavenly, divine. There was nothing malicious about it. I felt love, pure love, radiating from the light. It was sent by Heaven, I know that. The Devil could not do something like this."

If only they knew the truth, Niederung thought.

"Well, then, I believe that is enough for today," he said to Francois and Bernadette, "Thank you for your cooperation in this investigation. I shall be staying in the local inn and investigate further tomorrow."

He got up, shook Francois's hand, and turned towards the door.

"Herr Inquisitor!" said Francois, suddenly.

Niederung turned back. "Yes?"

"Will you be doing something about Mayor Lacarde?" asked the miller.

"I'm sorry, who?" replied Niederung.

"The mayor of Lourdes," explained Francois, "He's done some...questionable things over the years. The method by which he attained his wealth is dubious, as everybody in this village but him is poor. He also is one of the few who does not believe in the miracle and wants to close off the cave."

"Look, Herr Soubirous," replied Niederung, "I am an Inquisitor. My duty here is to ask questions and investigate the supposed visions. All other concerns come second. Investigating the mayor is the job of the police. I might be able to conduct an investigation into him should I find the time and the justification for doing so, but do not hope that I will do that. My apologies, but I must be going now."

And Niederung turned and walked out of the house, away to the inn where he would stay. This investigation wasn't going to end quickly. It wasn't another false positive like the last few cases the Inquisition had to deal with. This was potentially the real deal.

Subject, named Bernadette Soubirous, a local peasant girl, claims to have had visions of Saint Wilhelmina while in a nearby cave. Preliminary investigation turns up several points in support of this claim. Numerous villagers reported seeing light emerge from the cave that Subject was in when the visions reportedly began. The credibility of the witness has been verified: Subject appears to retain full mental capabilities for a normal fourteen-year-old girl. Details of the incident are clear and concise, implying she was fully conscious of the events. Therefore, it is wise to conclude at this point that this incident is not a false positive.

Angels have not been sighted on the earth since 1835. Should this incident be confirmed as having actually occurred, this would be the first confirmed sighting of an angel on the mortal plane in the last twenty-three years. Ramifications for this are many. It is unknown why the angels would again be interfering in the mortal sphere after promising Kaiser Sigismund II that they would not do so for at least a hundred years. Therefore, the fact that this intervention takes place now implies something important enough to drive the angels to break their own agreements.

In addition, traditionally Saint Wilhelmina only appeared to worthy members of the Hohenzollern family. As Subject is obviously not a Hohenzollern, we can only surmise why Saint Wilhelmina, if it really is her, has chosen to appear before her and not to the Kaiser. Another open question is why Subject was reportedly unharmed by witnessing an angel's true form, which can only be done by certain individuals, namely potential vessels. Vessels usually run in the bloodline, so if Saint Wilhelmina is appearing to take a vessel, which has to be a Hohenzollern, does that imply that the Soubirous family is descended from a branch of the Hohenzollerns? This brings to mind many more questions: why Saint Wilhelmina? Why now? Why here? Why to these people?

Further investigation is necessary to answer these questions before the Church can decide whether or not to call this a miracle. Tomorrow, I shall personally journey to the cave in the hope of replicating the claimed visions on myself. Until then, this case is considered open and the experiences of Subject in the cave near Lourdes on 11 March 1858 remain unexplained.

Owen Niederung, Inquisitor
12 March 1858
Lourdes, Provincia Gallia

---

Visions of Saint Wilhelmina? For someone outside the Hohenzollern, that's surprising. Is this good, or just the start of more problems?

You'll see. Can't spoil the plot, can I?

The Reich is saved! Saint Wilhelmina returns!

Saved from what? And how do you know it really is her?

 

[EmperorofMordor]

The Reich is saved! Saint Wilhelmina returns!

why do I feel like this will not end well...

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Everything about her seems on the level... I'd guess she could be a descendant of a minor branch, but I'd have to imagine the Reich would follow the bloodline in case something like this ever happened.

On a minor note, I like Niederung. Seems like a fun character.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Saved from what? And how do you know it really is her?

Nothing evil could ever be associated with the great and wonderful Saint Wilhelmina, so clearly her appearance is a good thing. She has come to the Reich after its troubled times to return it to its former glory. Nothing shall break my faith!

 

[EmperorofMordor]

Nothing evil could ever be associated with the great and wonderful Saint Wilhelmina, so clearly her appearance is a good thing. She has come to the Reich after its troubled times to return it to its former glory. Nothing shall break my faith!

do you remember Kaiser Friedrich IV?

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 194: The Miracle of the Cave, Part 3​

Outside Lourdes - 13 March, around noontime

Niederung hiked through the thick bushes and grass, heading to the cave where Bernadette reported her visions. It took him about ten minutes to get through the wheat fields, across the small creek, through the small grove, and up the hill. How did a sheep manage to get "lost" this far away from the flock? There was no way; it would have been deterred by the predators waiting in the grove from running further. He made a mental note to put this down in his report. Although he was an Inquisitor and therefore by definition a religious man, he wanted to eliminate simpler explanations before settling on the conclusion that Saint Wilhelmina was here. So far, the evidence was in favor of an angel sighting. But a question nagged at the back of his head: how did Saint Wilhelmina become an angel? She was never an angel. She had been born, raised, and died as a human.

Unless worthy souls in Heaven could be turned into angels...

He snapped back to the task at hand, making sure to write it down later. He finally made it to the cave entrance and took out his notebook, writing down his observations and the physical layout of the cave. It was quite small, more like a grotto than an actual cave. There was a moderately sized cavern inside, but nothing lived in there. Moss grew on the rocks inside and outside of the cave, and he could hear the steady dripping of water somewhere, no doubt feeding into the creek at the base of the hill. It was a weird place to have a vision. Saint Gunhilda had her visions of Archangel Michael in her church. This girl, however similar her story might be, had her visions in a cave. Why a cave?

Observing the environment around him, he noted that there were no torches in the area or any animals. Therefore, he ruled out those as causes for the visions. None of the plants in the area were known to have hallucinatory properties, so he ruled them out too. Which brought him to his conclusion...

Just then, the ground around him began to shake. At first, he thought it was an earthquake. Then he heard the angelic ringing and instinctively drew his dagger from his cloak.

Why do you draw your weapon? said a calm voice in his head, clearly female.

"Who is this?" he demanded. "Why did you appear to that girl?!"

You know who I am. And suddenly the air in front of him was filled with radiant white light, and he raised his arms in front of his face. After a second of expecting to suffer harsh burns to his eyes, he lowered his arms, feeling nothing. That was strange. No angel was like this.

I am not a mere angel, said the voice.

"What is going on here?" said Niederung. "The angels aren't supposed to show up for another eighty years!"

Why are you here?

"I am Owen Niederung, and I am with the Inquisition. I am here to investigate you!"

I am not an object. I am a person, and you will show me the respect that I as a person deserve.

"Okay, okay, I'm trying," said Niederung, retreating to the cave entrance, "But who are you?"

The girl asked me the same thing, and I give to you the answer I gave her: You know who I am.

The light coalesced into a humanoid shape, easily at least a head taller than Niederung. It was vaguely female in shape, and Niederung could barely make out what appeared to be medieval armor covering the figure. In "her" hands were an orb and scepter, and a sword was strapped to her side. The figure cast against the wall a large shadow, also humanoid, though more defined and with large eagle wings spanning the width of the cavern. It was clearly an angel.

A face appeared on the angel's head. It was that of a young woman in her twenties, with short black hair and a perfect Greco-German complexion. Her brown eyes radiated kindness as well as intense precision. They were those of a hawk, not a deer. She was a warrior, Niederung could tell.

It was definitely Saint Wilhelmina...or an entity impersonating her.

"How do I know it really is you, Saint Wilhelmina?" Niederung asked. "How do I know it's not some demon or one of Raphael's angels trying to trick us?"

You don't.

"Well, that's encouraging..."

Trust and faith are key components of religion. Without either, the religion collapses. That is how I mended the Great Schism, by pulling the foundations of Catholicism out from underneath it.

"But why are you here then?"

I have a message to deliver to the Kaiser.

"Well, can't you just zap over there and tell him yourself?"

Brandenburg Palace and the Palace of Potsdam have been warded by anti-angel sigils. I must take a vessel to get through them.

"Then why the girl? Why her?"

She is a Prophet of the Lord.

"I'm sorry, what?"

A Prophet. She will write the next gospel of the Bible.

"Really? Because the last time that happened, we got a blasted Shakespearean play!"

She will also translate the tablet your Inquisition has.

Niederung perked up, now quite interested. "Really? She can do that?"

Not yet, but she will soon.

Niederung excitedly jotted down the details of the conversation in his notebook. "Excellent, excellent," he muttered, "Now, why are you--"

He looked up and found that the angel was gone. He was alone in the cave again.

"Verdammit!" he shouted.

Then he composed himself again and decided to return to the inn to write his report.

Back in Lourdes - 14 March, late morning

Yesterday, I have investigated the location of the supposed angel sighting, a cave outside of Lourdes. The environmental circumstances of the region strongly suggest against animal, plant, or human involvement in the visions. There are no animals that could have been mistaken for an angel. No plants in the region are known to have hallucinatory properties. There are no light-emitting objects anywhere inside or outside of the cave. Therefore, at this point the evidence strongly supports Subject's claim of an angel sighting.

Upon entering the cave, I encountered an entity whose physical properties matched those of a standard angel's true form. The one thing that I was surprised about was that witnessing the true form did not burn my eyes out or cause any harmful health effects. This and the angel's own words suggest that the angel that I encountered was not a mere angel at all.

I quickly began a conversation with the supposed angel, asking it questions as to its nature and motives. It claimed itself to be Saint Wilhelmina and revealed its face to me, which highly resembles the faces of Saint Wilhelmina painted on 12th century Church iconography; other information the entity gave me increasingly suggested that it was actually Saint Wilhelmina and not an imposter, though this could not be completely confirmed. It revealed that Subject is to be a "Prophet of the Lord," and although it explained the purpose of a Prophet it did not elaborate. After attempting to gain more answers, the angel vanished and likely will not appear to me again. Therefore, with the amount of evidence and information gathered, I conclude that this case has been closed with respect to its original goal: to confirm if this is a legitimate angel sighting. However, on the matter of if this angel is really Saint Wilhelmina, I cannot...

There was a sudden knocking at Niederung's door, distracting the Inquisitor from his writing. He walked over and opened the door. "Yes?" he said, annoyed.

Bernadette, her hair wild and her clothes dirty from running through mud and water, rushed into the room, clearly in a state of panic. She turned and slammed the door shut without another warning.

"What are you doing here?" Niederung demanded. "Your father will be worried again!"

"It's Mayor Lacarde," said Bernadette, panting, "He's branded me a heretic and has sent the police to kill me!"


---

why do I feel like this will not end well...

All is going according to plan...

Everything about her seems on the level... I'd guess she could be a descendant of a minor branch, but I'd have to imagine the Reich would follow the bloodline in case something like this ever happened.

On a minor note, I like Niederung. Seems like a fun character.

Not going to spoil the story, but this won't be the only story with Niederung in it...

Nothing evil could ever be associated with the great and wonderful Saint Wilhelmina, so clearly her appearance is a good thing. She has come to the Reich after its troubled times to return it to its former glory. Nothing shall break my faith!

But she killed at least a dozen men who tried to seduce her...

do you remember Kaiser Friedrich IV?

Which one, Friedrich Augustin IV you mean? There was never an actual Friedrich IV. And yes, I do remember what happened to him. But we don't have to worry about that anymore, right?

 

[Michaelangelo]

I here I thought they had gotten past the whole murdering heretics thing. Also it's a pretty lax religious environment when a secular mayor can denounce people as heretics and have them executed without church involvement. Ironic that the inquisitor is the tolerant one here.

 

[EmperorofMordor]

I here I thought they had gotten past the whole murdering heretics thing. Also it's a pretty lax religious environment when a secular mayor can denounce people as heretics and have them executed without church involvement. Ironic that the inquisitor is the tolerant one here.

well there was that whole unpleasant Maximist thing... Not sure if yoU remember. But the conservatives and their inquisition do appear to be the tolerant and progressive ones in this timeline.