Chapter 3 Summary: Spanish Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire
Davout's Salient Facts said:
WARNING: This chapter is a major exposition chapter
Old time: Seventeen years later, after a recap on the state of play in Europe, there is foreshadowing of Spain's plans in the East via Madagascar. There is some talk about touching up Chinese princesses but that is just wrong, dude. Don't go there. Lorenzo plans attacking Venice & Austria when he realises The Big Plan. Afurther 8 years later, Spain is crowned HRE but we learn that this was only the means to a deeper end. Franscisco Jiminez meets with an Austrian and they call each other funny names. The Austrian hands over a Timepiece (patent pending) and there is talk about keys. This probably won't lead to anything. Or will it? War with England begins.
Current time: Tom is chillin' in his crib. The publisher, who should have been called Ronald, calls to book a meeting for the next day. Ronald starts to join the dots of The Big Plan.
Game Concepts: Lots, so I will try to be brief. The guiding eminences of the different great powers have pseudonyms (funny names). Franscisco's name as the Spanish controller is Janus. The Timepiece (PP) is an object possessed by the HRE and goes with the title to Spain. It apparently needs Keys held by other countries, including England (hence the new war) but we don't know what the Timepiece (PP) and keys are/do.
Postmodern in joke: Battlestar Galactica
Shower scenes: 0 (but there is some prospect of fondling hot asian cheeks soon)
Chapter III said:
The now more experienced man touched the portrayal with his fingers as if making the grasp of temporal power more real to him just by feeling the gold dust rub off on his fingertips. His touch found strange places just recently scouted—China, Japan, and the East Indies. He caressed it like one would the cheek of an exotic princess.
But something caught the eye of the man, it was another hand gently grasping upward only being able, however, to touch the upper tip of Madagascar. He looked down with a smile and saw to his approval the enthralled grin of a young boy.
“Good, my son, good,” he gently whispered.
January 18 1557
Scene 1: A man reflects on the giant map in the Silent Room. Description of some of the geopolitical events going on in the world see
this map for details. The man caresses the portions of the world yet untouched by Spanish influence: China and Japan “like one would [caress] the cheek of an exotic princess.” A small boy next to the man also holds up his hand to touch the map like the man. The boy is the man's son. It is implied that this man is Francisco.
Scene 2: Lorenzo is 20 years older. He is on the battlements of Avignon and looks at the setting sun in the west. He makes preparations for the 100,000 Spaniards to defend the border against the Austrians and Venetians as couriers go by since he knew the other Powers of Europe would not stand for a Spain that also controlled France. As he makes his plans, he gazes off back towards the conquered French territory and exclaims that Jimenez was right and why they needed France first: “Yes Southern France, he thought. The land where the Cathars and Templars left their-- Yes! It all made sense to take Venice and Austria too!” hinting that he knows of the master plant that has been created by the Room.
Scene 3: Bologne 1565, Pope Paul IV is crowning the Spanish King as Holy Roman Emperor. Francisco meets with someone known as “The Roman General” who in turn refers to Francisco as “Janus.” it is explained that the diplomatic gray eminences of the various powers always had code names for some reason that is not revealed. The Spanish one was always Janus, the Austrian one was always The Roman General. It is implied that the Austrians capitulated and Spain is recognized as the holder of the Emperorship. To that end, a box is brought in and awarded to Francisco. Inside is the Timepiece. Mention of the Keys is made and how those won't be easy to get due to the English fleet. The scene ends with news that the English fleet has engaged the Armada in the Dover straits while their Ceylon and other colonial allies attacked merchant vessels going to the Far East.
Interlude
Tom's relaxing on a Friday Afternoon. He's watching television about a Spanish naval vessel and a ragtag merchant fleet escaping from the twelve colonies in the Philippines to make haste to the thirteenth colony but they're attacked by a Ceylon base ship in the meantime which immediately sends out smaller raider vessels. Tom's viewing of the show is interrupted by a phone call by the publisher named Robert McDonald who then makes an appointment to meet with him to talk about his work.
McDonald hangs up the phone after talking with Tom but then talks to his secretary telling her to find out all she can about Tom. He takes out a picture which resembles the Box that was given to Francisco earlier in the chapter as well as a piece of paper that had five cities listed with all of them crossed out except for the last one: Paris, Vienna, Venice, Prague, London.
Chapter 4 Summary: The Siege of London (coming soon)