The Hohenzollern Empire 5: Holy Phoenix - An Empire of Jerusalem Megacampaign in New World Order

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I see your agrument about the slavery thing, but I remember the EU4 and Vicky 2 segments described the Atlantic slave trade in TTL as being a lot smaller than OTL, so the Merikans probably wouldn’t have a big population of slaves to work off of. Then again, I suppose they could Institute a form of racially blind slavery much earlier than the Draka. It could also try to delay the Reich's abolition of the slave trade or even declare Independence the moment Kaiserin Victoria II "the Emancipator" puts her foot down on the slavery issue.
That might be a good time for Neurhomania to declare independence. They could use the Nahua and Quechua populations as a source of slaves.
As for the Mexico thing, I was originally gonna go for Operation Sunrise Invasion not happening or going badly to justify them existing as a strong empire until Merikan Neurhomania declares war on them in the middle of WW2, but I’m considering changing it to what you just said. Maybe the Domination of Merika could fight fascist Twantinsuyu in WW2, having not conquered them before due to the Andean mountains and the Amazon rain forest in the way geographically. Maybe the Domination of Merika could adopt Pierremaskin's pan Eimerican ideology and take it much further, wishing to expand across the Pacific and Atlantic.
They could also adopt some Chinese culture from the Jin after conquering them.
At the moment, Tawain, the Pearl River delta, and any other Chinese colony that isn’t ruled by the other dynasties, like parts of Japan (Ainu Monsir is communist, the shogunate is independent and Imperial Japan is a Tianxia puppet state) and the Philippines amoug others. It’s pretty small compared to the other dynasties I know, but they could make up for it with a boost to industrial capacity and division training.
If the Ming are that weak, then there should be more focus on internal conflicts as now the other dynasties have leverage.
Your other ideas for India, the Tianxia and the NUC are great. I'll try to find a way to incorporate them into my Indian, NUC and Ming updates if I can.
Alright then.
 
Valkyrie, Part 4

New Berlin - 1954, night

Alfred parked the car a block away from the meeting hall. Anne, Conrad, and Hans got out. Anne popped open the trunk and set a large case on the sidewalk. She opened the case and tossed two submachine guns to Conrad and Hans. Then she picked up her pistol and fixed a silencer to it.

“You fine with something like that?” Conrad said.

“I’m a quiet person,” Anne said, “Unlike you two with all that firepower.”

“You best be heading off now,” Alfred said, “The meeting’s approaching the halfway point.”

“You heard him,” Anne said, “Nobody else’s coming. Nobody’s leaving.”

Hans peered around the corner and watched the entrance to the meeting hall. Two neo-Angeloi men in makeshift uniforms stood watch, armed with shotguns.

“They need guards, huh?” he said.

“They know the whole city hates them,” Anne said, “And they davka always complain about everybody else being violent.”

“Did the war not teach them anything?” Conrad said.

Anne dropped them with two quick shots to the head.

“All clear,” she said, “We have a short window.”

They ran down the street and crouched next to the door.

“Check if she’s in there,” Anne said.

Conrad took out a notepad and drew a sigil while Hans spray-painted a corresponding sigil on the door. Conrad then put his thumb to the paper, and the sigil on the door glowed blue. They could now make out the ongoing conversation inside.

“…shadows, biding our time,” a woman declared, “The crooked liberals in Constantinople, led by the traitor Papen and equalist Adenauer, used cowardice and dirty tricks to steal the great war for our souls. Yet they can’t or won't do the same to liberate the eastern provinces from the godless equalists. Let it be known their time has come, and we shall soon take the fight back to them. Soon, we shall remind them we are still here. We will not be forgotten. For the future of our race and our children, we will take back our nation! Jai Hind! The Angeloi protect!”

“The Angeloi protect!” the other neo-Angeloi shouted. "Jai Hind!"

“That’s her,” Anne said, “Maximiani ‘Maximine’ Portas, also known as Savitri Devi. Believed Gandhi was the reincarnation of Krishna. Wife of Asit Krishna Mukherji, editor of the newspaper New Mercury and member of the Rasa Party. He’s dead now. I slit his throat in Kathmandu last year.”

“What’s so important about Portas?” Conrad said.

“She is a close associate of Alfred Hoffman,” Anne said, “She’s working with him on something called Project Vidar.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound intimidating,” Hans said.

“The Athanatoi is interested in Project Vidar,” Anne said, “Preliminary intelligence suggests it is a plot to revive the Angeloi cause and resume the war. How it concerns Hoffman, I don’t know. I’m just here to kill him.”

She pointed to an air vent above them.

“Boost me up,” she said.

The two men lifted her up. Anne grabbed onto the vent. She tore off the grate and dropped it into Hans’ hands before climbing inside. Conrad tossed a wireless headset in after her.

“Put it on,” Conrad said, “It’s a prototype made by my colleagues at the Bureau of Defense. We can communicate wirelessly with it.”

Anne put on the headset. “Isn’t that nice.”

She crawled through the vent as quickly and quietly as she could. Below her, she could hear the muffled voices of Portas and the other neo-Angeloi, still being sore losers about the war. Seriously, how pathetic could they be? Hiding in a rundown building in one of the seedy outer neighborhoods of New Berlin devastated by the Tawantinsuyuan occupation, plotting world domination with only a handful of men and women? Angelos must be rolling in his grave.

Anne arrived at the end of the vent and opened another grate into a backroom. She pulled herself out of the vent and dropped down onto the floor. Then she tapped the headset.

“I’m in,” she said.

“Good,” Conrad said, “We’ve used our spells to figure out the place’s floor plan. Hans?"

“Okay, so you want to head into the hallway, turn right, and take the second door on your left,” Hans said, “That should be where she keeps her documents. Hurry. The meeting sounds like it’s wrapping up.”

“Don’t worry,” Anne said, “I’ll handle it.”

She entered the hallway and immediately noticed a guard standing outside the room she was looking for. He hadn’t noticed her yet, so she took out a knife and threw it at him. The blade embedded in his back, and he fell. Anne ran over, pulled out the knife and slit his throat before he could say another word. She cursed as she stepped away from his body. There was blood all over her hands now. She was getting sloppy. How could she pick up and read files like this?

Anne dried her hands as best as she could on the guard’s shirt, sheathed her knife, and entered Portas’ room. The only features in the otherwise empty room were a folding chair and a foldable table stacked with files and occult and neo-Angeloi books. Curious, she looked at the book titles, which had increasingly bizarre names: Ancient Glories of the Aryan Race, The Child Mind of the Mohammedan, The Lightning and the Sun (this one was her own and unfinished), On the Relationship between Basques and the Early Aryans, The Serpent-Men - A History of the Primeval Snake Cult, and Animal Cruelty: Why Those who Disrespect Animals Deserve the Death Penalty.

“Come on, Anne,” she told herself, “Focus on the mission.”

She searched through the files, which were mostly personnel reports and land surveys of various areas in Neurhomania, most of them in the region of Nsorala in the undeveloped rural south, particularly at one specific set of coordinates. Focusing on the personnel files, she found they had information on high-ranking neo-Angeloi sympathizers and even a few Angeloi officers who escaped justice in the Old World. The files listed their current or recent locations, most of which seemed to be at the same coordinates in Nsorala as well. Was there a connection with the land surveys? She thought to herself as she continued searching the files for any mentions of Hoffman or Vidar. There were none.

“No,” she said, her hand shaking, “No, impossible. It’s my best lead. Hoffman’s got to be in here somewhere. This can’t be happening.”

Her mind flashed back to the dark days of 1941, even as she fought against it. She remembered sitting on top of the staircase of her old home, watching Hoffman execute her parents. Then she remembered Hoffman shooting her, the bullet tearing through her chest as she watched him smile and pour gasoline all over the kitchen before lighting it on fire.

“No, please, no,” she muttered, “No, no!”

She heard a gun clicking behind her.

“Turn around,” Portas said, with a thick accent somewhere between Greek and Hindi, “Slowly. Hands up.”

She slowly turned around and put her hands up. Portas, a Greek woman in an Indian sari, had a gun pointed right at her forehead. She chuckled to herself as four more shotgun-carrying neo-Angeloi entered the room behind her.

“Well, well, well,” Portas said, “If it isn’t the Valkyrie herself. Here to steal my secrets.”

“Anne, respond,” Conrad said, “Anne, respond! What’s going on?”

“I’m not here for you,” Anne said, “But you’re a Rasa, so go to hell anyways.”

“Hell…” Portas said. “Such an Abrahamic concept. A place where the evil are punished for all eternity for their misdeeds.”

“Well, we don’t technically have a hell in my faith,” Anne said, “But you probably hate it as much as every other faith that’s not Christianity or Hinduism.”

“It is folly to believe the afterlife will deliver justice to the evil,” Portas said, “Justice is ultimately ours to decide, ours to give.”

“So you agree with what I’m doing,” Anne said.

“What?” Portas said. “No! Your kind has perverted justice in the Old World. You cheat and scam hardworking Aryans out of their livelihoods. You make a mockery of justice. Then you rewrite laws to suit your cause and kill anybody who disagrees with you. Honestly, we should’ve dealt with you as much as we did with the Muslim pigs.”

“You take that back right now,” Anne said.

“Or what?” Portas said. “You’ll kill me?”

“Exactly,” Anne said.

An Inquisition grenade rolled into the room. Anne noticed it just as the Enochian runes covering its surface rapidly flashed blue. She pushed Portas’ gun out of the way and hit the floor. The grenade detonated, taking out the guards with homing shrapnel and throwing Portas against the far wall. Anne rolled over and drew her gun, shooting the survivors. Conrad and Hans appeared in the doorway, firing their submachine guns at anybody who entered the hallway. Portas got to her feet and aimed at Anne, but she shot her in the arm. Portas shouted in pain and dropped her gun, clutching her arm. Anne approached her.

“Tell me where Hoffman is!” Anne demanded.

“Why should I tell you?” Portas said.

“I’m going to kill him,” Anne said.

“You can’t stop him,” Portas said, “Vidar will succeed. And even if it doesn’t, your pitiful loyalists will yet have their day of reckoning, even if it is long after we are all dead.”

She drew a knife with her other hand and lunged at Anne’s throat. Anne shot her in the head, and Portas slumped to the ground. Not wasting a second, she gathered up all of the files and ran into the hallway to join Conrad and Hans.

“Let’s move,” she said.

“But she didn’t tell us where Hoffman is,” Conrad said.

“She didn’t have to,” Anne said, “These files, they’re all pointing to a location in Nsorala. Hoffman’s got to be there. I’m not letting him get away again.”


Frankfurt - November 7, 2015, 5:30 PM

Diana, Olga, Anna, and Walter accompanied Burt past the lines of ambulances, emergency response teams, police officers, and news crews into the deserted cafe. Coroners were still rolling out bodies around them.

“Eighteen victims,” Burt said, “Ranging in age from 6 to 86. Witnesses report seeing them choke up, almost like they were drowning or asphyxiating. Also, Ride of the Valkyries was playing over the speakers.”

“Thank you, Burt,” Diana said, “We’ll take it from here.”

Burt left the cafe to rejoin the other police officers.

“Suffocated just like at Aliya Hussein’s estate,” Diana said, “I used to come here all the time with Mom and then Alex. He loved the green tea ice cream. Some of these people look familiar.”

“What’s the connection?” Olga said.

Diana looked over a clipboard from the lead coroner. “Uh…some are Muslims, but not all.”

“You might have to rework that hypothesis, Diana,” Anna said, “Maybe this toxin isn't transmitted genetically.”

“Any surveillance?” Anna said.

“No cameras inside or on the street,” Olga said, “I would’ve found them by now. Could be why our suspect chose this place.”

“No candles,” Diana said.

“Not a single one,” Olga said, “As far as I can see.”

“Is there any other way that this toxin could be delivered?” Anna said.

“Walter, you got anything?” Diana said.

“Any number of ways, I would think,” Walter said, “It simply requires a heat source to disperse it into the air.”

He began looking around the cafe for evidence. Diana looked at an empty table and noticed a cup of tea sitting there, undisturbed.

“The cup of tea,” Diana said.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” Walter said, picking up the cup of tea, “Hmm? Oh! Oh, yes, yes, that would work. As long as the water was hot enough. Ah, cinnamon.”

“Cinnamon,” Diana said, remembering the candle.

Olga flagged down a forensics technician. “I want this cup dusted for prints immediately.”

The forensics technician took the cup. “Yes, ma’am. Right away.”

Meanwhile, Diana inspected Jordan’s body.

“Wait a minute, I know this girl,” she said, “Her mom’s a friend of mine. Agent Hadid. We worked together at the Berlin field office after the war.”

She looked at the body of Jordan’s mom. “That’s Agent Hadid. Oh, God. I never thought I’d have to meet her again like this."

Then she checked her clipboard.

“Wait a minute,” she said, “The other victims…they were all Jewish.”

“Let me see that,” Olga said, taking the clipboard, “You’re right.”

“I was right after all,” Diana said, “This is a targeted toxin. Every victim in this incident is either Jewish or Muslim. The common factor.”

“It’s a good thing you weren’t here, Diana,” Anna said, “Or you’d be dead too.”

“What’s the connection?” Olga said. “First it was Aliya Hussein’s family and Muslim friends. Now it’s a bunch of random Muslims and Jews. Who is targeting these people? If this is an experiment, what are they going to accomplish? They’re just killing them to prove they can?”

“No,” Diana said, “I know what’s going on.”

“What do you mean?” Anna said.

“This is a message,” Diana said, “I wanted to deny it, but I can’t. It’s a message for me.”

“You?” Olga said. “What do you mean a message to you?”

“First it was Aliya Hussein, someone who was connected to me or Mom through herself, Ismail, and Josh,” Diana said, “If I didn’t get the message before, the killer then targeted Jews, among them again people I know in a place I used to visit often. I’m Jewish. Ride of the Valkyries was played at both incidents. That’s usually associated with Mom. There’s a connection here, and it’s me.”

“Di, that’s a stretch,” Anna said, “For all we know, it could just be some crazy racist who believes Aliya Hussein conspiracy theories.”

“Let’s just head back to the Tesla Dynamic lab,” Diana said, “I’ll explain more.”

As they left the cafe, Hoffman watched from behind a news van. He approached a reporter.

“Hello, sir,” the reporter said, “Are you here to comment on this horrendous crime?”

“No,” Hoffman said, “I’m just curious about those Athanatoi agents.”

He pointed at Walter. “Do you know who that is?”

“That’s Dr. Humboldt,” the reporter said, “Civilian consultant for the Athanatoi. I think he’s one of the higher ups at Tesla Dynamic as well? Can’t imagine what he’s doing out here.”

“He’s named Bischoff,” Hoffman said.

“Are you sure?” the reporter said.

“I’m a family friend,” Hoffman said, “His father, an old acquaintance of mine, changed the family name from Bischoff.”

He then pointed at Diana. “And that woman…”

“Diana Frank,” the reporter said, “Daughter of the Valkyrie, the late Director Anne Frank. Decorated Athanatoi agent with an impressive track record of her own. She and her husband successfully resolved the Blachernae hostage crisis. I’m sorry, did you need something?”

“No, I’m just trying to place her,” Hoffman said, “She really is her mother’s daughter, ja?”

Hoffman smiled to himself. Everything was going just as expected. This was going to be fun.
 
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I totally forgot Savitri Devi was in this update, not the last one.
 
Anne dried her hands as best as she could on the guard’s shirt, sheathed her knife, and entered Portas’ room. The only features in the otherwise empty room were a folding chair and a foldable table stacked with files and occult and neo-Angeloi books. Curious, she looked at the book titles, which had increasingly bizarre names: Ancient Glories of the Aryan Race, The Child Mind of the Mohammedan, The Lightning and the Sun (this one was her own and unfinished), On the Relationship between Basques and the Early Aryans, The Serpent-Men - A History of the Primeval Snake Cult, and Animal Cruelty: Why Those who Disrespect Animals Deserve the Death Penalty.
Huh, seems like @TWR97 was onto something with his theory of Hoffman collaborating with the Worm and its cult. Neo Fascists: Neo-fascists are odd. :p
I totally forgot Savitri Devi was in this update, not the last one.
Yeah, I was pretty confused when you mentioned her. Oh well, she was an interesting villain while she lasted, tho obviously she wasn't much of a challenge for Anne.

Love seeing Anne in action again, looking forward to seeing how her hunt for Hoffman and her dynamic with Hans and Conrad unfolds.
 
Huh, seems like @TWR97 was onto something with his theory of Hoffman collaborating with the Worm and its cult. Neo Fascists: Neo-fascists are odd.
More like they are vaguely aware of the Worm cult. Portas doesn't appear to be a cultist as she's not spouting the usual Worm stuff.
Yeah, I was pretty confused when you mentioned her. Oh well, she was an interesting villain while she lasted, tho obviously she wasn't much of a challenge for Anne.
I had my suspicions, but I didn't realize it until I was editing this update. It had been a while since I wrote this part and I was thinking she was mentioned in the last part.
Love seeing Anne in action again, looking forward to seeing how her hunt for Hoffman and her dynamic with Hans and Conrad unfolds.
We're not done with her story yet...
 
It seems Hoffman hasn't lost any of his hatred towards people for who they are. Of course, there's the possibility that all these deaths are solely meant to antagonize Diana and he no longer really cares for his old beliefs when compared to revenge.
 
It seems Hoffman hasn't lost any of his hatred towards people for who they are. Of course, there's the possibility that all these deaths are solely meant to antagonize Diana and he no longer really cares for his old beliefs when compared to revenge.
Why not both? ;)
 
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Valkyrie, Part 5

Tesla Dynamic lab - 6:00 PM

Olga set the cup on a table.

“Is that the teacup?” Walter said.

“Yeah,” Olga said, “But, they could only pull a partial print, it’s not enough to go run through any databases.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Diana said, “But hey, you’re just in time for my grand theory.”

“Just in time for what?” Olga said.

“Show and tell, apparently,” Anna said, “Take it away, sis.”

“Okay, so Walter developed a molecular model of the toxin,” Diana said, giving Olga a picture, “It’s mostly hydrogen cyanide. That’s the blue part, which does the dirty work. Now, take a look at the red part.”

“Okay,” Olga said.

Diana handed her another picture. “This is the toxin Walter found on the cup.”

“The red part’s different, like something was added on,” Olga said.

“Exactly,” Diana said, “My idea is this part designates the targeted group. In the first case, that would be the Muslims at the wedding. In the second case, it’s expanded to include Jews.”

“They can program the toxin to target whoever they want,” Anna said.

“Any group with common physical characteristics or genetic similarities, yes,” Walter said, “Um, tall people, short people, fat people, skinny people, Africans, Muslims, Jews, redheads, Mexicans, Walter Scheel…”

“Okay, we get it, Walter,” Anna said.

“So, anyways, whoever created this was apparently proud of their work,” Walter said, “Although I don't know why they should be, I mean. Apart from the genetic targeting, the toxin itself is quite rudimentary. It's a blend of chromium trioxide and hydrogen cyanide.”

“Chromium trioxide?” Anna said. “That's highly regulated. If the killer was buying it…”

“Olga, can you…” Diana said.

Olga typed on her computer. “Dig up any companies that deal with chromium trioxide? Way ahead of you, for once.”

“So, Walter, what were you saying about them being proud of their work?” Anna said.

“Ah,” Walter said pointing to a small pigtail feature on both pictures, “See this? That there is an inert carbon chain. It's the signature of the creator. Some of the more vain chemists spell out their initials in molecules. Others create a symbol.”

“Ah, so like the Leibowitz case and ZFT,” Anna said.

“Exactly,” Walter said.

“Are you saying that we may be able to identify whoever made this?” Anna said.

“Well, yes, but this could be anybody’s,” Walter said.

“It looks like a stylized S, or a snake,” Diana said.

“Actually, it looks more like a seahorse to me,” Anna said.

“Heh, heh, a seahorse,” Walter said, “I suppose it could…”

Walter stopped talking as he realized something.

“What is it?” Anna said.

Walter became extremely concerned.

“Das Seepferdchen,” he said, briefly lapsing into the Rhineland accent of his youth, “The Seahorse. I know who created this toxin.”

He ran into a nearby office. Anna and Diana ran after him.

“Hey, Walter,” Anna said, “Wait, Walter... what's going on?"

“They called him the Seahorse because he was a great swimmer,” Walter said, searching through the boxes under his desk.

“Okay, good for him,” Anna said, “But who is he?”

“My grandfather,” Walter said, “Dr. Robert Bischoff.”

“Your grandfather?” Diana said.

“These are Angeloi experiments,” Walter said, “My grandfather was a scientific pioneer at the Friedrich the Great Institute.”

He handed a large box to Anna.

“Yes, I know, he was killed during the Angeloi coup,” Anna said, “When they liquidated the universities after seizing power.”

“He died in 1945, not 1939,” Walter said, “Assassinated by an Angeloi spy in Constantinople. Given the nature of his work and his relationships with the rest of his family, my father fudged the date and classified that incident, going as far as to change the family name to Humboldt, your great-grandmother’s name.”

“Walter, what are you telling me?” Anna said. “My great-grandfather was an Angeloi?”

“Officially, yes,” Walter said, “Secretly... he was a Loyalist sympathizer, slowing down research and and smuggling scientific information to the Loyalists, particularly crucial information on Project Mjolnir and Gungnir, until my father and the Valkyrie helped him defect. Unfortunately, my father couldn’t save him from the Angeloi assassin, who was never caught and went on to critically sabotage the early Loyalist nuclear program. I recognized the experiment, the chemical compound. I must have seen the formula in one of my father's books.”

“Are you saying your grandfather helped develop the formula for this toxin?” Diana said.

“It would seem so,” Walter said, searching through the box, “But of course, at the time, it was just theoretical. DNA itself was theoretical until after that war. That formula has to be here somewhere. These are all of my grandfather's favorite books, Roman classics. First editions of Goethe, Thomas Mann…”

“And you're sure that all those notes were hidden inside of novels?” Anna said.

“Oh, yes,” Walter said, “Yes, it was the only way he could smuggle them to Loyalist territory when my father helped him defect.”

“You won’t find those books in there,” Anna said.

“Oh, no, no,” Walter said, still searching, “They will be here. These are all of the books where they could’ve been placed.”

“No, they won’t,” Anna said, “Walter, they’re not in there. I sold those books. All of them. About a couple years ago.”

“You sold them,” Walter said, staring at Anna in shock, “Why?”

“I needed money,” Anna said, “The shady guy with the stupid catchphrase offered a lot. No strings attached. Unless you consider sitting through that unoriginal catchphrase a string.”

“Money?!” Walter said, enraged. “They were my books! He and my father left them to me! They both knew how dangerous they were!”

“The odds that this case has anything to do with his work is as likely as it having anything to do with Diana!” Anna said.

“Hey!” Diana said.

“The very thing that he was trying to stop, you put back into the world!” Walter snapped.

“We don't know that for sure!” Anna said.

“Yes, we do!” Walter said, his rage suddenly giving way to disappointment. “Of course we do. How else would whoever is doing this have gotten hold of the formula? And because I failed to protect it, my grandfather's work is killing people. Again.”


Noor Mosque

The call to prayer went out over the loudspeakers placed in the minarets. Below, hundreds of Muslim men, women, and children prostrated themselves in the direction of Mecca, following the imam’s lead. The prayer ringing out through the neighborhood was poetic, flowing from the imam’s words like a song. In unison, the worshippers rose and fell, raising their hands at certain moments and prostrating flat at others. Others in the back stood and simply knelt their heads. Meanwhile, Hoffman had just placed the last gas canister in an alcove near the entrance. He turned to leave through the main door when a worshipper approached him.

“Welcome,” he said, “I hope you find our place clean and orderly.”

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Hoffman said, his archaic accent contrasting with the other man’s unaccented German, “I just love the artwork.”

“We take pride in our art,” the worshipper said, “Thank you, sir. With all that’s happening around the world and the last couple days, it’s nice to hear words of encouragement.”

“Of course,” Hoffman said, “Words of encouragement are everything. Even if you lose everything else, they help you keep going. By the way, you know the Jewish synagogue across the street? I was just there.”

“Oh, yes,” the worshipper said, “Lovely place.”

“That was the Valkyrie’s synagogue,” Hoffman said, “She and her family prayed there.”

“Yes, we occasionally hold joint events with them, though I think they’re busy with a service right now,” the worshipper said, “Listen, won’t you stay a little? We’re holding a community interfaith potluck afterwards, to honor Frau Hussein’s life, and we’d love for you to join.”

“Unfortunately, I have work to attend to,” Hoffman said, “I can’t be late.”

The worshipper smiled and nodded.

“Well, best be on your way, then,” he said, “Peace be upon you.”

“And, uh, you too,” Hoffman said.

He left the mosque and closed the door behind him. Then he locked it with a heavy bar. As he walked away, Ride of the Valkyries began playing, both from the minarets and from within Anne’s old synagogue.
 
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Won’t lie, I understand Walter’s frustration with Anna’s decision here. Selling those books was a pretty stupid and reckless thing on Anna’s part that probably helped Hoffman a lot. I hope Anna realizes her mistake by the time this arc is over.

I like how this update addresses the lose end with Walter’s father from HOI3 as well. I admittedly forgot about him until this arc, but seeing the cliff hanger his assassination created being resolved is nice.

Also, I find it creepy how nice and approachable Hoffman was to his Muslim victims here. In fact, If you ignore the fact he’s an Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic Angeloi, Hoffman seems like a somewhat normal guy when talking to his victims throughout this arc. It’s very unsettling and disturbing stuff.:eek:

Anyways, I originally didn’t plan on including this on my list of Volkerschalt updates, but here’s a Neurhomanian interlude. Hope you all enjoy it.:)
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Völkerschalt-Divided Reich:
Neurhomaina

1595057012925.png

Flag of the Republic of Neurhomaina

A long time ago the Reich was a proud and mighty nation, but it isn’t now, decades of corruption and hubris on the mainland made sure of that. For centuries, Neurhomaina was steadfastly loyal to its mother country in Europe, until the moment the Reich dragged Neuromania kicking and screaming into the devastation of the Weltkrieg, compounded with the failure of a neglectful European to rebuild a devastated Neurhomaina and ethnic turmoil in Neurhomaina from Nsoloria and the Amazon provinces taken from Tawantinsuyu did not help matters. Even through I was too young to experience the horrors of being a soldier in the trenches, I still have a vivid memory of the war’s destruction, like my hometown being utterly leveled by Twantinsuyan artillery barrages, all the while the general staff were perfectly happy to commit the bare minimum of troops to protect us from the ravages of war. There may be those who question why I’d then ago on to enlist in the colonial army of Neurhomaina and maintain the foregin Reich’s grip on Neurhomainia, and to that I say that couldn’t give a damn about any European Kaiser, chancellor, diet or regent dictator across the ocean, what I care about is making sure the destruction that happened to Neurhomaina in the war never happens again. We took the chance to overthrow the conlinal viceroyalty succeed from the distingergrating Reich in the hopes of the riding out the storm the way the Sudafrikans, Mittagslanders and Indochinese are, but hopes of war staying clear from Neurhomaina were dashed when the national populists tried consolidate control and purge their opponents, caused nationalist Tawantinsuyan separatists and Communist Mailian rebels, who previously had worked with the Neurhomainan nationalist movement against Roman oppression, to rise up against the New Berliner government under populist control. Ironic, in trying to escape the senseless violence and destruction from the Heartland, we ended up with the same outcome as our former masters from Europe. I guess it was inevitable with lingering ethnic tensions in Neurhomaina after the war, with the rise of the nationalist movement in Neurhomaina and the corruption of Neurhomaina’s viceroy pushing relations between Neurhomania’s different people over the edge.

At least we’re not the only country in the Eimericas to be engulfed in chaos. Due to the humiliation of their defeat in the Weltkrieg and worsening interethnic relations after the war. The Tawantinsuyu and the Meskwaki empires fell apart into their consistent provinces after their defeat in the Weltkrieg and experienced constant fighting from warlords wishing to unite their countries under their rule and ideology. Twantinsuyu has a particularly tense division, with Communists in the southern suyu, monarchists on the coast, nationalists in the north and republicans inland, all in a bloody struggle to reunite Tawantinsuyu with their values and ideology. Every now and again, border raids from the themes the inhabitants of border themes not already under Nsolorian or Amazonian management, with New Berlin completely helpless to stop them. Mexico followed suit when an attempted Communist rebellion in the 1920s shattered the Mexica Empire, now Cemanahuac is split between a weakened but repressive Aztecatl government in Tenochtitlan, and independent Purépecha, Tlaxcalan, Zapotec, Tlapanec and Yucatán states hostile to foreign domination. The Mayapan Khuchbal was replaced by a new republican Mayapan League, though I’m told the corporations of the new league are making a handsome profit selling armaments to combatants in warring Eimerican states, including to factions in our own conflict. Kanata remains stable for now, but I doubt it will be for long with Coporatists, Nationalists natives and Communists preparing for a conflict against the monarchy. Fusang is the only nation with any lasting semblance of peace in the Eimericas, so much so that the ruling Jin dynasty is considering opting out of the inevitable Tianxia-NUC conflict that will happen in Asia in the future, tho doing so and losing Tianxia protection at this time is risky with the chaotic situation beyond its borders. I even have heard some rumors that the warlords of the former Meskwaki Empire, under the direction of a powerful and continuously growing Confederation of Southern Altepetls, are planning to unite into a coalition to attack Fusang should they leave the Tianxia pact, something I hope isn’t true for Fusang’s sake.

While things may look hopeless, as the Separatists currently have an advantage against Neurhormainan forces in terms after all, we in the grand army of Neurhomania will not allow Neurhomaina to fall into the dustbin of history like our neighbors have and will use the same asymmetrical warfare tactics the rebels have used to continue this war until we gain the upper hand. I may be a soldier in the republican army of Neurhomaina, but even I acknowledge the fact that the national populists are indeed tyrannical, especially with how they disregard Neurhomaina’s multicultural traditions in favor of what they see as a “pure” Neurhomainan society. Thankfully, a group of several proponent generals are already planning to overthrow the populist dictatorship and restore meritocracy to Neurhomaina and maintain its independence, a plot I and many of my fellow soilders wholeheartedly support. We will rally our forces for a push against the Nsolorian and Queecha rebellions and unite the country against ambitious enemies on our borders, building a strong army to defend against them after our civil war is over. I joined the army in the first place so Neurhomaina as a whole doesn’t suffer the fate my childhood home did in the Weltkrieg, and I’m not willing to let this civil war wipe Neurhomania off the face of the earth like my home was. We will fight to give freedom and unity to our Neurhomanian nation, or we will die trying.

Give us brotherhood, peace and freedom, or give us death!
 
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Won’t lie, I understand Walter’s frustration with Anna’s decision here. Selling those books was a pretty stupid and reckless thing on Anna’s part that probably helped Hoffman a lot. I hope Anna realizes her mistake by the time this arc is over.
She probably will.
I like how this update addresses the lose end with Walter’s father from HOI3 as well. I admittedly forgot about him until this arc, but seeing the cliff hanger his assassination created being resolved is nice.
I intentionally created that cliffhanger with this in mind. I had to wait at least two years to get here, but I can finally pay it off.
Also, I find it creepy how nice and approachable Hoffman was to his Muslim victims here. In fact, If you ignore the fact he’s an Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic Angeloi, Hoffman seems like a somewhat normal guy when talking to his victims throughout this arc. It’s very unsettling and disturbing stuff.:eek:
Really disturbing. Just goes to show looks can be deceiving and anybody could secretly be like him.

Anyways, great update as always. Though I wasn't sure if you got my message about the Neurhomanian flags I found. It would take a little photoshopping but I think one can be made.
 
Anyways, great update as always. Though I wasn't sure if you got my message about the Neurhomanian flags I found. It would take a little photoshopping but I think one can be made.
Don’t worry, I got the messages. I was thinking about doing a photoshoped flag until I found this design and decided to use it. I also found this design I thought was close to one of the flags in the images you sent, but I couldn't use it because of the Brazilan slogans on it unfortunately. That said, I'm open to coming back to this later on and photoshopping the latter flag with the emblem of the flag I'm using now.

By the way, you might want to add this update to the table of contents like you did the previous updates. Just a friendly heads up and reminder.:)

I wonder what the Civil War books by Micheal and Jeff Shaara and their movie adaptions would be like here? Not sure how Killer Angels or the Gettysburg movie would go since I don't remember a clear analogue to the Battle of Gettysburg in the Maximist Wars, but maybe Gods and Generals could cover the revolutions that put the Maxmists into power before the war and the early battle of the Civil War, while the Last Full Measures would obviously cover the last years of the war. Ideally, there should be more focus on rank and file soldiers on both sides than leading generals to avoid completely demonizing or glorying one side over the over, as well as a focus on wartime civilian society in both the Maximist and Siegfridist Reichs, as well as the role the rouge liberal militias early in the war and the reactionary rebels under Goering late in the war had on hampering both governments war efforts than on big battles, through the major battles would certainly still get their time in the spotlight. There might be some characters in the Maxmist side who have genuine grievances with the Siegfridists, like a desire for liberal reform or frustation with them due to economic downturns before the war, while other charcters would be outsiders from neighboring countries trying to understand the two sides reasons for fighting.

I know the Lost Cause myth probably doesn't exist here due to the Maximists being a pretender movement instead of a separatist one, but I remember there was mentions of how the Angeloi pro Christian and Greeco-Germanic supremacy in Roman education, not to mention Angelos seemed to somewhat identify with Konrad von Habsburg, so I kind see him promoting something similar to Lost Cause revisionism in Angeloi historiographic propaganda, portraying the Maximists in a sympathetic light and demozing the Siegfriredists and comparing them with the loyalists. Of course, this sort of historiography would be completely discredited by the post war historical academic community. However, I imagine modern Roman historians would notice an ideological shift of the two sides between the pre 1848 revolutions and when the war breaks out, with the Maxmists initially having the support of liberal revolutionaries and eventually becoming an authoritarian social conservative regime when they get in power, and the Siegfredists being a traditional absolute monarchist government before becoming more cultural left leaning in comparison and beginning the slow progress of becoming a truly liberal meritocracy that would culminate with the destruction of the Metternich system and the establsing of the Ottonian system in WW2. I imagine some historians would credit this shift in spectrum being due to the Maxmists and Siegfredisit support base being very different from their support base during the pre war revolutions, while others would credit the rouge militias that fought both governments as causing a shift in governing principles.

How different would the Stalker games be from OTL due to Chernobyl being an atomic attack instead of a nuclear power plant disaster? Maybe the player could try to find and bury the remains of Roman soilders that died during the attack in the radioactive zone while trying to fend off mutated wildlife, neo-equalists and some cartel groups who want to capture powerful mutants to sell on on the black market. There could also be a prequel game exploring the irradiated ruins of post WW2 Warsaw, Koingsberg and Dresden, with some of the challenges for players to overcome there as they would have in Chernobyl.

Also, I don't know why, but I kinda would like to see TTL Andrei Tarkovsky direct the Rim miniseries during WW3 for some reason. Might be a bit of a jump for him to go from his usual style of movies to being the show runner of a dystopian miniseries, but maybe his slow pacing and dream like themes would work well with Rim. He could even recycle visual elements from his previous works like Solaris and the 1979 Stalker with elements from 1984 to create a unique post apocalyptic dystopian aesthetic for the show, which could go on to inspire future media from Eastern Europe like the Stalker and Metro game franchises and maybe some mainstream post apocalypse series like Fallout.
 
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Don’t worry, I got the messages. I was thinking about doing a photoshoped flag until I found this design and decided to use it. I also found this design I thought was close to one of the flags in the images you sent, but I couldn't use it because of the Brazilan slogans on it unfortunately. That said, I'm open to coming back to this later on and photoshopping the latter flag with the emblem of the flag I'm using now.
That design you shared looks like it could be great for one of the other factions or ideologies, while the colonial flag is used by anti-independence groups.
By the way, you might want to add this update to the table of contents like you did the previous updates. Just a friendly heads up and reminder.
I'll get on that later today as I'm busy right now. I read your last post in the middle of the night so I apologize if I didn't edit the table of contents besides the main update.
I wonder what the Civil War books by Micheal and Jeff Shaara and their movie adaptions would be like here? Not sure how Killer Angels or the Gettysburg movie would go since I don't remember a clear analogue to the Battle of Gettysburg in the Maximist Wars, but maybe Gods and Generals could cover the revolutions that put the Maxmists into power before the war and the early battle of the Civil War, while the Last Full Measures would obviously cover the last years of the war. Ideally, there should be more focus on rank and file soldiers on both sides than leading generals to avoid completely demonizing or glorying one side over the over, as well as a focus on wartime civilian society in both the Maximist and Siegfridist Reichs, as well as the role the rouge liberal militias early in the war and the reactionary rebels under Goering late in the war had on hampering both governments war efforts than on big battles, through the major battles would certainly still get their time in the spotlight. There might be some characters in the Maxmist side who have genuine grievances with the Siegfridists, like a desire for liberal reform or frustation with them due to economic downturns before the war, while other charcters would be outsiders from neighboring countries trying to understand the two sides reasons for fighting.
There wasn't really a single Gettysburg analogue, but there were important battles like Budapest (the center of the Maximist movement), Brunn/Brno (Wolfgang Ludendorff's miracles), and the many battles of Constantinople. But the one that probably took off into the national consciousness was the Maximists' last stand on the Scandinavian border, the Charge of the Light Brigade. Though that one is probably more Crimean War than the actual American Civil War.

I think the books and movie adaptations would take more inspiration from the real life 1848 revolutions in Europe as well as the Carlist Wars than the problem of American slavery and the civil war. Since slavery was never such a big deal in the Reich and was abolished decades ago without much fuss, from a writing perspective I started moving away from drawing parallels to the civil war and towards building on the Carlist Wars and the Springtime of Nations (if I feel like it, I'd remove references to a "Roman Civil War" and a "Second Civil War" in Vicky and HOI). Early books might start with the Pragmatic Sanction which created the Siegfriedist and Maximist lines, before talking about the lives of the two princes and the growing Maximist movement, perhaps Konrad von Habsburg's career as well. Then there would be a shift to the rebellions and the different generals involved like Wolfgang Ludendorff, as well as leaders like Metternich. The movies could also follow the rank and file soldiers on both sides, especially after the Siegfriedists mobilize their forces for a counterattack. Ideally both sides would be portrayed in an equal light, with some Siegfriedists being brutal in their tactics and some Maximists questioning the logic of Konrad von Habsburg and his inner circle. Some Siegfriedists might want reforms similar to what the Maximists want while some Maximists don't like Prince Maximilian. And then there are a couple characters from Scandinavia, Lithuania, and Russia who try to take advantage of the chaos. There could also be asides to the different militias like the rogue Jagdruffs and Maximilian Goering's rogue Siegfriedists.
I know the Lost Cause myth probably doesn't exist here due to the Maximists being a pretender movement instead of a separatist one, but I remember there was mentions of how the Angeloi pro Christian and Greeco-Germanic supremacy in Roman education, not to mention Angelos seemed to somewhat identify with Konrad von Habsburg, so I kind see him promoting something similar to Lost Cause revisionism in Angeloi histograhpic propagnada, portraying the Maximists in a sympathetic light and demozing the Siegfriredists and comparing them with the loyalists. Of course, this sort of historiography would be completely discredited by the post war historical academic community. However, I imagine modern Roman historians would notice an ideological shift of the two sides between the pre 1848 revolutions and when the war breaks out, with the Maxmists initially having the support of liberal revolutionaries and eventually becoming an authoritarian social conservative regime when they get in power, and the Siegfredists being a traditional absolute monarchist government before becoming more cultural left leaning in comparison and beginning the slow progress of becoming a truly liberal meritocracy that would culmianate with the destruction of the Metternich system and the establsing of the Ottonian system in WW2. I imagine some historians would credit this shift in spectrum being due to the Maxmists and Siegfredisit support base being very different from their support base during the pre war revolutions, while others would credit the rouge militias that fought both governments as causing a shift in governing principles.
Angelos did say in one update that Konrad von Habsburg was either misunderstood or too extreme in some areas but that he did have the interests of the nation in mind. He absorbed what was left of the Maximist movement into the growing Angeloi movement since many of their ideas overlapped, namely being pro-Christian and pro-majority (German mainly but Greeks as well to a lesser extent). I wouldn't put it above him to legitimize the Maximist movement to legitimize his own movement as well, since he did join forces with them (albeit reluctantly). He'd emphasize Siegfriedist war crimes (there were some, yes, and this is generally acknowledged by the mainstream) and downplay Maximist ones, while painting the Pragmatic Sanction as the work of a hysterical woman who temporarily gave in to mob rule shortly after giving birth, disinheriting her own son in favor of Prince Nikephoros'. Thus he would claim the Maximists were the legitimate line and the Siegfriedists an illegitimate line which was only there due to the illegal acts of an overreaching Diet.

With Kaiser Otto's and Victoria Louise's marriage and their children being descended from both lines, the succession dispute that had plagued the Reich for 150 years is decisively resolved. Postwar historians would reject Angelos' pro-Maximist leanings as propaganda and pure political opportunism. Even if a Maximist aside from the Kaiserin survived the 1944 bunker massacre, their whole line and their associated movement had been tainted by association with the Angeloi much like the real life Italian monarchy was discredited and toppled due to links with Mussolini (and the Seljuks here were almost overthrown for similar reasons). Modern historians instead acknowledge the Siegfriedists of 1848 were not perfect, but they laid the foundation for the strengthening and reform of the Metternich system, while the Maximists betrayed their own ideals and fell into infighting and repression once they were in power. The Siegfriedists did not hesitate to disavow and suppress Maximilian Goering's faction, keeping their cause largely moderate, while the Maximists let their rogue Jagdruff militias not only rampage across the countryside but occasionally storm into Berlin and purge whoever was in charge at the moment, which drove them to the extremes.

Historians do note that the two sides eventually ended up switching ideological sides by the end. The Maximist movement used democracy as a farce to advance personal agendas and oppress the people, ending all hope for a genuine Roman democratic movement and forcing the moderate liberal movement to join the Siegfriedists, where they participated in reforming the Metternich system from within. By the end of the century, many of the moderates' ideas had been passed into law. However, the Metternich system was limited in what could be reformed by its absolutism. While there were meritocratic exams for the bureaucracy, they were very limited and could not be expanded on in the current system. Thus the now unchanging system stagnated. The whole system revolved around men like Siegfried II, Sigismund II, Franz Joseph, Metternich, and Bismarck, and in later years heavily focused on Franz Joseph. So when Franz Joseph's health declined, his heirs died, Metternich died, and Bismarck went insane, the system began breaking down. When Franz Joseph and Karl I died during the war, the ensuing instability during the regency led to the rise of Angelos, the collapse of the economy, and a long regency where the state did not know what to do as it was utterly dependent on the Kaiser's leadership. Otto's childhood meeting with the Muslim shop owner and general strike negotiations with Konrad Adenauer, as well as the rise of the Angeloi, spurred him to decide the Metternich system had to go and to replace it with the current one. Though the Ottonian system itself shares the same fatal flaw as the Metternich system: since Otto created the system and it has only been around during his reign, it is also dangerously concentrated on Otto, with the assumption that either he or someone very much like him is the Kaiser. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if Elisabeth Alexandra was the heir, but...

I actually am working out some notes for how the Maximist Wars led to the reform and evolution of Roman meritocracy, among other questions about major historical trends and developments, though they are more like essay questions than actual updates right now. It's my way of trying to explain the more outlandish events that have happened, like the Jianzhou Khanate/Manchu Empire, the complicated alliance networks of the Wars of Eimerican Independence/2.5th Commonwealth War in 1674, the legacy of the failed Persian Revolution, any lingering influences of the Saray Empire and Zoroastrianism and Judaism in Yavdi, the Chinese multi-emperor system, reasons for Japanese partition, and the switch from an (American style) impeachment mechanism during Scheel's tenure to the (British style) confidence votes Roland Wilson used to take down Helmut Schmidt and how this is possible in the Reich's hybrid presidential/parliamentary system. I plan on folding them into future updates like a side series focusing on school/university history classes.
How different would the Stalker games be from OTL due to Chernobyl being an atomic attack instead of a nuclear power plant disaster? Maybe the player could try to find and bury the remains of Roman soilders that died during the attack in the radioactive zone while trying to fend off mutated wildlife, neo-equalists and some cartel groups who want to capture powerful mutants to sell on on the black market. There could also be a prequel game exploring the irradiated ruins of post WW2 Warsaw, Koingsberg and Dresden, with some of the challenges for players to overcome there as they would have in Chernobyl.
I like the idea of fighting cartel groups who want to capture and sell the mutants. A prequel game set in 1940s Warsaw, Konigsberg, and Dresden would also be cool, especially if you're playing as a surviving Resistance fighter trying to escape the mutants as well as Soviets and Angeloi remnants.
Also, I don't know why, but I kinda would like to see TTL Andrei Tarkovsky direct the Rim miniseries during WW3 for some reason. Might be a bit of a jump for him to go from his usual style of movies to being the show runner of a dystopian miniseries, but maybe his slow pacing and dream like themes would work well with Rim. He could even recycle visual elements from his previous works like Solaris and the 1979 Stalker with elements from 1984 to create a unique post apocalyptic dystopian aesthetic for the show, which could go on to inspire future media from Eastern Europe like the Stalker and Metro game franchises and maybe some mainstream post apocalypse series like Fallout.
That would be an interesting miniseries.
 
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Now it's personal for most of X-Division, and arguably Olga is a personal target due to her connection with the Valkyrie. Another moment of near clarity for Walter too.

As for the Neurhomaina interlude, more good stuff! Their anger is unsurprising and rather sympathetic.
 
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Now it's personal for most of X-Division, and arguably Olga is a personal target due to her connection with the Valkyrie. Another moment of near clarity for Walter too.
Hoffman probably maintains the same anti-Russian and anti-equalist mentalities the Angeloi had, so he'd probably view Olga in that light in addition to her ties to Anne.

But I think it's even more personal for Diana now. He did just attack her childhood synagogue.
As for the Neurhomaina interlude, more good stuff! Their anger is unsurprising and rather sympathetic.
And yet unlike Sudafrika and Mittagsland, they have no choice but to fight due to their hostile neighbors and internal affairs.
 
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That design you shared looks like it could be great for one of the other factions or ideologies, while the colonial flag is used by anti-independence groups.
Now that you mention it, Neurhomaina probably won't use the colonial flag since they want break off from the Reich. Otherwise, good idea, like the idea of the Nsolorian and Quechua/Amazonian separatist adopting the other flag in opposition to European descended Neurhomainans. Nsoloria would obviously have a communist variant of the flag, while the Amazon would be more Twantinsuyu based.
Though the Ottonian system itself shares the same fatal flaw as the Metternich system: since Otto created the system and it has only been around during his reign, it is also dangerously concentrated on Otto, with the assumption that either he or someone very much like him is the Kaiser. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if Elisabeth Alexandra was the heir, but...
That right there is pretty much the reason why I reacted so strongly to the red flags surrounding Wilhelm Karl since Chapter 451, because Otto has been pretty hands off and neutral as a ruler, allowing liberal traditions to prosper under a meritocratic government, something Wilhelm Karl probably won't do. Not to mention that Wilhelm Karl will probably break the unconditional trust the Roman people have had in the monarchy so far one way or another, though the people no longer seeing the Kaiser as an infallible leader might be for the best tbh considering how reliant the Reich has been on Hohenzollern leadership in the past.

Like I said before, as much as I like Otto (him and Anne are my two favorite characters in this AAR), the idea behind Wilhelm Karl is very intriguing. Hohenzollern Kaisers throughout this megacampagin have been very competent and benevolent rulers so far, with Reinhard "the Mad" being the exception (Bethune and Arbon don't count because they're pretenders) so having an Hohenzollern be an antagonistic figure like Angelos or Valentin would be fascinating.

So I was watching this video about world building tips for fictional monarchies when I thought about the interesting things about the Hohenzollern monarchy's relationship with liberalism. On one hand the Hohenzollerns were more progressive than most real life societies, leading to backlash from reactionary groups like the Iconoclast and Puritains heresies, the Maxmists and the Angeloi. On the other hand, the monarchy still remains tethered to old ideas like male preference primogeniture despite the Pragmatic Sanction having been abolished for the decades, or the fact it's still technically a dejure absolute monarchy, a left over from the absolutist Metternich system I imagine, even through its more of a de facto constitutional monarchy at this point, not to mention the Reich still practices Caesaropapism with the Kaiser as head of both church and state. Those were the interesting tidbits about the Hohenzollern Kaisers I've noted as a result of the video below, I feel like the role the Hohenzollerns have had in being both promoters of progressive ideas like Romanitas and liberal meritocracy and the old cultural links to the Reich's feudal past, as well as the general shifting of monarchies and republics on the political spectrum between liberal open societies and authoritarian regimes, would make an intriguing topic for a lore update in itself IMO, through whether or not you do want to write said update is your decision.
I actually am working out some notes for how the Maximist Wars led to the reform and evolution of Roman meritocracy, among other questions about major historical trends and developments, though they are more like essay questions than actual updates right now. It's my way of trying to explain the more outlandish events that have happened, like the Jianzhou Khanate/Manchu Empire, the complicated alliance networks of the Wars of Eimerican Independence/2.5th Commonwealth War in 1674, the legacy of the failed Persian Revolution, any lingering influences of the Saray Empire and Zoroastrianism and Judaism in Yavdi, the Chinese multi-emperor system, reasons for Japanese partition, and the switch from an (American style) impeachment mechanism during Scheel's tenure to the (British style) confidence votes Roland Wilson used to take down Helmut Schmidt and how this is possible in the Reich's hybrid presidential/parliamentary system. I plan on folding them into future updates like a side series focusing on school/university history classes.
That's really interesting. The Origins of Modernity were some of my favorite chapters from EU4, so I'm exicted to see more updates in their style.

I did find it interesting that the Orgins of Modernity were written from an universe perspective as well, a professor from Neu Brandenburg called Reinhard Markos IIRC. Maybe you could have him narrate your future lore updates, or even introduce him as a character in the story arc updates, that would be cool.

Although, now that you mention the colonization of Japan, I'm now really tempted to rewrite this Sabaton song about the Satsuma rebellion into a song about a last stand of an alliance of Christain and Shinto daimyos making a similarly desperate last stand against Ming and Korean armies for the fate of Japan. I get the feeling that such a battle would resonate strongly with the two Japanese countries and the cultural conscious of post colonial Sinosphere and Roman sphere, even more so than the real life battle of Shiroyama.

I'd also like to flesh out the Battle of Mobile between the UPM and the Eimerican Equalists during WW3 in a similar update as well. Maybe I could talk about how the effect the battle had on causing the collaspe of the Eimerican Equalist regimes, due the humiliation the Equalists had in losing the war, while the battle strengthened the UPM's long term posistion in the Eimericas while also causing short term instability at home due heavy causalities the Mitteleimericans took to win the battle (I remember the 80s update mentioned a civil war that occurred in the UPM after WW3 from 1986 to 1992).
As for the Neurhomaina interlude, more good stuff! Their anger is unsurprising and rather sympathetic.
And yet unlike Sudafrika and Mittagsland, they have no choice but to fight due to their hostile neighbors and internal affairs.
It makes for a really tragic story as well. The Neurhomainans tried hard to avoid the same fate the mainland Reich went to, only for it to be for naught due to the the consequences of several circumstances, some self inflicted and some outside its control. Fits with the theme I’ve recently developed about war and radicalism being uncontrollable and infectious plagues in a metaphorical sense I feel.

Anyways, I'll go ahead and post the Indian interlude shortly after this goes up. It's certainly less grim than the previous update I feel, hope you guys like it.:)
 
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Völkerschalt-Legacy of the Weltkrieg:
Indian Empire

Raj.jpg

Flag of the Indian Empire
It was thanks to Mother Bhart’s contributions to the First Weltkrieg that the Central Powers managed to get an unexpected total victory against the Tianxia alliance. The successful quelling of the Turkish rebellion in Central Asia freed up the Indian Empire to help their Roman allies defeat the Chinese Empire. For this, Indian soldiers would be seen marching through a fallen Nanjing alongside Roman boots and the acquisition of western territories like Tibet, Burma and Xinjiang and the creation of puppet states there, forever breaking the will of the Chinese nation and sending it down into a never ending spiral of revolution and civil war, paving the way for a continuing golden age for the Empire of Surya. With India’s glorious victory at the end of the Weltkrieg, the path was clear for the continuation of Purandaradasa’s divine golden age of prosperity and dominance for the Empire of Surya.

That said, India didn’t leave the Weltkrieg, or the War of Heroes as it's now known by most Indians, untirely unscaathed. Even after the quick suppression of the small turkish revolt, there still remains heavy resistance to Indian rule in Central Asia from the Turkish population, and the war battered India’s economy and made its sole ally, the Reich, a corrupt and decaying regime doomed to fall into civil war and collapse like its counterpart in antiquity did, leaving India isolated and alone in a world of enemies. To the north, China has made a resurgence under a radical revolutionary regime, with a new alliance of nationalists under Puyi of the Aisin Giro clan and the Communist Party of China reigning over the nation, both of them promising to undo China’s humiliation and unite the world under a new banner, whether or not it that banner will be a scarlet one depends on how Puyi and the Communists resolve their differences. Despite the best efforts of Samrat Chakravartin Purandaradasa, son of the sun god Surya, to rebuild India’s economy and stability, there remains great economic inequality in Indian society due to the outdated caste system, and India’s meritocracy remains deeply influenced by traditional nobility, corporate interest groups and old guard generals from the Weltkrieg. Furthermore, Purandaradasa is not long for this world, and when the day comes for him to pass on to the next life, I'm afraid the state of the future royal succession will be uncertain.

However, there is hope for India to emerge triumphant from the oncoming storm that will be the Second Weltkrieg. The collapse of India’s Roman ally into revolution and civil war, while tragic, has opened up the possibility for India to exert its geopolitical sovereignty by creating a sphere of influence through the support and protection of the Indochina and Sudafrikan secessionist governments and other states who could grow to have sympathies with India. There is even the potential of an alliance and cooperation with the Tianxia pact of the exiled Ming dynasty to take down the Communist threat, as tempting as it is to turn the constituent dynasties of the Tianxia against Ming leadership. Should all else fail, there is always the option of fostering an internal power struggle in the Nationlist Union of China’s leadership and support Puyi’s faction of populists, at the risk of angering the Communist Party. All of that is speculation, for anything can happen in the dark days to come. All we know is that the sun hasn’t set on Mother Bharat’s empire yet and it’s not about to let it set now. A thousand years of Roman hegemony is coming to a bloody end, it's time for India to rally the free world to its call and make a stand against the specter of Communism, lest the world fall into a new dark age under the Nationalist Union of China's tyranny.

Satyameva Jayate, Jai Hind!
 
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Hoffman is on the move again I see, and quite scary too considering he's now targeting Muslims and Jews at the same time, kinda nice for all the loose ends back in HOI3 being addressed here again, especially since I've quite forgotten most of the characters in the HOI3. And I quite agree with CaptainAlvious, Hoffman being so approachable to his victims really makes him creepy as hell. A worthy antagonist for the X-Division that's for sure.

I like these constant updates to Volkerschalt btw, especially now that we are going beyond the major players in the Roman Civil War. That bit on Puyi running the show in the Indian update was hilarious and ironic, I'm looking forward to more of these.
 
I like these constant updates to Volkerschalt btw, especially now that we are going beyond the major players in the Roman Civil War. That bit on Puyi running the show in the Indian update was hilarious and ironic, I'm looking forward to more of these.
Thank you for the compliment and positive feedback, I’m looking forward to finishing the last few Volkerschalt updates I have planned. I’m putting in some work on the last update in particular, which I believe will be a fitting conclusion to the Volkerschalt story up until 1936. After that, I might take a break in between the Kaiserreich interludes to hammer out my Tianxia lore ideas, through I am open to posting other interludes besides the KR related ones in the meantime when the ideas come up.:)