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Isandro was sitting across Cassandra in the carriage they were taking back to his Estates. His giddy feelings of the recent wedding were still with him as he looked at his new wife. While, he was a rueful that so much of their time had been wasted because of the war, he also was thankful the war happened. He had only met Cassandra after serving with Alejo M. Sastre y Díaz de Santa Ava at the battle of Zaragoza. With all of the business of the war and his army reformation task done, he had finally had the time to wed the lovely woman.

While sitting in the carriage, his memories of his last marriage were stired. He was old for a first time marriage, being 26 years old when he wed his last wife. He had spent the entirety of his twenties up until that point in officer training or in the field during the last spasms of the Peruvian Insurrection. After coming home, defeated, he sought solace in the drink. It was on one of those days in a drunken stupor that he first met his soon-to-be wife. To him it appeared as if god had sent an Angel down from heaven to recall him back into society, informing him that his mission was not yet fulfilled. It was a mere few months later, sober, that he would wed this lady. His new wife, not a fan of the army life preferred to stay at his estates while he was away with army business so their interactions were sparse, yet when they did have time together they were lit with a fire seen before by no other. It was on one of those occasions his wife got pregnant. A mere 9 months later though, in the summer of 1830, everything had collapsed, his wife had died with child in childbirth.

Isandro glanced over at Cassandra, he felt an uneasiness settle over him. It was almost time for them to consummate the marriage and it had been more than a decade since he had last laid with a woman.

He had devoted himself to doing what he saw as God's work in the wake of his wife's death. He set aside much of his wealth to providing for those living on or near his estates with basic necessities and providing them a cushion to fall back on in times of hardship. Moreover when Ferdinand VII died he had his eyes opened, Spain's ills as of late were caused by the reign of an illegitimate King, and Spain would continue to fall until this upfront to god was rectified. It was there he saw himself fight for 6 years to correct a past wrong, and it was there he met Cassandra, a beautiful and intelligent daughter of de Santa Ava, and man he was serving beside and respected.

The carriage pulled up to his estate, and he smiled at Cassandra. He took her hand and they walked into the house, Man and Wife.
 
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Tomás and Camila were walking arm-in-arm in the rather large Zumalacárregui estate, lying a few miles outside Bilbao, granted to them by Carlos V, after the Civil War for extraordinary good service. He was also made a duke and count even though to be Duque de la Victoria was purely symbolic and Tomás new this. It didn't bother him as he felt honored being raised from being a common man to a nobleman of high rank. He did however know that some nobles were only kind on the outside, since they knew that he was not of high birth and that he only spoke Spanish and Basque. Tomás was however learning Latin, French and what not to improve his standing amongst the other nobles of Europe.

He looked at his wife beauty with his two eyes that still had a perfect eyesight. He envied her young age and he felt older for every day that went as his usual pitch black hair was beginning to thin out a litlle and he was beggining to get grey hair. Even though this happened very slowly, he feared that he'd be painfully reminded by the children he hoped to get in then near future as his wife, Camila looked pregnant even though she hadn't mentioned it yet. He knew that he would die as that was the will of God and no one defies him, he was sure of that. He hoped that he was able to do the job that God has destined him too. To serve the true king of Spain was his only purpose he had in 1836. Now he had to take care of a family and be a patriarch who had control and made his sons great warriors whilst his wife could take of the girls, after they had learned proper manners of course. Tomás had already found the best teachers needed so his sons could learn Latin, French and other langauges whilst also learning about new technology and economics.

Tomás had to leave soon from his new residence and move to a mansion in Madrid, together with his wife and some of their servants. He did this out of dedication and he wanted to be as close to his army as possible to highten morale and better oversee the training and parades. He knew that he would become staff officer if he didn't He looked up at the two flags flying high. One was the Spanish flag and the other his personal standard that had been designed mere months ago. He got lost in his thoughts and somehow he ended up in bed some hours later.

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Rebuilding the Kingdom: 1839-1841

After Carlos V affirmed that he was the King of Spain, he organized a government together and set about rebuilding a nation that had suffered from years of civil war and destruction. Once that was complete, he would then have to set out having Spain catch up to the rest of the world in technology, industry, and military might. However, with each gain, there seemed to be a setback. Each step forward was met with two steps backwards, and successes were often mitigated by failures.

In the industrial sector of the nation, the Carlist government put forth plans to build up the industry of the Spanish economy. First Secretary of State Santa Ava built numerous factories across the Kingdom of Spain. His hope was to spur the rise of investment in the economy by increasing the aggregate demand of the nation by utilizing government spending to kick-start the economy and increase the GDP and output. What happened though was not what the government expected. Out of the 17 million people who live in Spain, only 13% were literate, most of them were aristocrats. This low standard of education meant that capitalists and consumer investment was small, and that aggregate demand would not rise as exponentially as Santa Ava hoped. Not to mention the high taxes imposed on the poor and middle classes drastically reduced consumer spending, hampering any increase in aggregate demand gained by investing in the economy. The good thing to come out of this industrial stimulus was that the industrial revolution was now in full swing in Spain, meaning that industrially, Spain was finally starting to catch up to the rest of Europe.

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(A Spanish factory)

General Isandro Durante had a plan to reform the military of the Spanish state. After serving in the Carlist War, Durante realized that the military was not in a good shape. Most of the Carlist army was still a group of volunteers and conscripts. Durante needed to get these men into shape through training. After all, the rise of Cristino cells across Southern Spain was causing the population to be spurred against the Carlist regime. Though relatively small, movements for reform and rebel activity against the Carlist regime were gaining momentum. Reports though indicated only 3,000 men were deemed "Cristino Rebels". Many Carlists feared a Cristino uprising would destroy what they fought six years for and reestablish a liberal regime and bring Spain back into an age of secularization and lead to the destruction of tradition, something Carlos could not afford to happen. Durante, with First Secretary Santa Ava's approval, reformed the military and recruited new units into the Spanish Army. At the same time, he organized them into efficient armies to be deployed against any enemy that dared try to take on the King of Spain. Carlos V also sponsored a group of men upon the request of Don Artai to act as agents and track down anti-Carlist cells in Spain. He would be aided by an unlikely ally though, the Archbishop of Toledo. The Archbishop's role in this could be based on religious reasoning, but what his role will be is up for debate.

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(Spanish soldiers arresting supposed Cristinos)

In foreign affairs, Carlos V sent Don Estaban, the new Duke of Alba, to Great Britain to sort out relations between the British and the Spanish. However, sending Don Estaban was sort of a slap in the face for the English Monarchy and the British Government. Don Estaban was descendant of the Stuarts, the jacobite claimants to the throne of England. Though the real line died out, the British felt uneasy negotiating with a man who could possibly have a claim on Queen Victoria's crown. Regardless, Don Estaban did a good job in improving relations to a bit of normalcy between England and Spain. The two nations went from "Hated" to "Not hated" in terms of relations. Carlos still needed help to get the rest of Europe to back him, especially in Portugal and France, where France had troops on the border of Spain and Occitania according to the latest reports...

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(A meeting of Spanish and British delegates)

The struggles though will continue for Carlos. In 1839, a potato blight killed a large number of potatoes in Northern Spain, decimating the food supply there. Carlos responded by sending great amounts of relief in terms of food. While the destruction was kept minimized, many people fled the blight and immigrated to the New World. Many people who could not get the aide also starved to death. Carlos's reaction though prevented the blight from turning into a major disaster for his regime. Carlos also oversaw the court take on a new approach to war. They began encouraging jingoist policies across Spain in the hopes of spurring national pride and reducing the people's anger, especially in the south. This was proven to be successful as the people started signing up for the military. Catalans especially signed up for the military in the thousands, bolstering the ranks of the Spanish Army, much to the pleasure of the Spanish General Staff.

As the new decade of the 1840s began, Carlist Spain had firmly established its rule over the nation. With Cristinos still proving to be a thorn in their side, Carlist Spain did have the resources necessary to deal with them fully. Industry and foreign relations improved, but there were still obstacles needed to be passed before the full potential of the nation could be reached. New factions though were emerging in Spain, each one with a specific idea on how to change the Spanish nation.
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Player Actions Needed: The First Quasi-election has begun! Three factions shall compete for power in the Court of Spain. They are:

I. Spaniards for Los Conqusitas (SLC)
II. Los Amarillos (LA)
III. Facción Liberal (FL)

Please vote for one of these factions. The winner will have the most political clout in the court of Carlos V, and will most likely be helping him dictate policy for the Kingdom.

Sample Ballot:

Faction: SLC/LA/FL


Voting ends Saturday at 9:00 PM EST or Sunday at 2:00 AM GMT
 
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Faction: Facción Liberal
 
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Faction: Los Amarillos

"Thy query is of high jest, for Los Amarillos is simply a group of gentlemen and clergy dedicated to the place of God's Earth being retained."
 
Faction: Facción Liberal

((I am very sorry that I have no active character, but due to a test week and House of Cards I was and will be quite busy))
 
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((Uhm, I dont think one can vote in the factions quasielections at the Court without 1) having an active character, 2) pledging an oath of fealty/ recognizing himself as subject to Carlos and, being, therefore, a persona grata at Court))
 
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A Beautiful 'Friendship'

The royal drapes, of gold and red, were admired by the Dom Etxeto. A man of fine taste, he rarely left his estate, so such rich and exotic materials like coloured drapes drew his eye. This outing was the first time that Dom Etxeto stood within the Court in a near decade, and his aristocratic bearing only stiffened in the presence of those that stayed within reach of the King’s ear.

Sycophants, strangers, and slaves of various cloth and breed, all stomped about the palace. An Etxeto, be it the current Dom Etxeto or the first Etxeto, upturned their nose at the thought of the basic elements within society parading about like their line has existed for more than a generation or three. It was in this frame of mind, high and uprighteous, that a stranger approached the aristocrat, wishing to discuss the affairs of state.

Twas Don Aldo Trumpo, newly elevated Lord of Lazcano, who dared to swagger before Etxeto. Suited in an ornate, albeit nigh-gawdy, attire, accented with golden tones, his baseborn identity was evident in his step. With a swipe of his hand Trumpo slicked back his blonde, golden locks, and with apparent renewed vigor, he spoke.

“Lord Exteto, an honor, a privilege, to see you on this fine day. Perhaps you know me - Don Aldo Trumpo de Lazcano - almost a neighbor to your lands. I don’t say in a braggadocious way, but I’ve businesses across Spain, as you may have seen, and at the moment King Carlos V has me in to restore our economy.”

Trumpo flashed as stretched a smile as he could manage, his perhaps less-than-perfect teeth bared in a forced-friendly manner.

Dom Etxeto judged the man in a glance. New money, newly ennobled, petty, and cash hungry. Unfortunate.

“Ah, so thou sayeth. How dost this pertain to myself and mine kin?”

Trumpo reduced to a grin, a sort of full-faced upturn that turned his eyes into squinting, little, daggers.

“I have heard that...thou and thy kin...the Exteto are a well-bred and notable family. And the Trumpo reputation is forever linked with quality - in service, in return, and most importantly in acquaintances. As I hear it, the Exteto are much the same, and I would be remiss to not, at the very least, speak with you.

If I have learned one thing - and I have learned many, many things - during my excellent life, it is that to make good deals, great deals even, you need partners who are equal in quality. And Spain is in need of great deals. You, with me, we can make this Kingdom great again. People talk, and they’ve spoken about you and certain ideas, perfect ideas.”

Trumpo might be a salesman, but Dom Etxeto wasn’t buying.

“I doth needeth not thy merchant tongue. If thoust paid heed to the court, thou wouldst seeth that I am a founder of the Royal Philippine Company. Ss such, I doeth not know what thou couldst possibly offer myself or mine kin.”

With excessive gusto, Trumpo puckered his face and shook his head.

“Listen, forget the money. Trust me, I am rich, very successful; I have had lots of success, and I’ll keep having success. But that’s not what is important at the moment. King Carlos knows I make great deals, he loves me; I’m very well-received. The Trumpo name is growing more and more important, and I know how to use my name to promote my interests.

But our interests are not so different. I hear talk, that you have a mind for the future, helping strengthen this Kingdom like it was when we were on top. Landowners, the Church, they have been neglected when they should be used as the backbone of our power. And I’m ready to let this be known, to lend my name brand to this cause. And as I hear it, the Exteto name is involved in a very similar discussion.”

Dom Etxeto let out a light laugh, which brought the mood into a more jovial tone.

“I doubteth the nameth of Etxeto is of use outside of Bilbao, but I thanketh thou for the compliment. On a more serious page, I careth naught for the deals in which thou maketh, but the will thou endue is inspired. I leadeth a group of gentleman which may see thy youth, in house and person, as refreshing. Named Los Amarillos, 'tis a group of men dedicated to the restitution and entrenchment of our ancient privileges before King and God.”

Trumpo quickly restored his toothy smile, thinking now that Exteto had opened up, obviously in no small part to the signature Trumpo charm.

“Ahah, Los Amarillos! Now that, that is the future of Spain. Not the meek liberals, nor those loons who think themselves the heirs of the Conquistadors. I can guarantee you, your group of gentlemen, they could have the ear of the King, no doubt about it. He’s a wise man, you’re a wise man, I’m a really wise man as well. Los Amarillos, that’s an name that I can get behind, a name that we can have Carlos praising.”

Dom Etxeto nodded slowly.

“Most certes, I am fain that thoust agreed with me and mine brethren. To which I wilt ponder, will thou becometh a member of our fine group?”

Dom Etxeto cringed internally, the inclusion of the nuevos ricos was a marked necessity due to the weakness of Los Amarillos. However, maybe this strange man will somehow help the court see that the ways of the past were indeed the proper ways in which to rule.

Now absolutely beaming, nearly as bright as the gold that had begun to flake off his outfit unto his hands, Trumpo mirrored Dom Etxeto’s own nodding.

“Of course, it’s an honor to join, really great honor, I only join the best, and Los Amarillos is certainly the best. This, my exceptional friend, is a historic day; as I always say when people ask me the key to my success - unite to win, divide to conquer.”

____

Faction: Los Amarillos

"Listen, Lord Exteto, great guy, wonderful guy; he knows how to get things done, reminds me of myself. A lot of good will come from him, even more when I'm working beside him. If I made a list of the top men in Madrid, even in Spain, Exteto - number two. Number one - Trumpo of course - but Exteto is a strong number two."
 
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Faction: Spaniards for Los Conqusitas
 
Faction: SLC
 
Faction: Spaniards for Los Conqusitas
 
Faction: Spaniards for Los Conqusitas
 
Faction: Spaniards for Los Conqusitas
 
Faction: Spaniards for Los Conqusitas
 
The Duke of Valencia stood with well disguised annoyance to give an after-dinner speech - annoyance both at having to give a speech and at having to attend such an event in the first place.

Crystle-wear, chandeliers, opulent drapery, the paintings on the walls depicting heroic victories; everything in the room spoke of the glories of empire. No less was fitting, given the subject His Majesty’s First Secretary wished to speak on.



“For many a century our glorious nation stood at the pinnacle of success, my ancestors could boast that they belonged to the world’s premier power, our borders encompassed much of Europe let alone the new world…” The Duke continues in this vein, extolling the past and effectively lecturing his listeners (much to their boredom) on history for some minutes.

“...and yet, here, in this day we stand bereft of our possessions in the new world thanks in a large part to liberal insubordination both here in Iberia and in the wider empire…” He for some time disparages liberalism, its aims and the many catastrophes it has caused.

“Even now we must remain vigilant against those proponents of the Pretender, Isabel, we shall give them no hint of weakness, no glimmer of hope that they may once again inflict upon this land their sordid ideals. Instead, under the auspices of his most Noble and Gracious Majesty, Carlos V, we have the opportunity to raise our nation once again to new heights; not just by reclaiming our rightful lands in the Americas, but also in hitherto virgin territory, The Dark Continent to our south is almost a natural part of Spain, and offers many of the resources lost to us in the Americas. Furthermore…” His speech ponderously continues.

“A toast to the glory of His Majesty, Carlos, King of Spain!” The Duke finally finishes.


Faction: SLC