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Name: Colonel Gregorio Durante, 2nd Duque de Zaragoza y de la Torre, 10th Marquis de Santa Maria de la Silvela

Date of Birth: March 3rd, 1842

Personality: Aggressive

Background: Nationalist

Background: The first born son to the late Isandro Durante, Gregorio grew up constantly in his fathers shadow. He was both expected to out do his fathers achievements while a the same time expected to not do so. This dichotomy heavily influenced his life as he constantly pushed himself to do better and never settled for less than 100% from himself. Yet even with all this effort he has not managed to exceed his fathers military career in anyway yet, being merely a colonel at the age of 40 to his fathers promotion to a Lieutenant General at the age of merely 34. To further add insult to injury his command has never been deployed into a hot zone, being an integral part of the Spanish Home army and thus never involved in colonial expeditions. This makes Gregorio much more hot headed and aggressive than his father before him, just itching to prove himself worthy of his fathers legacy.

This is not the only thing his father imparted on him, after decades of hearing his fathers views on Latin America he firmly believes that Spain needs to conduct a righteous Reconquista of the Americas. To him the Latin American 'nations' are merely rebels that have been coddled and left to fester and the only way to solve the problem is to go in and forcefully retake the region. To make matters worse, he having heard the story many times, bares a grudge against the Monarchy for breaking the promise made to his father about the move to start the Reconquista, whilst having not made a move in 40 years.
 
((Private))

Dr. Gregorio Vicente Osorio de Moscoso woke up in a hospital bed, an unusual thing seeing as he was usually the one attending the person in it rather than lying on it himself. His eyes opened wide as memories flooded back to him, and he pulled the covers aside to get up from the bed. A sudden ache in his side had him lying back down. He groaned in pain, remembering the gunshot that had wounded him. A closer inspection of the wound revealed that it had been stitched up quite nicely.

At the sound of his stirring, Dr. Moscoso's assistant entered the room, a smile on his face. "I see you have finally awaken. How are you?"

"I've been better," Gregorio said, his voice barely audible his throat was so parched. His assistant fetched him a glass of water and let him take a sip. He nearly spilled it when a twinge in his side sent another wave of pain through him. "Did you stitch me up yourself?"

"Indeed I did," the assistant said, confident in his work.

Gregorio examined the stitching on his side and could only feel satisfaction at his underlings works. The boy was showing promise. Perhaps he could take over as royal physician when he retired.

When Gregorio went to rise from the bed again, his assistant gently held him down. "Not so fast. You require bed-rest. You shouldn't exert yourself for another few weeks."

Gregorio held back a smirk. "Exactly who is the doctor here?"

"Until you have fully recovered, I am," his assistant said. "I've taken up your duties while you are indisposed. And don't worry. When you're back on your feet again, you'll have your old job back."

Gregorio let out a sigh. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in his work. For the first time in years, he felt a lifting of his burdens. His blackmailer was gone, meaning he no longer was forced to dabble in politics or risk his life for someone else's cause. With that worry gone, even his desire to partake in some liberal use of medicinal drugs had started to go away. Of course he was taking morphine regularly for his pain, but he wasn't consuming it in vast quantities anymore. Maybe one day he'd be drug-free. Now that'd be something. It was about time he started taking life seriously again, and that made the future seem that much more promising.

* * * * *


Name: Fernando Armando Hernando Rolando Fernández

Date of Birth: 27 April 1835

Background: Fernando was born into a perfectly average middle class family, his father (also named Fernando) a baker, whose father before him (all named Fernando) and so on all serving as bakers. It seemed a certainty that Fernando would follow in his father’s footsteps, that is until the tragic events of 1841. His family’s bakery in Madrid was raided by the government, with the state believing that they were hiding a printing press for the illegal liberal paper Voz Libre. Restoring the bakery after the police practically wrecked it searching for non-existent printing presses took a few months, but the damage had mostly been done to the business’s reputation. From then on, everyone associated it with liberalism and republicanism, a taint most foul in early Carlist Spain. Soon the bakery went bankrupt and Fernando and his family were forced out on the street. Fernando learned two truths that day: radicals such as liberals and socialists were a plague upon society and the state should not interfere in business. Some would argue neither of these were related to the bakery’s bankruptcy, but they were lessons Fernando had learned regardless.

Fernando spent the rest of his childhood struggling to survive, feeding on scraps dug out of the garbage and resorting to petty theft when necessary. However, Fernando wasn’t content to wallow in filth the rest of his life. Starting with nothing but the shirt on his back and enough charisma to convince a few investors to support his ideas, he managed to open his own factory. It took awhile for it to get off the ground, but being the determined individual that he is, Fernando pulled through, mostly thanks to his frugal nature, willingness to swindle buyers with inferior products, and miraculous ability to convince workers it was in their best interest to work more hours for less pay. With his first successful venture, it was only a matter of time before Fernando branched out in the start of what would become a massive industrial empire.

By the time he was 40, Fernando owned several factories, a railway company, a newspaper (one that operates fully within the law), and a highly successful bakery in Madrid (completely separate from the newspaper to avoid police raids). He has become well-known for his anti-liberal sentiments, and he despises socialists and the working class with a passion, working his employees to the bone whenever he can get away with it. Despite this, he has an eye for talent and is not above promoting even the lowliest of workers to the upper echelon of his company solely based on merit. In recent years, he has pushed for capitalist interests, mostly any effort to prevent the working class from being granted any rights that would hurt business, as well as for less state interference in the economy. With more money than he can count but always wanting more, Fernando looks to expand his business empire, and perhaps aims to dabble in politics to push his agenda to see the working class kept down and the state out of the economy.


((I'm semi-retiring Dr. Gregorio Moscoso. He'll still be around if I feel like roleplaying something for him, but Fernando is my new character now. To make things easier for naxhi, any vote I make up until the next election will be done as Gregorio and his MpL representaives, while Fernando will remain distant from the Assembly until the election, upon which point I'll be voting in the election as Fernando. Hopefully that is okay, since I didn't want to just leave those MpL representatives unaccounted for between elections but still wanted to change characters. If it's easier instead for me to not vote at all until the election, I'll do that instead.))
 
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La Samahan

La Samahan was founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos on June 17, 1881, as a underground, patriotic organization advocating and supporting Filipino Nationalism and Seperatism from the Spanish State. In order to join, aspiring members must complete a set of tests, similar to the Masonic Rites of the Freemasons, in order to test loyalty to the cause. Secrecy is of utmost importance, as well as following the various rules set forth by the society. The organiation is headed by a so-called Chancellor, who oversees the Supreme Council, the governing body of the Society.

The Goals of the Samahan

  • Develop a sense of camaraderie between each and every Samahans.
  • Unite the Filipinos into one single cause, that cause being the freedom of themselves and their neighbors from Spain
  • Win Independence from Spain and establish a Republic in our Homeland

((Very Private))

To the Chancellor of the Supreme Council

Do not worry about how we found you or how this letter has reached you. We wish to let you know that your organization has not gone unnoticed in the United States. I have some documents and proposals you may be interested in. Meet me in Barcelona, Hotel Imperial. Ask for Jose, and tell them Barnaby sent you. We'll be in touch.

H.Z.C.

((/Carry On))
 
((Private))

The First Secretary and several of his confidantes are wining and dining at a meeting of La Sociedad del Gentilhombres. They converse about a number of subjects including philosophy, politics, theatre, and hunting. However, the clock strikes midnight and the First Secretary must leave with posthaste. He bids them farewell and marches into the forest with a carefully selected group of men wearing Guy Fawkes masks. After walking for some twenty minutes, the men reach a large gate illuminated by two torches parallel to each other, fixed to two trees. The First Secretary hastens forward and raises his right hand while placing his left on his chest.

"HAIL ZUN!" He shouts. A cloaked guard nods and the gates slowly unravel, revealing a majestic golden statue. It dwarfed the First Secretary, its pure awe inspired humbleness within all those surrounding it. It was Zun.

Several cloaked figures, all wearing masks, hooked arms together and slowly formed a circle. The First Secretary kneeled down and, together with his fellows, recited a Zunist prayer. Once completed, they got up and made their way clockwise around the statue all the while shaking their arms and chanting "Hail Zun! Hail Zun! Hail Zun..."

Then came the main event. A husky men carried a dead goat over to Zun and deposited it gently before him, giving a "Hail Zun" before prancing away. Then, the First Secretary approached the goat and pulled out a golden knife which he plunged into the goat's neck. Picking up the corpse, he threw it into the fire in front of the statue which was responded to with a rousing "Hail Zun!" The festivities ended with a reading from the book of Zun.
 
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((Today's Fact: Zunbil was a dynasty in southern Afghanistan in the 7th, 8th, and 9th century CE that worshiped the sun. Guess now they are coming to Spain as a cult or something...))
 
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((Today's Fact: Zunbil was a dynasty in southern Afghanistan in the 7th, 8th, and 9th century CE that worshiped the sun. Guess now they are coming to Spain as a cult or something...))

((Naxhi wins a 2016 Laziness Enabling Badge for saving me a wikipedia trip. Thanks, nax!))
 
((Naxhi wins a 2016 Laziness Enabling Badge for saving me a wikipedia trip. Thanks, nax!))

((Your welcome! Now, just a clarification, what Qwerty is doing is allowed, but it is stretching the tolerance for silly-shenanigans a bit. Dont use Qwerty's actions as an excuse to start doing your own outrageous things))
 
Gregorio assembled himself a secret meeting with many of his officer friends who shared his views on Latin America.

Colonel Durante, you suggest that in our spare time we assemble and train a Militia? Are you sure that this would be the most effective use of our time?

What about this Militia's arms? Where would we find those? We dont really have the funds to provide everyone with an appropriate rifle.

I understand your concerns gentlemen, but this is the only option we have, the government has shown its complete ineptitude at organizing a similar operation.

Why don't we make this Militia and then offer it to the government to conduct its agenda in Latin America for support, of course our first operation should continue unmolested.

I think I could support that, actually that reminds me, how many men do you wager we need?

Well I would wager that it is no more than 100k, but it shouldn't be too hard to get some men on the ground to find out. Perhaps we plant some spies in the army. Until then I say we plan to organize 1000 men here, with a further 500 planted in Peru building up our base of operations and getting locals on board.

1500 men? That seems far too few for what you ask.

Well, yes. I don't think we can covertly move more however. Besides for this to work we need the local Peruvians on our side. I aim to have the planted group of 500 organize at least another 1000 Peruvians and get them trained before we sail the main body there. If we then bring enough equipment with us to outfit another 2000 Peruvian volunteers immediately we would stand a good chance at doing guerrilla tactics.

You make a good point Colonel Durante, Peru cannot possibly deploy their entire army against our force, it would be too risky. Beside we have mountains and bad terrain on our side.

If we can get someone persuasive enough on our side we might be able to get some Madrid to send military support as well. I also Imagine Rio de Janerio, Quito and Santiago would be willing to provide us arms as long as the intent to join Spain isn't made aware to them. A civil war in a major rival? What could be better.

You all make good points. Yet there is one problem, how do we covertly send over 1500 Spaniards to Peru?

The main body I'm not sure about, but the vanguard is easy, we send them over as immigrants, maybe 10 a month. That will give us plenty of time to train more troops and acquire weapons.

Also plenty of time to be found out.

I'm willing to take that risk.

As am I.

I'm not expressively against it, but I don't want to ruin my career for it.

You don't have to be involved in the expedition, but your help could be used in the organization and training. I think in 4 years time I will consult Madrid privately to see if we can get support, if they say no we can go a head immediately, if they say yes we will be able to use the supplies and men.

Alright I'm in then.

If that's settled we should all start recruiting, remember make sure you find men who are very dedicated to the cause. Otherwise this meeting is adjourned, I hope to see you all three months from now.
 
Simon looked at the letter in his hand... How did this get here?... He pondered for a few moments about whether he should go. It could be a trap by the government. After some thinking, he decided he would go, although he would take extra precautions to be sure everything was safe.
 
((Private))

Fernando Armando Hernando Rolando Fernández sat at his desk in his luxurious office at one of his more profitable factories outside Madrid. His official headquarters was actually in the capital, but he preferred from time to time to work at his many businesses and factories. It allowed him to keep a closer eye on them and ensure everything ran smoothly. It was always good to take a more hands-on approach to one's business to ensure things ran exactly as planned, but also to ensure no corrupt upstart employees worked against him. It was best to be vigilant when a single mistake or problem could bring down an entire financial empire.

As he was busy writing up a memo for himself, the manager of the factory, Mr. Suarez, entered the office. He plopped himself down in a velvet-lined chair next to the desk and adjusted his large spectacles. He then placed a report down on the desk. "I have the latest figures, sir."

Fernando glanced down at the paper but did not pick it up. "And?"

"Profits are up 5% this quarter."

"5%?" Fernando said, stopping his quill mid-sentence in his writing. "That is unacceptable. I want that number doubled--no tripled--by the next quarter."

Mr. Suarez looked at a few more of his reports. "There was also an accident on the factory floor the other day. One of the workers injured his leg. He's hoping for some time off to recover."

"Well does his job require much walking?"

"He's part of the assembly line. He doesn't move from his spot for his entire shift."

Fernando put down his quill and rested his hands on the desk. "Good. Tell him if he doesn't show up to work tomorrow, he's fired. I don't tolerate lazy louts."

Mr. Suarez's lip curled up in a cheeky smirk. "Very well, sir. There is also a Mr. Sanchez to see you."

Fernando furrowed his brow. Did he know anyone by that name? He plucked his agenda off the mess of paper on his desk, looking over his list of meetings. No Sanchez there. "And who is this Mr. Sanchez?"

"He's one of the factory workers. Says he has an idea for how to boost production."

Glancing again at his agenda, Fernando popped his golden pocket watch out and checked the time. He had ten minutes free until his next meeting. Why not humour this worker. "Let him in."

Mr. Suarez crinkled his nose as he rose from his seat and opened the office door. The man had such great distaste for the factory workers. Of course that worked well whenever Fernando wanted him to push the workers harder, but could cause problems when he decided some interaction with his employees was needed. The capitalist tried not to laugh at the grimace nearly consuming Mr. Suarez's face as Mr. Sanchez entered the room. The worker seemed in his mid-30s, was well-built, and had clearly just wiped a bunch of grease off his face. He smiled politely and bowed his head as he entered.

"Mr. Suarez said you had some ideas for how to boost production?"

Sanchez nodded emphatically and tried to reply, but ended up stuttering out some nonsense. Fernando didn't have time for this. "Well spit it out. Time is money."

"Yes, sir," Sanchez finally said. He rifled through his back pocket and pulled out a wad of paper, which he unfolded to reveal an incredibly detailed mechanical sketch. He laid it out on an empty spot of Fernando's desk. "I've been studying the machines, sir, and noticed some improvements that could be made to make them work faster. I drew this diagram up to show the changes that could be applied."

Fernando spent a good minute going over the sketch. He was no engineer, but he couldn't help but admire the detail and workmanship. This common factory worker seemed to know what he was doing. "Are you trained as an engineer or did you just whip this up out of nothing?"

Sanchez gulped and then replied, "I have no formal training, sir, but I've been working with that machine for over five years and know it inside and out. I've noticed a few of its flaws and I did my best to study it to find out the best way to fix it."

The diagram certainly spoke of an intimate knowledge of the machine in question. "And when did you take the time to study this machine so intimately?"

"Only during my lunch break, sir; never during my shift."

"Are you on your break right now?"

"Yes, sir."

Fernando smirked. That was the kind of answer he liked to hear. He could appreciate a man that aspired to go beyond his duties. "Good man."

The capitalist took another moment to look over the sketch. Nearby, Mr. Suarez shuffled awkwardly in his seat. The constant fidgeting couldn't help but draw Fernando's attention. After yet another squeak of the man's chair, Fernando asked, "What is it, Mr. Suarez?"

The manager leaned on the desk, bringing his face close enough to Fernando's that the capitalist could smell the scent of stale cigars on his breath. "Should we really be listening to some lowly factory worker when it comes to these machines? What if his 'improvements' break the damn thing? Profits will plummet in no time."

Fernando grabbed his cane from beside the chair, something he kept with him always, for he had developed a limp during his time on the street. He rose from his seat, towering over his inferior. "Mr. Suarez, how much time have you spent with the machine in question."

Mr. Suarez sputtered for a bit. "Well none--"

"Exactly." Fernando stepped around his desk, moving up next to Sanchez. "This man here has spent the better part of five years working with that machine. I trust he'd know how it works by now."

"But think of the costs!" Mr. Suarez said, his face growing red.

Fernando ignored the manager and turned to Sanchez. "How much do you think these improvements will boost production?"

Sanchez thought over it for a moment, swirling his mouth around in thought. "I imagine it'd save roughly 2-3 seconds on the assembly line."

Mr. Suarez let out a short guffaw. "2-3 second! I'll have this man tossed out for you."

Before Mr. Suarez could escort Sanchez from the room, Fernando raised his cane to block him. "Mr. Suarez, how good are you at math?"

"I wouldn't be very good with the finances if I wasn't good at math."

Fernando started to pace the room, both of the men watching him move. "Let's say it takes roughly a minute for a single item to make its way through the assembly line. So that would be 60 items in an hour, or 900 in a 15-hour workday. In a six-day work week, that would be 5400 items. Now taking into consideration Mr. Sanchez's improvement, each item would take 57 seconds instead. In an hour, we'd have made approximately 63 items, give or take. By the end of the day, 947. In a week, 5684. So, Mr. Suarez, a measly 2-3 seconds can bolster our production by a little over 5% per week. Are my numbers correct?"

Mr. Suarez's mouth dropped and he struggled for a reply. Sanchez hid a smirk as he kept his head bowed. As for Fernando, he had no time to humour the manager. Turning to Sanchez, he said, "Mr. Sanchez, tomorrow you shall be tasked with implementing these improvements of yours. I expect it will not take longer than a day to implement."

"Of course not, sir. It should take only a few hours at most."

"Excellent," Fernando said. Snapping his fingers at the manager, he added, "Mr. Suarez, you are to provide this man with all materials and labour he needs to complete these improvements."

"You aren't seriously going to shut down production for a few hours for this? What if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, then Mr. Sanchez here with lose his job," Fernando said with cold efficiency. The worker gulped nervously and a smirk momentarily appeared on Mr. Suarez's face. "However, Mr. Suarez, if we experience a 5% boost in production, I find that Mr. Sanchez here will surely be deserving of a raise, and a bonus if necessary."

"There's no room for employee bonuses in the budget," Mr. Suarez complained.

"Then it will come out of your pay." Fernando had had enough of the manager's insolence. The man may run his factory, but all decisions ultimately came down to Fernando. Turning away from his manager in disgust, he offered his hand to Mr. Sanchez, who eagerly shook it. He left a smudge of grease on the capitalist's hand, but Fernando subtly wiped it off with a hanky. "Mr. Sanchez, I always make it a practice to award those hardworking men who put the needs of the company first. I can't help but admire a man such as you who wishes to see this factory succeed, and that you'd do your best to improve it in your own spare time. Such behaviour reminds me of, well, me at a younger age. I expect you will go far in this industry with your attitude."

Sanchez's smile nearly peeled off his face it was so wide. "Thank you so very much, sir." The whistle then blew, signalling the end of the lunch break. Sanchez bowed his head to Fernando and said, "Well I must be going then. Back to work."

"That's a good man," Fernando said as his employee left the office and returned to the assembly line. When he was out of earshot, Fernando turned to Mr. Suarez and said, "Keep an eye on that man. I might have to give him a promotion in the near future."

Mr. Suarez scowled, for surely no common worker deserved such treatment. "But we have no openings for such a man."

Fernando pulled out his pocket watch, realizing he needed to get going to his next meeting. As he opened the office door, he turned back to the manager and said, "Well there's always your job." With a smirk on his face, he left his inferior to wallow in his own doubts and fears.
 
((Private))

TOP SECRET
TO: PRES. TILDEN, SEC. OF STATE CLEVELAND

MR PRESIDENT AND MR SECRETARY,
HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH NASCENT FILIPINO NATIONALIST GROUP STOP
WIDE REACHING CONNECTIONS STOP
ORGANIZED AND SECRETIVE COMMAND STRUCTURE STOP
EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR PARTNERSHIP STOP
REQUEST FUNDING TO BE MADE AVAILABLE STOP
WILL KEEP YOU AND REST OF BOYS BACK HOME UPDATED ON RESULTS STOP

((/Private))

((@naxhi24 ))
 
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Principe Duque Pedro was bored by the propositions of government. He almost saw little point in presenting the bills to the upper house, but he still did, as the President of the State Council hadn't done.

Pedro thus voted NO to both of the Laws
 
Protection of the Rule of Law Act: Abstain
Long-Name Act: No
 
The First Minister dies during a mysterious house fire. Although some people asked what had happened to the First Minister, most didn't care because he didn't really do anything at all.