State of the Republic Address: 1502
A hush comes over those gathered as the President and Speaker reaches the podium...
"Welcome, one and all."
The President pauses for a moment before continuing...
"It is truly a great time to be part of the Grand Purple(ish) Republic of Milan..."
The President looks down at his speech, as if searching for the words already written on the page...
"When our founding fathers finally sorted out the paperwork, filed the petitions, formed a military and carved for themselves a Kingdom, they had a vision. They had an Idea that all the world would embrace the purple(ish)ness that is Milan..."
The Speaker stops, rubbing his eyes, wiping the small tear that creeps from his eye. 'Put on a show' they said. 'Sell it' they said. 'It's for the good of the country and the people' they said.
"When all was said and done, and they were told 'Yer a Nation'..."
The speaker winced slightly...
"They had no idea they were stepping into far more than pee..."
He waited momentarily as the groans subsided. Cousin or no, he was getting that new speech writer for Christmas if it killed him. Or the cousin... Still, he had to continue.
"They had no idea the of the sh..."
The President stopped... He shook his head, disgusted. He angrily crumpled up the words and tossed them aside, his eyes darting to and fro in fear as he did so. After a few moments, he collected himself, took a deep breath, then continued.
"I apologize for this. I must beg your pardon and your indulgence, for the matters at hand are delicate, and dangerous."
"People of Milan, I must speak the truth. I have been threatened if I do. I have been warned not to tell you certain things. I have received threats in the mail. My enemies have gone so far as to fill my mailbox with junk mail. Inside are cleverly disguised threats against me, and others who would keep Milan true to the founders ideas. That my very life is threatened..."
"The truth is, there are those in this government who have sought to subvert and plot and manipulate the future of Milan. These are heinous, despicable people, who would use the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes Grand Prize Giveaway Notification to their own wicked intentions. It says you could be a winner... But I will never know the truth. That envelope only brings me a prize of death...!"
At the mentioning of this word, there was a commotion to the right of the speaker as the no longer very secret service swarmed on two suspicious looking men...
The first man turned out to be an ordinary peasant who chose to reach into his tunic to scratch his armpit at precisely the wrong time.
The other was one Antenello Vespuchi, a well connected assassin with ties to the underworld syndicate in Lombardia.
Apprehended, Antenello simply smiled as he was hauled away. Government Officials filed out of the Address, eager to get back to the Castle and question him, but they never got the chance.
The security detail, and Vespuchi, were mowed down in a hail of cross bow fire while making their way to the prison. The fact they were being led to the other side of town, heading in the wrong direction, didn't seem to register on the guards... Although it is unclear if anyone got away, there are two bodies unaccounted for in the mess that was left in the narrow back alley.
Meanwhile, in a secret meeting at the IHOP down the street, the Knightly Register is updated to display the newest Secret Knight of Milan:
Back in the real world, as the President was being whisked away... Clerks, petitioning for a name change to "Official Document Specialists", posted the particulars of the state of Milan on the walls of official buildings, as required by the law.
All documents are available for viewing during normal business ours.
The Official Milan Wall Map:
You can obtain your very own copy of the Official Milan Map by forwarding 3 ducats to the castle with your name and address. This beautifully crafted Map of Milan shows the Nation in all it's Splendor and Glory, and is the perfect addition to any room. And as an added bonus, if you order right now, we'll send you a bonus set of Sham Wow's...!
Our Current Religious Situation:
Lots of yellow means good, right...? For now. For now.
Here's the Updated Trade Map:
Wall Alley predicts a sharp downturn in Venezia after the acquisition of Liguaria, but some analysts suggest the draw from further takeovers in the Mediterranean area will soften the turn, and could potentially draw even more revenue. This in turn would allow Venezia to remain concentrated in the Italian Sector and prevent future stock splits that would water down the prices and flood the market with low gain market shares.
The Core of the Matter:
A healthy core keeps us well balanced in the region. At no point are we risking over extension at this time. Northern provinces will provide excellent counter balance to the poorer Eastern areas we will require to fill out the Mediterranean campaigns.
Culturally Speaking:
The tipping point has been reached. Any more acquisition in the European theater will eliminate any accepted gains in the middle east.
And now your Local News...
Milan, At A Glance™:
The slider move is wide open this time around. Centralization remains an option, and a good one... But with a current -2 we have a 'turn to burn', so it's the perfect time to look elsewhere.
Mercantile would help tremendously with getting some actual advantage to the monopoly situation. As it is now, our current Compete and Maintain %s aren't high enough to hold a monopoly.
Many Tech Levels are at or ahead of time, Including GOV, TRA and LAN. LAN is only 1 year, GOV and TRA are 3. I will be hammering GOV for the next NI this time, so it may pop. That's another wide open decision. Trade? Moral? Religious CB Enhancement?
Current GNP:
Some up to date Tech Level Comparisons:
Production is lagging, having been sacrificed to Trade after level 9. It will need to be brought along, as PE will start to explode as buildings and manufactories come on line.
Naval is well, Naval. Though now that we have crossed the Pirate threshold, it becomes a much more important tech and will be receiving regular investment.
Total Armies and Navies:
Look at England, Castille and Portugal here...
They are seriously after it this game. France is already half way to rebuilt. I have a feeling they still want a piece of me, though I can't take anything but cash and force divergence from them.
To the east... Persia looks like some fun, and if the Poland Lithuania Hungary connection can be made they'd at least be a challenge.
The scary scenari... o...? France and the East hit me at the same time...
Naval is going well. The transition to big ships will begin in earnest with the next level of ship. I hate wasting money on Carracks.
Some Delicious Pie...:
Still a majority of core, even with the new additions. Nice spread of trade goods too. Always a bummer when grain takes up the wheel and it looks like the religion one... Some good culture chunks too.
The Current Center of Trade Stats:
I tried to bump the traders in Görz recently. Over a year of losing the monopoly there. Ugh. Venezia has more than enough room to take the hit from Liguaria. In fact, it should balance the two out nicely, and make for easier monopolizing as I won't have 'Big CoT Syndrome' there anymore.
Lastly, a shot of the whole wide world...:
I wanted a look at the road blocks to the east... It looks like 5 or 6 really strong contenders, which will make for some good fun.
Portugal, and her sister England look like a real challenge to complete the Med part of the program.
Yessir. Looks like some challenging road ahead.
From the Gut: France is going to make another run, unless the reload changes her target. She wants her provinces back.
Continue the Mam action. I want Alexandria in the fold ASAP.
While we're there, see if we can't swing into Mecca and head south. With England crashing Africa and the New World, the back door to the way east will be tremendously helpful.
We should begin working the Med to the Atlantic along Northern Africa. The more we take before Portugal can get it, the longer we can delay a world at war. The thought of France and the East jumping me while engaged with Portugal and England is not a pleasant one. I'd like to get one or two of them weakened first...
Open Mic Night is officially open. Your two ducats is welcome. With all of the previous goals pretty much met, the road is really wide open for a change. Where do we go now...?
T
Maybe they didn't appreciate your two recent wars and the rebel sponsoring. Spoilsports!
