Leaderboard

The battles of the 2nd Campaign will be fought on a new map, with new leaders. Why, you may ask? well read below and find out. Map Lore: Description and Explanation: This map is portraying a fairly large archipelago just northwest off the old map, off the coast of GR owned lands. Timewise it's set a few years after the first GR defeat. The landmass to the top right of the map is Grande Republique, the Crown Commonwealth owns the Island to the left, and the Confederation owns the Island to the south. As you may all see there is water, quite alot of it - which is why I am very sad very glad to announce there will be NAVAL and NAVIES - a topic i will discuss in the next development update. Make sure to stay tuned to find out more soon. Credits for creation of map - DukeofWellington and Joeriig Credits for lore - Bulletmagnet

Introducing our second Faction of the new NRP Campaign; The Confederation of Liberated Lands Known otherwise simply as The Confederacy, this faction is a totally new addition to the roster. As always, the name+flag+certain lore elements of the faction may be subject to some change as we develop the Campaign further! Lore After the Grande République conquered large swathes of southern territory previously occupied by the now-dead Rossiyskiy Soyuz, a large number of foreign soldiers and politicians became involved in various Republican circles. While previously all loyal Republican citizens were bred from birth to live and die for their capital and the spread of their ideas, this new influx of citizens were not "enlightened" by the ways of the Grande République. Soon several separate Legions and Regiments consisting entirely of these conquered peoples formed huge sections of the Grande République's armed forces, and many territories of the Grande République itself were governed and populated by folk who all shared one common trait; their lands had been annexed by the Republican forces. As the years went by the Grande République grew more and more complacent, and with this attitude came negligence of many territories not governed by veterans of the previous war. A divide began to spread across the Republic, with more demands for increased autonomy flooding the Capital only to be met with a flat refusal. When rioting broke out after a group of Republican soldiers became involved in a dispute between a corrupt landowner and his tenants, a group of military veterans gathered their militia and arrested the Republican soldiers. The Capital erupted with outrage at this apparent act of "treachery" and demanded the immediate release of the prisoners and surrendering of the arms by the veterans. Across the Grande République several lords and commanders declared support for the Veterans, whilst others continued to demand the release of the prisoners. Tensions reached boiling point when an army of the Grande République was went to forcefully subdue to town in which the prisoners were kept, resulting in a battle between the local militias and the Republican forces. Much to the shock and disdain of the Republican commanders, the Militias were decisively victorious. It was then that a secret meeting of veterans and politicians in the nearby woods came to light, an event which became known as "The Monster Meeting" where a large amount of landlords and military commanders declared that they would co-operate with one another to resist the tyranny of the Grande République. Over time as the dispute escalated into a full blown rebellion, the lands owned by the rebels came to be named The Confederation of Liberated Lands. Description The Confederacy is a totally new addition to our faction list, however it has some ties to the RU of the previous campaign. It represents a union of various people conquered at some point by the Grande République who have now declared independence. This is not a simple "rebellion" faction; the legitimacy required for nationhood has been gained and only the high command of the Grande République (more on the evolved GR in a later update) view them as a simple "rebellion." The Confederacy will focus much on ideas of liberty/self reliance but will have many eastern-european themed units; we wanted to mix up some common themes to create something memorable. It is not a Russian faction but rather a group of different nationalities and units all pooled from conquered lands. While other factions may seem prestigious, noble or associated with power and might, the Confederacy appeals more to an everyman/militia sort of campaign playing as the apparent "underdog", however do not make the mistake of viewing them as less powerful than the other 2 factions. Playing for the Confederacy will largely be about defending ones newfound freedom and attempting to liberate more lands from autocratic rulers. Expect some pretty funky special units, too!

NRP In-game username: 19th_Sgt_PotatoKuzzle/PotatoKuzzle Discord username: PotatoKuzzle#9839 Steam: (Link to your profile) https://steamcommunity.com/id/kuzzle67/ Preferred role: (Faction leader/Second in command) Faction Leader Preferred faction: (Grand Empie/Confederacy) Grand Empire Why you'd like to lead: ( multiple reasons) I'd like to lead because first of all its Fun. Overall I like to lead also because I am alright at it. I also want to lead just to interact with the community more and hopefully improve the NRP experience for some. From past campaigns, I wouldn't say leading was great nor bad. But things could've been improved. I find the whole thing Interesting as well. To interact with armies etc etc. In the last campaign I led the 33rd once. Was great fun I'd say so I want to take it to the next level. What makes you a good leader: My confidence. That is the most important thing I'd say. If you are confident in what you are doing, you will prevail. Also because I have lots of previous experience from other servers and by leading my rifles in the 19th. What else makes me a good leader is my leadership skill. I am not an autist nor I am Napoleon but I do well enough thats what I can say. P.S: If needed I can add more. Only if requested.

The third and final faction to be introduced is the only one which survived the events of the first campaign: The Grande République. The flag may change however the title and faction will largely remain the same as it will be transitioning into the second campaign largely as the same entity as in the first. Lore The Grande République stands as master over all. In all her might, she stands uncontested as the primary military power having suffered only one defeat in her long history of warfare. The Grande République views the Revolution as the ultimate goal of any society, and rather than viewing itself as an example of a Revolutionary utopia it assumes the role of destroyer rather than reformer; the old world and the injustices therein will refuse to die and thus shall be put to the swords. Enemies of the Revolution and enemies of the Grande République go hand in hand, as the Republic spreads the ideas of the revolution not by propaganda or public dissent but by sheer force. Her armies are prestigious and well adorned with medals and eagles to commemorate past victories, her banners denote an aura of apparent invincibility. Having brought the Rossiyskiy Soyuz to its knees in one fell swoop and battled the Crown Colonies into a corner, the Grande République does not need to search long for an example of her glory and superiority. However, the very core of the Grande République has come under attack. Not by any army or natural disaster, but by an enemy unseen by all; hubris. The Grande République is structured almost entirely around its impressive military. Political power and military prowess go hand in hand, those who prove themselves on the battlefield find themselves in much grander positions of power and influence. The wars of the past paved the way for many self-made men to assume control of key positions, but the final defeat at the hands of the Crown Colonies left a sour taste in their mouths and a stubborn stain on the records of the Republican forces. Regardless, the prestige of the Grande République remained strong. Massive amounts of new land had fallen under her control and before long the Republican forces could turn their eyes to whatever remained of the Crown Colonies, in the form of the Crown Commonwealth. Then, disaster struck. Several territories-both native to the Grande République and recently conquered-have committed an act of treason so terrible that it threatens to tear the Republic asunder. The great hordes of uninformed tyrants wish to reject the rule of the Grande République and the ideas of the Revolution. They claim to fight for their liberty, but such a thing may come at the cost of a return to the old world. It becomes clear that with the rising power of the Crown Commonwealth and the defiant attitude of the Confederate Rabble that the Grande République much once more take up arms to restore her rightful place as overlord of all lands. Description A fan favourite from the first campaign and arguably undisputed victors, the Grande République returns as a formidable giant facing a serious crisis. The faction will be largely similar to the last campaign, it will see some changes potentially to units and to lore. The campaign of the Grande République can be compared to that of the Crown Commonwealth (our first faction, replacing the Crown Colonies) in the sense that the ultimate aim is arguably to restore something which has been lost. However, in the case of the Republic it is pride and undisputed total rule that has been taken from them, as opposed to land. The Grande République's campaign will be about bringing the swift end of the rebellion, a restoration of her rule over key lands and a final defeat of the Crown Commonwealth who defied the Grande République a clean win last time by beating them in the final battle of the previous campaign. If you want a campaign of prestige, assumed supremacy and rebellion crushing then check out the Grande République!

NRP In-Game Username: Chinese Discord Username: english#3855 Steam: (Link to your profile): https://steamcommunity.com/id/Chinese_Propaganda/ Preferred role: Fuck it, Faction Leader Preferred faction: Breytona or campaign gets boycotted 👊 Why you'd like to lead: Havent lead a faction since the 3rd campaign, reckon its time to charge head long into the valley of death for one last soiree. What makes you a good leader: I have been an officer/high command for every single winning faction in a campaign. 🙌 Im not racist 🙊 Im a competent leader 😼 I am the joint most decorated soldier in the history of NRP 🎖️ I LOVE NRP 💕 EDIT: Thanks for the reacts/reputation, it means a lot!

Hello, everyone! I’m here to bring you a huge update for NRP Campaign 3.0, with a major feature reveal. As the first public server to bring a Multiplayer Campaign to Napoleonic Wars, we continually strive for ways to innovate and improve on our formula. While people have enjoyed following the Campaigns in the past as the factions duke it out over the map, we wanted to find a way to streamline the way the off-server aspects of the Campaign were handled. It is my pleasure to introduce the NRP Campaign Map! The Campaign Map is a live-map which shows you exactly what’s going on. With custom sprites specifically created by our Campaign Team, you will be able to track every army/battle/event or movement that happens throughout the campaign with ease. Gone are the days of awkwardly photoshopping a ready-made map to show new moves, this new map makes the post-battle paperwork a fraction of the work required previously. To give you a little insight, I’ll explain exactly what you’re seeing: Armies and Occupation Armies are represented by their custom animated sprites which have the name of the army underneath. Armies and their strength are listed in the side panel. Armies can be simply dragged and dropped around the map to represent their movement. As for occupation, it is now simply handled by flags-these can also be dragged and dropped! It will be much easier to co-ordinate and follow grand campaigns using this tool; the sprites and names could even be edited to represent NW Regiments if they become a big enough part of the Campaign! Battle History In the side panel to the left, all battles and their results will be recorded so you can keep an eye on how things are progressing. Any serious developments, news snippets or announcements will also be listed here. Railroads, Forts and Other Icons You’ll notice a lot of different icons such as forts, cities or railways. These represent in-game mechanics which we’re still perfecting through our simulated campaigns on testing weekends. These can also be added, moved or edited very easily and this functionality will be extremely useful for the future. Perhaps the most exciting thing about the introduction of this unique new feature is the possibilities for the future; by streamlining the most complicated part of the Campaigns, the possibility for other Campaigns/Events/Simulated Wars are endless and we plan to capitalise fully on this; expect much, much more from NRP! In the meantime, don’t forget that the Faction Leaders are going to be picked and announced tomorrow. If you want to have a chance to lead Prussia to her Ascendance or maintain control of Germany as the Austrian Emperor, be sure to apply here. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

NARC Campaign is starting in less than two weeks! With the campaign starting soon and applications opening tomorrow, here is some information about the campaign. 1) Resource management and economic development are being introduced in this campaign. While the appearances of a map where armies move around might make it seem similar to the previous NRP campaigns, the armies in this campaign require a little more than just a few orders to move around and fight. The factions will have to pay their soldiers, feed them and make sure they get proper equipment. To accomplish this, a strong economy and resources will be necessary. 2) Technology and research will be a key mechanic in the campaign, where factions can allocate their resources to advance technologically in military and economic fields. The campaign will start in the era of sticks and stones, and over time, technological advancements will take the world all the way to the modern age. 3) Conquest and colonization will allow the factions to expand and acquire resources that they lack, like fertile fields for agriculture, ore deposits for mining, or for any other purpose. To conquer, the factions will wage war, fight battles and besiege cities. Colonization, on the other hand will create encounters with native groups or just natural events that the faction will need to respond to. 4) Diplomacy and trade: The factions will be able to trade and do diplomatic deals with one another as they wish, creating a political landscape entirely up to the players. There will be very little restrictions on what can be done, so expect a lot of backroom schemes and backstabbing. The exact rules and all the details about the campaign will be announced once the applications are closed. Good luck to everyone!

NRP In-game username: 19th[Grd]_Sgt_Kieran Discord username: [19th] Kieran Steam: (Link to your profile) https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198020154928/ Preferred role: (Faction leader/Second in command) Faction Leader Preferred faction: (Grand Empie/Confederacy) Empire Why you'd like to lead: ( multiple reasons) I will state a few reason why im more then capable in leading but i will first point the main fact and that is im sick and tired of NRP player who think they can lead and get there armies killed. I will show not only that im better but hopefully teach them also. (e.g. telling officers to go places and putting them out of position and getting them killed). With my experience i know how use things effectively and anyone who doesn't listen i will blast and replace. I only have been apart of the campaigns abit so i know how it works and operates. What makes you a good leader: I am 2IC of the 19th regiment and we have survived a long time, while all these other regiments have failed and died. coincidence? i think not. I have worked hard with Pres to administrate the regiment and it has succeeded. I also lead in events so im familiar with the leadership role.

NRP Username: The Tax Collector Steam: Can link privately Preferred Faction: Prussia Preferred Role: Leader Why you'd like to lead: After years of mugging around this server as an officer, from the very start of it's inception, I've probably become the most proficient officer and long standing regular. I proved myself as the leader of the GR from the first campaign by leading it to total victory with no defeats but more important than that as a leader who was able to field the most active faction and thereby create an active campaign with a high amount of players. I strove to create a fun environment that had little complaint from the players under me and I believe I succeeded, with many still looking at that time they had with respect and nostalgia instead of a time where they felt forced to come on. Even throughout the second campaign where I was unable to attend because of my position in real life, my advice and help was sought by all of the factions which I gave and even assisted them all as an officer or faction leader when they asked for it. I wrote the rule-set for both the first campaign and the third campaign now and am familiar with the kinks, tricks and necessities of leading a faction in it. I am not an admin but have been so in the past and am familiar with all the necessary tools and details of the management and player-to-staff communication needed to get things done and organized, while also having the necessary means to contact staff if necessary for faction related activities. I am in the best position to contact staff in order to not have the campaign stall because of a problem in the faction. I am in the best position to act as a leader for Prussia, a faction which has quite frankly been my favorite since I started sweating on here as a faggy rper all those years ago, and bring in people who will share my enthusiasm and create for them a way of play that will make them have fun and engross themselves. Also if I'm going to be honest, it is time for me to put my cap and cane up and retire slowly from the nwrp scene as a regular as I continue to try and make time for it even though my regular life is getting fuller and fuller with home hunting, longterm relationships and the continually approaching end of my university. Therefore this will probably be my last stint as a regular player in nwrp and I wish for it to end the way I want it; fighting at the top and leading the best way I know how. Hopefully it will end up well, if it not then atleast we'll make it fun.

First reveal of the Campaign will be the Faction which will replace the Crown Colonies! Here we have our first attempt at creating a flag to represent the new faction. In this update I'll be referring to the new faction as the "Crown Commonwealth" (CC) however this name may be subject to change. When the Faction is fully fleshed out there will be more lore and information made available. This is just a placeholder name for the time being until our friendly lore-goblins have come up with some concrete stuff! Lore The Crown Colonies saw many defeats at the hands of the seemingly unstoppable Republican forces of the Grande République. The unique Governmental Structure of the Crown Colonies proved popular in times of peace, but ultimately contributed to the downfall of the faction. However, just as it seemed all hope was lost, a group of veteran Crown Commanders rallied a Colonial Army and lead them to victory against the Grande République, inflicting the first serious blow to their campaign. While the victory was not enough to turn the tide of the war, it was enough to secure a hastily drawn up peace deal to allow the two exhausted nations to recover from seemingly endless conflict. The peace deal was heavily in favour of the Grande République-only natural due to their much stronger position at the time-with much land conceded to them and their newfound vassal in the Rossiyskiy Soyuz. It was only natural that the leader who signed the peace treaty stood aside after doing so, with no man able to bear the burden of rule after doing so. However, a new problem presented itself; who would now rule the Crown Colonies? The war left many electors dead or missing, and few wished to take the reins of such a shattered nation. Many settlements once more began to go dark, as the divisions within the various townships of the Crown Colonies started to solidify. Crisis arrived when one of the larger cities attempted to officially "secede" and fend for themselves rather than contribute to what they believed was a doomed nation. It was only when a veteran of the final battle against the Grande République rode an army into the town and arrested the Mayor for treason that hope returned to the eyes of those loyal to the Crown. He quickly rose in popularity, with much support from his peers as he began to rebuild the war-torn lands and unite a divided people. The previously somewhat overlooked German and Dutch population of the Crown Colonies were overjoyed at acts which saw them granted laws protecting their language, culture and identity within this new nation, and soon they too were given official Regiments and Companies within the army. Many mused that it were as though the Grand Veteran had reached into the heart of these people and pulled from it a Prussian Army. Before long, many saw him as the embodiment of their nation; strong, resilient and unwavering in the face of seemingly hopeless odds. With the Crown Colonies and the politics therein quickly becoming a battered memory, a set of unprecedented reforms lead to an event which would change the face of the nation forever; the Crowning of the Colonial Soldier. Description We wanted to make the Crown Colonies into something a little more extreme-or rather a little more exciting. The "Crown Commonwealth" will be a Faction out for revenge, seeking to regain lost lands and with them a sense of pride. They will be themed much more toward Monarchs and Royalty than before, with the High Command taking titles denoting nobility and prestige. The units will mostly be British-themed, however it will also have several Prussian-inspired units to represent not only the German/Dutch-English population of the Colonies but also some potential mercenaries which may have arrived to help. This faction is for you if you'd like to not only restore the honour of your allies, but also strike back at the heart of the Grande République and her delusions of invincibility.

Post your group application like this Group name: (not too long/complex) Tag: (all members have to join event with this tag in their name) Uniform: (name the exact torso that all members will wear. No shirtless or partizani rags) Flag: (France, UK, Russia, Prussia, Austria or Rebel flag) Base location: (some bases will have a safer location than others. Bases with a more dangerous location are compensated with more supplies nearby or better defences) give a number from 1 to 5. 1 being safest and 5 most dangerous. Members: (name all your members by their in game name. You can add more members later, but no more than 12. People without a group will be assigned to one randomly)

The Joint NA/EU Campaign 7.0 is Here! For Each Faction we will Need: ONE FACTION LEADER (1IC) ONE SECOND IN COMMAND (2IC) (These should preferably be opposite timezones, if the Faction Leader is NA then the Second in Command should try and be EU) If you want to be a Faction Leader or 2IC then you will NEED a Microphone and be prepared to be active for the majority of events. Officers and Generals can apply here but can also be chosen by the Faction Leader If you think you have what it takes to lead a Faction then fill out the form beneath: NRP In-Game Username: Discord Username: Steam: (Link to your profile) Preferred role: (Faction Leader/Second in Command/General/Officer) Preferred faction: (Felderburg/Poitres/Breytona) Why you'd like to lead: (Multiple Reasons) What makes you a good leader: (Multiple Reasons)

NRP Username: Florian von Kapfenberg Discord Alias: Florian von Kapfenberg Character Name: Florian von Kapfenberg Faction: The Most Serene Empire of the Truly Invincible Mountain Nation and its Impossibly Humble Dominions and Colonies (aka Austria) GUID: 1596350 What kind of character do you consider: Florian was born a nobleman of aristocratic pedigree in the mountains of Styria. From an early age, he was skilled in the art of horsemanship, able to exert control over any type of horse - stallions, mustangs, chargers -- even Khergit women and Daisy Ridley. As such, he was commissioned as an officer in the Austrian army by the age of 12 (a move which attracted attention from international human rights groups campaigning against the use of child soldiers). By the age of 16, he was a highly renowned officer of horse, and it is rumoured that he made love to a different woman after each of his meals. Given his experience with handling a very long pole, he opted to become a lancer. During a peasant revolution in a T*rk-populated area of the empire, he used his lance as a skewer, turning Kebabs into literal shish kebabs. By the time this campaign rolls around, Florian was firmly established in the annals of Austrian martial history as a dashingly handsome and frighteningly effective cavalry officer and lancer, even with ambitions to use his popularity to gain control of the Empire's throne. However given that the outcome of such a coup attempt is unclear at this time, it should for now be recorded that Florian is merely a heroic horseman and master of the lance. Whilst the official story is that Florian lost his eye in battle, he maintains this is untrue, as that would imply his martial skills lack. However, amongst the ladies of the realm, there are rumours that his eye was lost due to an incident involving Florian's own renownedly-huge "seminal lance"

NRP Username: Sneakypanda Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198095787129/ Preferred Faction: Austria Preferred Role: 2IC/General ( Footguards ) Why you'd like to lead:  Playing as arty has started to get boring and I feel the leadership needs a step up from the last campaign. With my strategic mastermind an Austrian victory is ensured. I am also very educated on server rules and how things work <3.

This thread is going to be used to justify the deaths / losses of some noteworthy characters and to justify the appearance of the new officers lorewise - enjoy. Shepard: The air in the colonies was heavy, Shephard the "Armchair Marshall" was the obvious choice for the populace to direct their anger at, elected under mandate to expand the crown, only to do the opposite, proving that administration and military command were not one in the same. After the only victory of the entire war came without his knowlage Shephard decided it was time to leave the colonies and return to Britain for better or worse no matter the chances of survival, leaving with a short informal goodbye to the cabinet he made the march from the capital to a port with a small escort of 30 men. However leaving his office behind as it stood, due to the impracticality of carrying all doccuments to port, Shephard had allowed the members of the colonies to see the large volumes of letters written in a foreign language, each doccument sighned "Shephard Kopanski" instead of "Shephard Kemp". Word soon spread about the foreigner that had lead the colonies to disaster angering the population even more, causing even those in New Cambridge to tear down the formerly proud statues of the Armchair Marshall. Meanwhile Shephard had arrived at the port town, ready to leave the colonies behind. Upon seeing the former leader of the crown colonies the population was less than happy. The townsfolk, many of whom had been plagued by the recent refugee crisis caused by the annexation of the teritories by the GR, wanted justice. The populace took up arms, a mob of men surrounded the 31 men strong force in the narrow alleys. Some of the militia possessed guns which they used to pick off small numbers of the guard, 5 men were lost before the rifles were driven back by volley fire. The withdraw of the riflemen had provoked the main mob to close in on the surrounded force. Volley after volley was fired on the charing townsfolk who seemed to only desire Shephards head on a pike. The mob's numbers dwindled but the towns people still easily outnumbered Shephard's force. Desperate, and with a dwindeling supply of ammunition, Shephard drew his sword and ordered men to fix bayonetts. The guard would charge the peasant mob on both sides, fierce fighting continued as the well trained soldiers and their commander held firm. The fighting raged on for an hour before the peasant militia finally broke through the lines of the exhausted soldiers, cutting many down quickly, the remaining soldiers and their commander fought on until eventually being cut down by improvised clubs and pitchforks. Shephard's body was later found at the sight of the slaughter. The corpse was uncerimounously impaled by a pitchfork while still clutching the sword. The attack was used to highlight the instability of the local towns, townsfolk being desperate enough to attack and kill a member of the colonies cabinet was used as an excuse to decentralise the crown colonies into the crown commonwealth, with many strong military veterans as leader to ensure that an single administrator would not be the downfall of the colonies again.

In this update I'll outline some changes to how Faction Leadership in the Campaign will work. Previously, all of the wargames aspects (army movement, map control, aka everything not in the battle) was controlled by 1 individual as the Leader of their faction. I felt this needed improvement for two main reasons: 1. If said person is unavailable OR ineffective, it brings their faction to a grinding halt. 2. All the mechanics and campaign tactics which took so much work to plan are only really experienced first-hand by one person. Therefore, I'm reworking the command system into a simple Chain of Command. Currently, the template is as follows: 1. Faction Leader Same as before, this is the overall leader and representative of the Faction. They are in charge and will have the most influence in the running of their Faction during the campaign. 2. Second in Command Essentially there to fill in when the Leader can't be present or is otherwise occupied. When the leader is present they will likely still be quite influential in his decisions. 3. Generals The Generals (up to 3 maximum) can take on some devolved duties from the Leader or Second in Command to ease the amount of work dumped on them. An example of this can be leadership of a particular army which they can command each turn, etc. The Chain of Command allows each Faction to not have just one person running things, but rather a team of people running things. It will also improve immersion and lore for the campaign as we can be more personal with who commands what. It also grants players more incentive to move up the ranks of their Faction in order to potentially enter one of the multiple leadership roles. All changes applied to the Campaign are either simple improvements or streamlines of previous systems to ease the level of stress/paperwork for our staff to undergo for each battle.

The 'Massacre' at Mazen, 4th June 1817 The triumphant victory at Fenada would bring great pride and increase the morale of the 1st Rhodokian Army, and Consul Hunter would rest with the whole army pretty much intact after a glorious day in battle. News however would take a while to spread. On the Morning of the 4th of June, the great Nothern Offensive was underway, Premier Consul Greaves led the veteran 3rd army, and the newly made 5th army along 2 separate roads on their march north, small crowds of young children out in the fields, people passing on the side of the roads would watch in amazement. Word of the atrocities at Rivacheg had left a bad taste for the coalition amongst the rural Nord population in the North West, and many were eager to see those 'heroes' who gave their lives in defence of the town avenged. After the couple days of Marching since the Sacking, both healthy armies of around 20,000 strong each would rendezvous at the market Village of Mazen, however just as the 2 had almost joined up, they were set upon by artillery bombardments from Coalition positions, entrenched near the villages that oversaw the river connecting the Republican armies to Mazen. And thus, Consul Greaves ordered an all out preparation of the battle lines, the artillery were initially placed too far back to be effective whilst the coalition were well entrenched and able to offer heavy fire upon those waiting. It would not take long for Balion infantry to engage the Rhodok infantry as they crossed the bridges, whilst cavalry and other coalition infantry charged a defence laid out by mercenaries under Generalissimo Robert O'Connor. The resulting battle saw thousands of men fight in brutal hand to hand combat along the banks of the river by the bridges, whilst the roars of musket fire laid effective fire at either close range, or by long range skirmishers. The Coalition even sailed a couple gunboats into the battle, packed to the brim with riflemen that prevented any push from going unharasses, and the Republican Nordic Guard were unable to blow them up for being too far. Further skirmishes happened, mainly with the newly conscripted 5th army as they fought in the highlands around Mazen, taking heavy casualties but with the help of mercenary veterans were able to capture the Estate as men hurled each other through the courtyard and bullets rained through the forests. Overall the Battle saw 40,000 brave Rhodkians annihilate the vast majority of the Coalition vanguard sent to halt the Northern Offensive, the river was crossed after the Balion dreaded hussars were repelled and the infantry overwhelmed and slaughtered by the outnumbering Republican line infantry, that when one line fell, 3 more appeared to meet. The Prince of Jumne was tasked with overseeing the halting of the Consul's offensive, yet was only involved in the gunboat and was unable to organise a safe and orderly retreat, sailing back north along the narrow river to regroup with the troops at Wercheg. Mazen was undoubtedly a massacre, even though Greaves suffered a few thousand mostly new conscripts... the Coalition had lost around 13,000 men in their desperate attempt at halting the Republic's ambitions. Mass graves would not fill the amount of Coalition killed, and thus many had to be rolled down the hills and to the river for the fish to have a long banquet... but this was only the beginning. The Massacre at Mazen

First of all, many thanks to @Emil for setting this up. As Scandy mentioned in the rules thread, this is not the place for ANY discussion on the topic of the server being closed/how or if it should be revived. The new management team doesn't support any of the above to be perfectly clear. This is just a place to hang out, transfer threads from the old website and discuss what was and what could have been. You are all free to do whatever you want provided you go by the rules. I will start by transferring the old Portrait Gallery, feel free to contribute!

NRP Username: Bush_Did_711 Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198079534709/  Preferred Faction: Prussia Preferred Role: General Why you'd like to lead: I am a tactical mastermind, and a top class strategist.I have already led many regiments of renown before, securing astonishing victories and bold feats of gallantry and valor. I shall once again destroy my many enemies, and achieve total victory.

NRP Username: orlov Discord Alias: orlov Character Name: orlov orlovsson Faction: Austria GUID: 1141661 What kind of character do you consider: (Optional but helpful - What sort of character you want, what role you want to have, why you chose it, etc) Orlov is a russian mercenary who's really only in it for the money. He'd switch sides if the prussians paid him more. Furthermore, he's a brutal man in combat and campaign and shows no mercy to his enemies, as they're the only thing between him and his payment. orlov is satisfied with any troop, as his skill is unmatched by almost all that face him. All he asks for is opportunity to kill, whether they be prussian or austrian is no issue to him.

NRP Username: Chinese Steam: (link to your profile): https://steamcommunity.com/id/Chinese_Propaganda/ Preferred Faction: Austria Preferred Role: (Leader/Second in Command/General) (either) Why you'd like to lead: I have been involved with leadership in the past campaigns, in the first I was a general for the CC during the first two battles and leader of the CF in the second (although not for the whole thing I left it in good hands and didn't suddenly bail unlike another leader in that same campaign). I would like to continue this streak and help out with the management and on field leading of the Austrians.

NRP Username: Doctor_Noob Steam: Username gideon09876 http://steamcommunity.com/id/2LBI_no_life/ Preferred Faction: Austila's Preferred Role: General Why you'd like to lead: 1 I had alot of fun leading rifles last campaign I would like to do it again even though it takes alot of time.  1 To much competition for Prussia rifles fuck that.

NRP Username: The Guy Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198248669648 Preferred Faction: Königreich Preußen (Kingdom of Prussia) Preferred Role: General Why you'd like to lead: 1. My devotion to this faction is next to unparalleled by other members of NRP. My PFPs are Prussian-based, my banner in-game is the Prussian flag, and I even own a Prussian mug. (Message me for pictures) But I would do my job with devotion and passion, I commit very easily. 1. I served as KGL officer in the last campaign and have quite a bit of experience leading troops in-game, so I would have no problem leading men myself or filling in for missing officers when necessary. I also have a lot of experience in board games and turn-based strategy games such as TotalWar which both bear much semblance to the map mode of our own beloved campaign.

NRP Username: Sparkymilarky Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/Sparkymilarky/ Preferred Faction: Austria Preferred Role: General Why you'd like to lead: I was the CF General in the last campaign. Our cav dominated every match. I always attend events and am active in VC. CF will vouch for me. I'd be happy with any officer position but I'm best leading cav or rifles.

disclaimer: i won't be able to attend all battles. my plan is to work very closely with the 2iC and generals so that the faction is run as effectively as possible. i plan to do 99.9% of the administrative work that's needed and whatever else is needed behind the scenes, but i can't guarantee i can show up to every battle on time NRP Username: Florian Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/selh88/ Preferred Faction: Austria Preferred Role: Leader Why you'd like to lead: 1| I did a good job of organising GR before I had to leave, getting back 99% of former members even after they had previously decided to leave. If nothing else, my abilities to organise and ready the faction will be very valuable both inside and outside of battles. Even if I didn't get to lead the faction in a battle, I'm sure many former GR members will testify to how we set the faction and and planned very efficiently. Now I'd like to translate that efficiency outside battles into an efficiency that will help us win battles. 2| I have the special ability to instill discipline in the men via team chat and whenever I've been leading lines against pubs I've generally had success. On top of that I have a good grasp of tactics and how to lead a line in such a way that you can minimise casualties before you've entered the fight, which is quite necessary for maximum engagement for pubs during long campaign events because it ensures the poor sods get to actually fight. 3| I think we ought to give new people the chance to lead where possible, instead of having the same old officers every time.

First of all thanks to Duke, Joe and Chinese for letting us in the event in the first place. Although our experience with NRP had always been negative, the first rounds of the campaign were a blast to being a part of. However after the last incident we,the officers of the 65th that is, have decided that there is no reason to continue participating. This decision was taken because of 3 main factors which I will briefly go over Abuse and bias in the admin team I first addressed this in this thread. Although everything was explained about those questionable decisions, this doesnt apply to yesterday's events. For anyone not attending that day, what happened is basically that the CF got denied 2 officer slots at the start of the round for no reason. 2 admins, sneaky and Duke were contacted in the middle of a non live round however according to them they got vetoed by Scandy and Minisiege who chose to continue the round. Minisiege later stated that a CF officer told them we were ready. That was a lie. All officers at the time were present in the voice chat where a massive mic spam had commenced over the officer issue, as such all of them were aware of the situation. The only one not present, Doctor Noob also denied telling any admin. This ''mishap'' caused the CF to lose an entire round which the admins refused to correct or acknowledge. I would also like to point out that in the first battle El Presidente reset an entire round in the middle, in order to sort out CC officers. This action seems to only be forbidden to non CC players Let us also not forget the ridiculous maps which seemed to always give an advantage to the CC. The second to last one was absolutely horrible as it gave the CC a fortified hill position with a total of 5 cannons and 3 howitzers that overlooked the entire map while the CF only had one hill with one mortar that was bypassed by the enemy's arty height advantage and a town whose walls were transparent to cannonballs. These were issues that arent necessarily abuse but something I will address right below 2. The stance of the responsible admins All the issues that have been brought up could have been dealt with a simple reset, an invalidation of a round or a simple side swap. Every such initiative though was denied for no good reason by the acting admins who later reflected blame to Duke and even the regiment itself. Time after time, in both events ''mistakes'' were simply covered up or played down while their effects (again only in CC's favor) remained on the campaign map. 3.''Meta game'' abuse by the developers Although I was the only one involved with the dev process from my reg the effects on many decisions impacted the campaign as a whole. This is the only time in this thread I will name the 19th as a cause, as all of the people who tried to push an agenta were from that regiment (the opposite isnt true- many 19ths stayed out however). Presidente vetoed rules and suggestions that would have negative effects to his faction, 19th hordes appeared occasionally to rule out or support opinions by relentless spamming and insulting, and other 19th members attempted to give themselves buffs from the moment they lost the 1st battle (this included: A ban on faction co operation, the GR losing 3 AP for violating a rule which came into effect AFTER they had acted on it, a 3rd CC army spawning, faction leaders being banned and many more). I would like to once again give a thank you to people like Duke and Joe who put their heart into the campaign to make it as enjoyable as possible, and a small ''fuck off'' to people like presidente who put their personal gain above the enjoyment of others. Have a nice day/evening/night. Edit: was asked to include this as well

Campaign Ruleset update and more: Army Health and Balance mechanics: The Campaign will begin with 3 Nations with 2 Armies each. Every Army is worth 15 "AP" (Army Points), armies lose 1 AP just for participating in a battle and they also have the number of rounds they lost subtracted from their total ap, for example if the Confederation won 4-3 agains the Grande Republique and both armies were at full AP before the battle - both armies would lose 1 AP just for participating and then the GR would lose another 4 , for losing 4 rounds whilst the Confederation would lose 3. This is a balance mechanic to ensure one army can't win 21 battles and not lose a single man. Turn Order on the map and Beginning location for each army: -The CC's armies are will start on Providence and Wellington Village, -The CF's factions on Sarkow and Drepesk -The GR on L'Aumond and Rouez The turn sequence will be: Crown Commonwealth, Confederation of Liberated Lands, Grande Republique. Movement on the campaign map: -The CC will therefore have the very first move. Armies move from province to province. The maximum amount of movement is 2 provinces in friendly territory and 1 province of movement when moving from a friendly province into enemy territory or when moving from a enemy area to another hostile area. Armies can additionally move between occupied ports. This will take a total of 2 turns; 1 turn to embark and 1 to disembark. Battles: When 2 opposing armies collide on the campaign map, a battle ensues. Battles are planned to be fought on the server during Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.The battles will be normal battle RP but with reserved officer slots; every three rounds the map is changed. A battle is won if one of the two involved faction reaches a total of 4 round victories first. When a faction reaches a total of 5 rounds, the campaign event is ended and the results will be translated to the campaign map. The faction that won the 4 rounds will be deemed the winner If an army scores below 1 ap point it is deemed destroyed and will be removed from the campaign map. Summary: lose 1 point automatically for participating in a battle + how many rounds you lost. Victory Condition(s): The Victory Condition is to take a total of 6 provinces; when one faction gains control of 6 out of the 9 settlement (all shown in a bolder shade of white on the campaign map), the campaign will end and the respective faction will be victorious! Islands: All the smaller islands namely: Ostrov Nirok Ostrov Erlok Ile de Burly Ile de Nevoy will start as unoccupied lands meaning that the first faction to get their armies onto it will assume ownership of X island. Date: We hope to begin the campaign in the next few weeks End + Infos: If you wish to help plan the campaign pm me on discord. Credits for this to all members on discord who have the "campaign developer role" As you my see abilities have not been mentioned, but we are looking into the possibility of implementing them in the next update so stay tuned!

NRP Username: Prince Florian GUID: 1596350 Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/selh88/ Preferred Faction: LA GRANDE REPUBLIQUE! Preferred Role: (General/Leader/Second in Command/multiple): Leader (if I don't get it don't give me a lesser role) Why you'd like to lead: When it was announced that the previous leader of the Grande Republique had died of a rare disease called "being Turkish", I hurried to the Tuileries Palace to give counsel to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. However, from the moment I stepped into my carriage to the minute I stepped out, I was swarmed by hundreds of thousands of Parisians all begging that I apply for the role. However, I am a humble man, and recognise the people have no worthy opinions. It was only when I spoke to Emperor Napoleon himself and he suggested that I take charge of the entire French Empire that I had to assert myself. "Non, mon Empereur, I could not succeed you" I said to him, but it was not enough. He gave me an ultimatum: become the leader of the Grande Republique or succeed him as Emperor of France. Naturally I chose the former: it is obvious that the Grande Republique is on the decline and will probably never win another battle. If I took leadership of it then after its collapse, I would get a nice pension from the Army but I'd also get to live out my days in exile on a tropical island paid for in full by the government of the Confederation or CC, whoever it is that captured me. On a real note, GR has a severe lack of leadership applications. I'm not a totally incompetent leader and I certainly had a lot to say after GR got beaten in our final battle. I think it's the right thing to do to honour Goki's sacrifice and put my money where my mouth is and see where I can take GR in the absence of an actually good leader like Warclever or Tax. A big plus for me is that I have a mic. And also, when GR do inevitably lose, I can be excused because of my Austrian ethnicity. When was the last time Austria won a war? Also, I was one of the OGs of the original GR and I'm frankly not quite ready to see it die if there's anything I can do to help it (despite my posturing about how I was going to merc for whichever faction was winning).

gay

I'm still gay

Hey everyone, shepcunt here and I personally would like to get to the point and suggest a change to the way we handle the story of the NRP campaign, from the initial ideas I interpreted it as something that would have an official hub that would be added to by the admins and made official in the lore taking perspective from all factions and leaders as well as telling grand tales of heroism, however it hasn't been nearly as structured and seems to just be a "post your best moments of the campaign here" deal with a tiny smidgen of lore each week. I therefore propose that the lore and story should be overseen by a team of 3 or more admins a round (one for each faction looking for heroism and the other looking at the general way the battle goes and picking out any interesting engagements), the admins would then collect the lore and consult with each other and the head of the campaign to pick out the appropriate things to include, then a comprehensive summary of the lore is included in an official place written by the team of admins. I believe that this could add the theme of the campaign's story being told to us by historians analysing the battles of a bygone era, it could also make the lore more consistent and organised as people would know the number of battles, what significant feats happened in those battles and all of the significant things that particular figures have done. Another more fun aspect of this would be that due to the lore being easily accessible in one place and more detailed it could be better utilised in the events, making the campaign feel more like a story instead of a competition. For example one application could be using a specific map with the troops being told to generally act a certain way due to the lore e.g. A wounded British garrison that has already lost a battle is defending nearby villages against the French, on the event announcement it could be mentioned how the french troops are full of hope and patriotic zeal ready to charge and finally wipe the garrison out, while the mood on the British side is melancholy with many of the troops only wanting to survive and so being told to be more cautious. This could also provide a nice way to asymmetrically balance the battles and add more flavour to them such as the Brits being on a hilltop with houses and so have an advantage on defence, however the hilltop could be a small area and so the french could easily surround it. The British would have to contend with low visibility due to the houses and being surrounded on all sides while the french would have to overcome the hill all while being fired upon by the British. (this may not be the best example but i'm sure you understand the concept) In conclusion I believe that treating the campaign as a story will allow us to add more variety and fun to it, if its expanded we could even have backstories and other small bits of lore incorporated to make an impact on the campaign, for example a french officer turns out to be British causing a rift in the ranks of the GR as the others debate weather or not to exile him, causing a schism in the republic. So yeah I hope the way we treat lore can be overhauled, I would be more than willing to help to make this a reality.

In-Game Username: [Empire*Emperor]Slavomir Discord Username: Slavomir#1534 Steam: (Link to your profile) https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199224659443/ Preferred role: (Faction Leader/Second in Command/General/Officer)- Second in Command (with Greaves First in Command) Preferred faction: (Rhodoks/Sarranids) Sarranids Why you'd like to lead: (Multiple Reasons) I have more than necessary experience in leading and managing communities, battles, and events. Moreover, I believe that I can bring a new energy into this campaign through my organization and leadership skills. The main reason I want to lead is because of Greaves, he said this is something fun and that I should try it :D! So I am like - why not? Let's add some super-fun into this campaign! With Empire intervention - we can provide a challenge for the campaign :D! What makes you a good leader: I run, probably, the largest active standing community in the game (the Empire army on average rallies 60-80 men per week). One does not simply accomplish such a thing in Warband NW where the community is full of weird stuff that is ever-growing. The Empire army also has an impressive battle record: in many battles we won while being outnumbered by 20+ battle (even by 50+ in one event: I can send a video if interested). However, one of the best qualities I have is the ability to make the gameplay feel fun and light whilst being able to kick arse: Empire is known for being one of the most relaxed groups, with zero toxic levels. We are only 'try-hards' during actual battles because war conditions demand one give his best to win. The largest army in size that I have led is 110ish+ men (everything from conventional line battles to non-conventional events, like the Sunday Empire Event). I have experience in leading all kinds of armies; moreover, my organization and statesman skills make sure that a community stands strong, active, and stable. I was told that previous NARC campaigns had a lot of toxic sh*t in them and was at first reluctant to participate. But Greaves managed to persuade me that this stuff is worth a shot and I am up for the challenge to make the gameplay feel great for players in it.

In game username: JamD0dger Discord: JamD0dger#1807 Steam profile: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198252285474/ Preferred role: (Faction Leader/Second in Command/General/Officer) Faction leader but fine with others Preferred faction: (Rhodoks/Sarranids) Rhodoks Why you'd like to lead: (Not many reasons) Seems fun, others seemed to ask me to do it. Step up from the other leading i do normally in NW. What makes you a good leader: (Multiple reasons) Experience from being an officer in old NRP campaigns, I also have experience from leading in a regiment, 45thN. I know florian, he seems like a big deal, if chinese is involved in this he is too and kenway also. I have some good references such as: "It's a trap", "They are taking the hobbits to Isengard" and many more.

NRP In-game username: Gio Discord username: Gio Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/Gio3118/ Preferred role: (Faction leader/Second in command): Faction leader Preferred faction: (Grand Empire/Confederacy): Grand Empire Why you'd like to lead: ( multiple reasons): I will make America great again. What makes you a good leader: That I will make America great again.

NRP In-game username: The_Guy Discord username: The Guy #2813 Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheGuyEpicGamer/ Preferred role: Faction Leader/General Preferred faction: Confederacy Why you'd like to lead: Last campaign I took a break from being and officer to catch my breath and get some rest. However NRP's campaign is so addictive that I found myself wishing I was in the shoes of my faction's officers before long. Thus I have decided to return to Campaign 5.0 with a new energy but this time with the aim to lead the CF. Why faction leader instead of officer? The CF strikes as a faction that needs leadership right now, particularly with the death of our mighty leader Helmut Von Moltke and I feel that I can bring that leadership to the table. I've never led a faction in a campaign before and I'm eager to taste the experience for the first time. I am also eager to introduce new doctrines, strategies and tactics to the NRP campaign that should (hopefully ;p) revolutionize warfare for the campaign. All in all, my reasons for applying are: The desire to lead again that campaign 5.0 instilled in me, The wish to re-stabilise the CF after the death of Helmut Von Moltke and experience the leadership of an entire faction for the first time and focus on introducing new methods of fighting and fun to the campaign. Overall, my ultimate goal is a successful campaign with a CF victory (if attainable), where everyone, regardless of their faction or rank has fun. What makes you a good leader: I have served as a well-respected officer and General in Campaigns 2.0 and 3.0. Not to mention having a respectable and coordinating position in the CF artillery last campaign. This is not only important in the sense that I know how to lead, but I know how to work with the CF. I understand their fighting-style, morale, and the officer corps well due to the last campaign. And I'm sure that the officers of the last campaign will agree that I am more than capable and that the claims I am making here are indeed valid. As a leader, I am no gambler, but I'm willing to take risks and not just camp the corner of the map or some random hill till the map ends (because I saw how boring that was as a ranker last campaign :/). However I'm not going to throw away the game. My ultimate goal as a leader is for my faction members and any participant to have the most fun as possible, without compromising the game's integrity. (Edits may come)

In this dev diary we will be introducing this campaign's map, victory objectives and the start date! The campaign team has been working very hard these last few weeks to produce the campaign map which can be found here : https://sagt.nu/campaign/#2/1900.0/1712.0 The reason for the seemingly "unfair" division of the island will be explained shortly in a separate thread. Rules will be discussed more in detail at a later point but the victory conditions are certain - Control all 6 settlements on the island or destroy all opposing armies with the settlements being as follows: Norburgh Castle (CC) Town of OldBastion (CC) City of Cernbridge (CC) Port Andev (CF) Town of Tikusha (CF) City of Lidorska (CF) As for the official start date, the campaign will start the 3rd of August 8PM BST/9PM CEST/10PM EEST/3PM EDT and will continue every saturday and sunday from then on until either side wins the campaign! Hope to see you all on our server (Napoleonic_Role_Play) then!

NRP In-game username:Novalpro Discord username:Novalpro Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/hihelloheygreetings/ Preferred role: Caliph of the Crown Commonwealth Preferred faction: Crown Commonwealth Why you'd like to lead: Because I'm a long time cc-er and because I'm a good leader and good leaders win if they're gooder leaders than the enemies' good leaders What makes you a good leader: Most importantly, I've read a whopping 50 pages of the art of war translated into arabic! Second of all, everyone has seem my outstanding performance as the leader of the grenzers last campaign, now imagine that flawless leadership but not leading a bunch of orange guys, but the entire crown commonwealth!

Here you can apply for Faction Leader, 2nd in Command or General. if you need assistance or want to ask a question then ping Community Staff or a member of the admin team on our discord. If you are unaware of what factions are included in this campaign in this campaign then go to this link = https://sagt.nu/topic/675-nrp-campaign-30/ Responsibilities of each Leader role: Application Template Note we are looking for active people who are willing to actually take the time to do the role properly and who is at all the campaign battles and who have enough time to not resign at the beginning of the campaign.

NRP Username: Cummander_0leg0legsson Discord Alias: Don't have one Character Name: Oleg Ayazovski Faction: (Prussia or Austria or maybe Both?) Prussia GUID: (The number displayed next to your name in the bottom left/chat when you join the NRP server) I'll add it later when I have the chance What kind of character do you consider: (Optional but helpful - What sort of character you want, what role you want to have, why you chose it, etc) Oleg is a russian with turkic ancestors born in Russian Empire. His family and himself was talented in riding horses, he learned riding a horse when he was 12. He got his first own horse when he was 10 but this horse was taken to battle by his older brother, and came back wounded. So he got his new own horse to ride when he was 15. He joined the military when he was 20. The horse he got was a Mongolian steppe horse which he rode into battle in the Crimean War when he was 22. He and his horse were injured during the war. Both of them survived but he didn't want to make his horses suffer in wars anymore so he decided to fight on food in the next upcoming war which was the January Uprising. Then he heard of the Polish uprising in Siberia but, Siberia was too far away, especially without a horse. But he heard of the Austro-Prussian war which was very very close to where he was at the moment. So he decided to join the war on the Prussian side since they stood by the Russian Empire during the uprising whereas the Austrians didn't. So he joined a Prussian regiment group nearby. btw if discord is needed I'll just delete this post. And I have another problem which I pointed out in the introduce yourself post. When I join the server lobby just a random small set of servers pop up. And mostly NRP doesn't (this is the reason I couldn't give the GUID number) So I might not be able to get in the server in the campaign day.

NRP Username : The Docteur Discord Alias: The Docteur/ Johannes von Docteur Character Name : Kuhrfürst Johannes von Docteur Faction: Prussia GUID: 1702423 What kind of character do you consider: A palatine noble from a minor branch of the Wittelsbach family, which is called "von Docteur". I decided that the austrians have not only failed their own country and people, but also their duty as emperors and as rulers of germany. He is a nationalist who wants a united germany, for which he sees the prussians as his best hope. He joined the prussian military after the palatine annexation by france and became a Landwehr officer of the rank "Oberst Leutnant" after completing several engagements as Leibhussar and being given command of a regiment, however due to being of lower rank than the supreme commander of the Landwehr he is no officer in battle. He was named rightful heir of the Kuhrpfalz due to his noble birth and would likely be given his own princedom there, was france to be beaten in his lifetime.

Songs have been sung, with banners of memes flying in the air. Thousands lay dead on the battlefield, with thousands more wounded and unable to make a Pepe. With the campaign closing in, the time is nigh. Show your brothers-in-arms what memes you are capabale of. The official GR vs CC vs Confederation meme thread HAS ARRIVED. SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS

NRP Username: Predator GUID: 413449 Preferred Faction: The Confederation of Liberated Lands Preferred Role: General Why you'd like to lead: Jack "Predator" Morgan is the son of the feared Grande Republique Officer "Captain Morgan" - though their ways happend to be different ones Predator has never sided against his Father during the war between the 3 rivalin Factions. During this war Predator fought along side the russian revolution - in which he became a high ranking officer - unfortunately after the fall of the revolution he had to vanished for several years to come, as he feared the punishment from Lidor Niroc. His Father died in peace 2 years after the war but before his death he gave his son a receipt for a Rum which he wanted to call "Captain Morgan" - Predator decided that he would produce this Rum after the war. After the rumors that said Lidor Niroc has now joined the Grande Republique were confirmed , he made the decision to pick up his now somewhat dusty officer sword and Fight as an Officer against the oppression that has been part of this Island for years.

Close the borders!!!!! They’re not bringing there best. They’re bringing spam. They’re bringing Team hits. They’re ramboing. OUT OUT OUT

ok it`s done now. Name: Anatoli Pushkin Affiliation: Ms. Pavenlova`s Rebellion Place of Birth: Unknown, Rossiyskaya Imperiya Place of Death: Province R9, Rossiyskiy Soyuz Dear reader, you may have noticed that every entry in this compendium of accounts from the war has been from the viewpoint of the Crown Colonies. This is not due solely to mere patriotism, nor idealism, but out of a disturbing lack of alternatives. The reader should know that my associates and I have searched libraries and manifestoes in every belligerent nation, to little avail. We believe soldiers of the Crown Colonies, though possessing traditional British pride and knowledge, were not simply better in creating and preserving letters and diaries. After all, every nation involved in the conflict fielded thousands of men; surely sheer probability would dictate at least a few hundred documents would have survived all these years from them? The reason for this discrepancy in numbers proved remarkably simple, and proves to be a microcosm for the varying societies, cultures, and values which clashed together one and a quarter centuries ago. Section 3a, of the Republican Army Officer Training Manual (3ème édition), the official manual used by the French armies in their colonies during the time of the war states: "On the subject of morale... letters to home have been proven to exponentially increase the morale of soldiers, and ample supplies of ink and paper should be carried alongside other necessary materiel... this practice should be discarded, however, whenever the army embarks on an operation in which speed and surprise is of upmost importance. In the case that this happens to be true no stationery shall be used nor carried, in order to minimize the risk of risk of information being captured... there is also a risk that letters from war-weary soldiers- or other defeatist elements- may hinder the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health... suspected violations must be ceased immediately upon discovery, though the officer may decide his own method in determining and securing the loyalty of the offender(s) towards the Grand Republic and the Revolution. There are no known letters from Republican soldiers. The Russian Soyuz (Union), whose contribution to the war at this point has been immortalized in the children`s rhyme "A defeat at R4 and little more", had no such limitations. This was not due to a love of free knowledge and kinship, but because they had practically no government at all. Its people lived in farmsteads and the occasional commune dotted around the vast tundras and taigas, their border marked only by the first patches of green. Power was fiercely contested by their official leader, Niroc, and an association of bureaucrats tasked with the distribution of land: the Land League of the Union (LLU). Suffice to say, neither entity possessed the logistical capabilities nor the opportunity to extend their influence over such a large swath of land (as well as over the Russian populace, universally known for their insolence). As a result, it was not government interference but astronomically high illiteracy rates among their subjects which stymied our efforts to collect knowledge on the region. So, our surprise knew no limits when we found an intact series of journal entries from a Russian soldier- one from the peasantry, no less. In fact, this Anatoli Pushkin was a member of a short-lived Rebellion which threatened to seize control away from its Francophillic overlord, and establish a society run entirely by such peasants. Such an important discovery could never in good faith be left out of a collection such as this, even if it diverges from the established topic of British soldiers. However, if you wish to skip this chapter, the page-number of the next entry shall be posted below... "It takes a certain type of man to join a rebellion. One has to believe- and believe wholeheartedly- in one`s cause to excuse a betrayal of the highest severity. It is one thing to fight a foreign army, with your brothers at your side and your families at your rear. You can find glory in that, revel in the knowledge that honor and respect will be bestowed upon you no matter if you live or die. Your crimes: erased, your sins: absolved, you become nothing but a stone pedestal for all beneath you to look up towards and wonder what it could be like. It takes a certain type of man to throw that all away." Anatoli thought he heard steps coming from outside the tent; it must`ve been them coming back from dinner. He looked for a place to store the still-dripping quill and paper, but found none. Already feeling the string of regret, he shoved the inky paper between his chest and his coat, wincing at the distinctive crumple of two hours labor melting away. Five or so sets of lets appeared in the thin gap between the tent flaps, stumbling around and followed by continuous bursts of meaningless laughter, then fading away. This provided no comfort for Anatoli, as this meant that his "tent mates" were still out there near the fire and could return at any time. Dismayed, he looked down at his coat to see that small black patches had seeped through the outermost layer and were now distinctly visible to the non-inebriated eye. Come morning, once the haze of this night had faded away, there would be no end to their childish games. But nothing had truly been lost, merely disconnected and unsupported words on a sheet of paper. He stood up wiped his ink-splotched hands on his tunic, disappointed that none came off. If caught, he would not be able to explain the mess this time. He stood up, stretched out his back, and placed his mug of ink in his usual spot under his cot. Only a thin stack of paper was there to greet him, not including the ones which had stained or crumpled beyond all salvation, not all due to accident. But that didn`t trouble him; tomorrow would be a new day, They never made it back to the tent that night. Anatoli enjoyed the privacy. It was a shame that, when morning came, he was apprehended by a gong of burly men and hastily escorted past row after row of dilapidated tents. Anatoli expected for his captors to stop and shove him into one of those rows and thrusted into the arms of a waiting mugger, but that didn`t happen. Suddenly, a new type of dread weeded its way into his mind. He snuck a glance into one of the men`s eyes, and had his fears confirmed when he saw they were firmly planted onto one tent in particular. "There was no force on earth which could have stopped them from delivering me there. No matter how hard I could have kicked or yelled, they were loyal to a higher power- two higher powers- and I was to be subject to both of their unmitigated judgements. The rows faded and the noises of no less than five hundred men were overshadowed by even the slightest gusts billowing around that tent; even it dared not disturb its hallowed canvas and ropes. I could swear it was the boatman Charon himself that opened the threshold to the tent, grumbling how he had not been payed for the troubles. An roaring furnace took up much of the center of the room, its opaque product rising slowly and methodically until piling into a cloud at the very top of the structure, trapped forever inside by a mere layer of ceiling. There was but one figure in that room, silently admiring the whole display. I instinctively raised my arm into a salute, but remembered it was still entrapped by the men, who stood in reverent awe at the embodiment of His power on this earth. I once wrote that it took a certain type of man to join a rebellion. It takes more than a man to lead one... ...It takes Ms. Pavenlova." She rose from a meditative slumber, her structure protected from the ground by a silk carpet- and protected from the vices of humanity by a golden pendent of Him wrapped around her neck. As she emerged into the light, her features became clear for the first time; she was no longer the speaker on the stage, nor the solder on the battlefield, but a feather on the scale of Anubis, of which all men feared to be weighted against. Even in the shadow of the growing flame she remained pale as nacre, her hair a rich cream tint. In truth, not even the most seductive bachelor in the world would dare to act- or even think- in a lustful manner towards her; it would be blasphemy towards all of the beauty in the world. And now, unarmed, unarmored, and with no-one left to impress- what should should been her most vulnerable moment- I stayed on the ground, and was compelled to kneel. "Stand, Private Pushkin." Private Pushkin stood. He restrained his eyes from wondering around the room towards the small shrine built to Him, just behind the fire-pit. She traced his eyes to the small golden statuette, tilted her head as if an idea had just popped in, but then shook it out. "Do you know why you are here, Private Pushkin?" He shook his head. "Do you know where the other three people assigned to your tent are?" He shook his head. Ms. Pavenlova sighed, then motioned towards a figure standing at the entrance. He was truly a child, definitely tall and strong enough to hold a rifle, but if he wiped the dirt from his face and gained a few more pounds, he would not look out of place in university. He stood by Anatoli`s side, himself struggling to look straight ahead. Ms. Pavenlova continued. "The man beside you was stationed on the fringes of our camp last night.", she said, showing clear signs of admiration, "Around midnight, I believe..." Anatoli expected the boy to nod in recognition, but he stood still. He noticed that his eyes were a light red, and that he was breathing erratically. "...he found your tent-mates trying to hide in a ditch. When confronted, they broke into a run." She paused. "He shot one of them on the spot for desertion. The other two were caught and were given the same punishment." The boy bit his lower lip and took a series of deep breaths. He tilted his head towards Anatoli, then snapped it back to its original position. "Did they ever tell you of their plans?" Anatoli shook his head. "I want you to say it! You have to say it!" "No, Ms. Pavenlova. We were not on good terms.", replied Anatoli, pondering over every word he had just said for fear of a mistake. Ms. Pavenlova cupped her chin with her hand. With her spare hand she sent the child away, who was keen to follow his order. The guards followed suit. The fire-pit crackled, lighting up the shrine. Slowly, Anatoli`s eyes drifted once more to the gilded statuette, the formless eyes seeming to stare both at and through the mere mortal before it. A light seemed to rise behind those eyes, rising uninhibited until it seemed like it wished to burst forth from its metallic chains and sally into the world. It was then that Ms. Pavenlova holstered her hand. "Why did you join this revolution, Private?", asked Ms. Pavenlova, bathing in tranquility. "I believe Lidor Niroc betrayed us, and this army represents the true spirit of the people." "Tell me, do you believe in the power of... Blee, Anatoli?" Anatoli paused. It had been years since he had heard that name spoken out loud, and the first time in a positive context. Father Nikolai had warned against the growing dangers of heresy, how it would capture unweary souls and send them to the gates of hell and beyond, where God had no influence. Anatoli believed him, continued to believe him, even when the cries of the man in distant Rossiya were twisted and morphed as time went on, Anatoli was a believer. But, then again, this was the same Father Nikolai who preached divine right- that the Tsars were products of God and not an ever-repeating example of vice and ignorance. That was why Anatoli remained silent. And that is why Ms. Pavenlova`s spirits dropped, and he was escorted out of the tent and given the terse warning: "We will be watching.", before he was ordered to attend the next drilling session. "We were farmers, ranchers, and frontiersmen. Now, we are led to believe that we are soldiers; soldiers not only of superior quantity and quality than the government forces, but worthy of the favor of Blee (His name has been used quite liberally since my arrival, and with no shortage of vigor). This arrangement, that of open rebellion, I find myself in has resulted in one resounding epiphany: my life in the Soyuz has been an anomaly. First off, it seems that a large percentage of my comrades are native-born, despite the fact that knowledge of this island was only made clear mere years ago. The information I have managed to muster so far dictates that many of them are direct descendant of enemies of long-dead Tsars, forever banished to the Great Barren Frost. Some took their exile to the extremes and, upon reaching the easternmost portions of the tundra, constructed a few ships, assumedly trying to escape to North America. To their dismay, they landed not on the temperate climes of the western coast, but to one similar to their native land, on the southern portions of this island. Inevitably, the population grew apart, both in search of arable lands, and over minor disputes which bordered on the cusp of conflict. Clans arose, and common blood triumphed common ordeals in matters of importance. Raids wiped out families and the land they owned, forcing people to venture deeper into the continent to escape the violence. These refugees, especially those who populated what is now known as the Cliff Coast, disillusioned by their struggles, turned away their old teachings. All across the crags of the eastern coasts, crosses and incense-sticks were thrown into the sea as they embraced a new god, the prophet of which captured farmstead after farmstead not with muskets but with words. Her words. But everything changed when a starving Republican soldier wandered into the tundra, five years ago. Of course he was executed, their existence was not to be compromised. But this solitary action proved to accomplish more than any war or warlord ever could. If the people wished to retain their lifestyle, they had to band together, lest they end up like the countless peopled across the world, subjugated by the Crown and the Republic. A Russian Union, united under one ruler- at least, until the imperialists had been dealt with. In origins, we share a similar history. My father was never friends with the Tsar, and that meant he was never friends with the Bureau of Information. That in itself wasn`t particularly special, as sentiments between the public and the government ranged from a live and let live doctrine to a few muskets away from rebellion. However, one critical factor directed a substantial amount of ire towards him: he was a Printer- and an influential one, at that. As long as people brought text, he would print it; minimal questions asked. They tried to shut him down, tried to threaten him, but he stood firm. Then I was born, and they threatened him again. Thus, we were not forced into the great wastes but meandered around whatever countries of Europe would take us in. But there was always a risk of capture, one which proved too much for the family`s mettle. Father came back one day with a letter from an unmarked address, with nothing but a set of co-ordinates. Our next voyage was not to a sunny vista, but seemingly to the center of the ocean." Anatoli laid down the quill, allowing for a small ink pool to form just along the edges of the paper. One day he would run out; then he would be in trouble. There was a very real chance that he possessed the largest collection of stationery outside of the possession of Niroc or the LLU. His own library, small enough to be effectively hidden under a cot, filled from page-end to page-end with nothing but accounts about him. He sighed, it was a shame they couldn`t take the printing machine with them. That thing took up half a building, and could only manage a few pages an hour, but if they began printing when they arrived, they could have created a few things worth reading. At the very least, they could have made a dent in the illiteracy rates... He glanced through the small opening between the flapping canvas threshold of the tent. He was fortunate to be next to where the muskets were stacked, each tent stacking them together like caltrops over a fire-pit. It was a shame then that his laid alone, as he still had not been assigned new people to be bunked with. He had real use for the extra space, as he had nothing to carry- nothing physical, at least. He had grown quite good with musketry over the days, however, just as decent as any of the real frontiersmen. They had pushed men to the brink and beyond, and at times they suffered the consequences. Desertion, though never discussed, was at an all time high, as some determined the weight of freedom was heavier than that of corporeal pain. As the lines at morning drill grew shorter and shorter, more and more men were dragged from their cots to the tent at the end of the rows. Anatoli was awoken one night not by musket fire or a visit from the watching men, but by an incessant cacophony rising from the other end of the camp. As he edged to the threshold, dodging three empty beds to the outside, he dared only stick his head out. Rows of lanterns, some fastened to poles and others clamped by freezing hands illuminated the whole display. A distinct rattling accompanied the almost rhythmic clanging, which now enveloped the whole encampment. More heads emerged from the bunks, with a noble few emerging from them entirely to gaze on the spectacle unfolding before them. One man closer to the action let out a single gasp, before ducking back inside and fastening the canvas flaps shut. A lantern-wielding man turned around on the spot, and the other spectators quickly hid amongst their shelters, all but Anatoli. The man, certain that he had heard something in the darkness, massaged his chin with his free hand and furrowed his brow. Unsatisfied, he raised his lantern up and over his head, revealing to Anatoli the whole source of the disturbance. A band of men, stripped of their coats down to a mere tunic were roped and chained together around their ankles, and were unnaturally bent over forwards carrying hammers and all other manner of tools. Each successive swing on the raised platform on which they labored was delivered with less and less vitality, until they could not work any longer. However, it seemed their labor had been at last completed, as a wooden scaffold that stood twice as high as those hunched figures was erected and hammered into place. At the end of the overhanging arch a rope was fastened, and gingerly tied by a fatigued aide. Even in the middle of the night, with the scene lit only by the orange flames of the lanterns, the image stayed with Anatoli, even- and especially- when he shut his eyelids in disbelief. He retreated to the interior of the tent, and collapsed on the closest cot. Though conscious, he dared not move to his own sleeping quarters, and, like most other men that long night, the only rest they received came intermittently. A lone rider came in during morning drill, bearing no crest or badge. The wind had carried the excess residue from firing practice over to the entrance, and his full figure was not made fully clear to the guards until he was almost upon them. He was wise enough to stop far enough away from them to give them breathing space before he hailed them. They spoke, and one of the guards looked at the other over his shoulder, before stepping aside. The rider meandered down the open path, and packed his spurs into his pockets. He wheeled his head around, not necessarily avoiding eye contact but making none anyways. He knew his destination after all, and it would be for the best if he didn`t cause any distractions- one notable exception was when his eyes found the gallows- then, he . It seemed the guards at the tent were better informed than their colleagues; they were quick to step aside and part the canvas even before he dismounted, and were equally eager to let the flaps swallow him whole once he had entered. Anatoli was soon approached by two guards. This time, they did not feel the need to restrain him. It seemed like the meeting between the rider and Ms. Pavenlova went over quite well, as the former had clearly forgotten the standard posture and procedure, but suffered none of the expected consequences. Indeed, the eyes of two figures resting upon him had no more impact than any others. Still, he was courteous enough to postpone his report long enough for all of Anatoli`s escort to deliver their package and abscond. Whether he wished to show an example to the common soldier deposited before him or not, he reluctantly shuffled into an attentive stance, and planted his eyes firmly against the opposing wall. Ms. Pavenlova seamlessly shifted her attention towards Anatoli, and yielded yet another silent command towards an aide. The aide returned carrying a few sheets of paper. It was here that the rider asked to leave, but was refused. Three backless chairs were placed behind each occupant, and they were beckoned to sit. She curtly looked over the papers, before extending them outwards , in Anatoli`s direction. "I ask you again... do you believe in the power of Blee?" Anatoli scanned over the papers, eyes fluttering over every single letter. Questions arose and memories were scrutinized for even a hint of information. "How..." "We were watching. And fortunately for you, Anatoli..." She leaned forwards in the seat, bridging the divide. Her face at last unobscured and unaltered by smoke and flames. Every series of freckles seemed to form an archipelago in a foamy sea, navigable only by two bright stars to their north. As Helen once launched a thousand ships, we would fight equally hard for but one moment similar to this; as the sea was parted momentarily to reveal a soft grin. "... we are impressed. It is rare to find a literate in this part of the world, much less a scholar. I believe we have a proposition for you." Ms. Pavenlova stood, and made her way to the opposite side of the tent, where there was a dark brown desk. As she sorted through its contents, Anatoli allowed himself to think over the events which just occurred. The leader of the rebellion, the only refuge of free russians- and it could be argued, free people- in the world (not to mention, champion of Him and His will), had taken the time to speak to him. He replayed every precious word she spoke, and weighed it against the pitiful display of ignorance that he had met it with. With such ignorance, perhaps this was yet another proof of her semi-divinity, that she would even tolerate the presence of- "She`s human too, you know." Anatoli sprung up in his seat, plucked out of his mind and deposited once more inside the tent. With another curt motion, he turned to his right, where the rider sat, his hand lifted to one side of his mouth to shield his words from any other ears. "Besides, you`re in her good books now. It`s safe to relax your posture." Anatoli did no such thing. This rake- one as thin as its former and villainous as its latter definition- may be on good terms with incivility and vice, but the other two thirds of the room was immune to those sort of things. But no, perhaps Anatoli was being too harsh; he decided to mull over the rider`s words in case he had misconstrued them. Come to think of it, Ms. Pavenlova habitually paused whenever she pronounced multi-syllable words: pro-po-sition, fortun-atly, liter-ate. Such a dialect was common around the Cliff-Coast region, which was ridiculed even amongst the other provinces for being "one more step away from Russian". Even she, likely after years of training, could not hide the occasional overbearing accent, which made all other words in a sentence seem neglected in comparison. Although, if this was the closest trait to a fault, she was still more than worthy of commanding respect. "Sorry, where are my manners? My name is-" "Sergei!", exclaimed Ms. Pavenlova, already halfway done with jour journey back to the seats and encumbered with a stack of papers, "Fill these out at your discretion." "At once, Ms. Pavenlova!", said Sergei, jumping out of his seat and heading for the exit, "You shall receive my report momentarily." She seemed satisfied with the newfound privacy. So much so that she adjusted the canvas entrance so that it was slightly ajar, revealing that the mysterious Sergei had all but vanished. She muttered under her breath, turning on an axis to face the unblinking eyes of the statuette once again. "I am making you an advisor. You may have to work with him in the future." The words "Yes, Ms. Pavenlova" escaped from Anatoli`s lips. They had no time to ferment the air before she pivoted once again and directed herself towards him. "Now, now, I`ve have enough of that! I can`t have an absent-minded loyalist in my staff, least of all at this critical juncture! What we need is innovativeness: something that goes against the grain. Something the governmental forces won`t expect- they`ve got plenty loyalists in their camp! I want you to speak, Anatoli, say something to prove to me that you have a working brain in a working head!" Anatoli had no time to ponder what he had said wrong. Even less time to think of the potential consequences of what he was going to say next. "What of the gallows?" Ms. Pavenlova stopped dead in her tracks. Perhaps she never noticed that, through the small opening in the doorway, one could see the entire lane that ran throguh the center of the camp, ending abruptly at the infernal scaffold. Only a single noose, swinging from side-to-side, as if it wished to imitate the great brass pendulum of a grandfather clock. She clutched her chest, then worked her hand up to the neck. She produced a idol-bound necklace from under her outerwear and held it to her lips. The space around her was soon consumed by hushed sentences, as if the world itself had ceased its machinations to allow a moment for a prayer. She deposited a single kiss on the idol and, even afterwards, held it close to her heart. She tucked the necklace away after much deliberation, and opened her eyes once more. "Freedom is not something which can be abandoned. That is neither right, nor righteous. But the enemies of man and of Him lead men away from what is right; it makes them break oaths made not only to their countrymen but to themselves. I have seen it, and so have you. There are no greater men on Earth than the ones behind you, who would abandon all safety and embrace all consequences of this rebellion- no matter the outcome. It is even braver when the odds stacked against our people as high as they are now. But this bravado can also be their undoing- our undoing. They can`t stand any more time in camp. They grow restless, and that makes them make mistakes, only this time, their mistakes hurt all of the Rebellion. Thus, it is an insult to all of the Soyuz, and to Blee Himself. The gallows, though a hideous contraption, are a reminder for everyone that liberating the Soyuz is the most noble task that anyone can undertake, and the labors- not all of them physical- required to do so are minor in comparison." The gallows remained. Anatoli became a follower of Blee that night. Sergei, like all other people heading towards the tent, was flanked by a guard. What separated this from any other case however, was that the former had been wise enough to task the latter with carrying his reports. The stack was seen well before the poor man. It soon became clear that Sergei`s residence should be moved much closer to Ms. Pavenlova`s, to prevent any other morale-sapping incidents such as that. By the time they did make it to the tent, with only one of them capable of genuflecting to an acceptable degree, the early praying service was over and the specks of burnt incense had all been blown away. Sergei wiped his brow with a hitherto concealed handkerchief, and marked the area of the paper delivery with a half-extended arm movement. No one knew quite why they sat in silence as the poor man heaved the last few steps to the desk, and the papers were deposited on the desk with a satisfying thump (echoed by the evacuation of a full liter of air from the guard`s lungs). When he turned and saw three of the most important members of the revolution staring back at him with varying degrees of pity and schadenfreude, all he could respond with was a bow, a rush to the exit, and another bow. It was a shame then that he evacuated so quickly, as his back was already turned before Sergei gave a satisfactory nod. "Ms. Pavenlova", said Sergei, his head still turned away, "I do have an abridged version of my report." He reached into his coat and produced a single fresh page. He began to extend his arm out towards the idling leader, but then halted and retracted, like a fisherman casting out a reel. Anatoli focused his attention once more on Ms. Pavenlova, noticing that her full attention was directed towards the page and that she herself had recoiled from it. Each pupil expanded, to the point where they nearly overshadowed the retinas. She went through that entire phase for no longer than a half-second, and it soon seemed that no force on earth could ever compel her to repeat it ever again. Her focus was now directed fully onto Sergei, who tilted his head towards the ground and inadvertently whispered a singular word: `Sorry`. "It says- or rather, it says in summary- that", he cleared his throat and tried to prepare himself for a great endeavor, "that the governmental army have finished their process of mobilization, and our sympathizers in Province R8 have seen then moving eastward along the river sud`ba." Ms. Pavenlova rested a hand on her chin, then dismissed whatever ideas were in her head. "That river is too treacherous for a full army to navigate across. They will be caught in the marshes long before they reach our position." "It seems that`s what has happened, though on a smaller scale than we have hoped for. They`ve split their army into two sections to cross the marshland faster." "Two sections? Crossing a marshland? Why would they take such risks; for all they know, we could be waiting in ambush?" Sergei shrugged. The few men in his employ were experienced; if the enemy army split in two, they split in two. But it seemed like Sergei and Ms. Pavenlova were missing the bigger idea. While they were focused on the validity of the reports, Anatoli was pondering the rationale of the commanders. The governmental command was by no means the most experienced on the continent. Anatoli was perplexed on how they were able to consolidate their hold on their army. Furthermore, the majority of their estates were in the western portions of the Soyuz, and the rebellion had not yet made forays into those regions. From the viewpoint of a rancher-general, there was no reason to leave their estates vulnerable to attack, and even less to make a maneuver as risky as a swampland crossing. After all, the naturally autonomous nature of the Soyuz made every region self sufficient, and the majority regions ignored the requests Lidor Niroc`s taxmen since he took office. There was no reason at all for the government to lead such an expensive campaign, when their resources could be used much better quelling the increasing number of revolts arising from the new Republican-esque centralization procedures. It was then that Anatoli, hand firmly pressed against one temple let his eyes wander across the canvas walls of Ms. Pavenlova`s tent. Each thread stitched to each other which could only be noticed by a scrutinizer such as himself. The thought that, even in the wild reaches of His earth, one could live and sustain such luxury was a testament to one`s power. Ms. Pavenlova lead armies- no, an entire revolution- all for a cause much bigger than them. But it was this single display of decadence which proved to be the most enviable accomplishment, triumph over the most filth-ridden qualities of nature. Even a tent was a victory. It was then Anatoli had an idea. It was then Anatoli proved his worth. "How many tents did your men report see in the camp?" The back-and-forth between Sergei and Ms. Pavenlova halted, as if they had seen a mirage of Niroc appear before them. Sergei, the last to regain his composure, scanned the sheet with oscillating eyes. At last, a moment of victory; he found the relative passage and was spared the ordeal of searching through the ominous stack of papers on the desk. "Their best estimate was approximately two hundred- thats about as many as we have here. Although we don`t know how many men they pack into their camps so-" "This isn`t about their numbers. How many big tents- anything they think a general would reside in- did they have?" Again, Sergei was caught off guard. Amidst the interrogation (and quite a long time before that), he had forgotten about the third man in the room. That was a mistake he vowed not to make again. "They noted around... four tents of similar size as this one. I can assure you that they won`t cram multiple people in those, huh!?" No one laughed. "Precisely, Sergei, and I believe that is the solution to our conundrum!" "I don`t follow." Anatoli could barely stay in his seat. His left leg battered the ground beneath it, creating a distinctive, repeating, patting sound. He remembered just in time to swallow a half mouth full of saliva before speaking. He turned away from the perplexed rake to Ms. Pavenlova. "How many generals do the government assign to their armies, Ms. Pavenlova?" "I assume you know the answer. For an army that size, it`s general practice to appoint one general to lead and another to provide a second opinion on tactics." "Right, that would account for two of the big tents. Like Sergei said, I doubt they would share." Now Anatoli could see their eyes were narrowing. Whether it was from thought or confusion no longer mattered to him. "Furthermore, we can deduce that the extra tents are not being occupied by officers, as there are not enough tents to accommodate all of them, and again, I doubt men of such high standing would be willing to share." "Anatoli, where are-" "-There can only be one conclusion which satisfies the questions of the two extra tents and the unprecedented tactics employed by the governmental army..." The room seemed to be on the precipice of a full riot. Even the raging flamed seemed to point ominously towards Anatoli, directing smoke in his direction. The eyes of Blee watched in curiosity, wondering what impulses had led the man to think himself so highly. "...It isn`t the governmental army. Or rather, the governmental army isn`t in control." This proved to be too much for Sergei, "Not in control!?! Don`t tell me that anarchists have seized control of the army!" "Not anarchists, no. The French." The French. No fouler words had ever been uttered in a place so close to God. The men of the rebellion could throw thousands of rehearsed insults at the government at will or on command but, in truth, very few could be blamed entirely on them alone. Ever since Lidor Niroc sat face to face with Governor-General The Tax Collector, the nation was no longer under his control. True power rested in the clenched fists of the various magistrates sent over the border to "reorganize" the various farmstead kingdoms and their inhabitants to fit with the Republican model. And it had worked; the nascent hamlets scattered across the Soyuz were showing inklings of profitability. The problems were that the various families of the Soyuz had been at each others throats since colonization, and their newfound proximity to their ancestral rivals made conflict a certainty. The situation was made worse by the appointed mayors of the settlements: they were either French (and thus, godless foreigners) or sympathetic Russians (inexperienced traitors, who brought grudges of their own into the mix). But whenever there was trouble, a column of Republican infantry parked in the town square quickly silenced it. Word travelled faster than the magistrates, however, and by the time they crossed the sud`ba marshes, all of the East had been rallied under a single banner. Their failure to impose their perverted interpretation of freedom onto the East angered The Tax Collector beyond all insults. After all, an embarrassment on the Velikaya Russkaya Respublika was an embarrassment on all territories under the authority of The Grande République. The sooner removed, the better. "If they crossed the marshes as one large group, they would be much slower- especially their artillery. For those magistrates, every hour they spent away from their posts is a crime against- and in the eyes of- their Emperor. My guess is that the army was split on his orders." Ms. Pavenlova stood. Sergei and Anatoli watched as she strode past the desk and its papers and behind the column of smoke. When she emerged, the majestic curved head of a silver bardiche peaked over her right shoulder. With a single glance, she sent them off to our tents, acknowledging their bows with a simple nod. The canvas closed behind us as soon as they left. The boatman Charon ferried them back to the land of the living. It was no surprise that the men were eager to get into line. It was the pack-mules which took the longest; the poor creatures never acquainted themselves with military life. They would likely prefer towing a plow across an endless field over bags of ammunition, rations, and yes, tents. But when they were muzzled and led, they complained no more than anyone else. One of the perks of being an aide to Ms. Pavenlova was the most prized animal of all: the horse. While the rebellion had a cavalry force which could, theoretically, hold its ground, the most brawny equines were allocated to the command. This whole system was technically under Anatoli`s control, one of the many jobs lopped under the admittedly ambiguous term of "advisor". Fortunately for him, the cavalry was more than happy to donate their finest steeds to their liberators. (Which were originally donated to them by farmsteads all over the East). Otherwise, Anatoli would be in no position to bargain with them. There were no drums or trumpets to sound them off. When Ms. Pavenlova moved, they followed. If one stood upon the platform of the gallows, and gazed upon the men below them, it would seem like no force could stop them. Even as the column faded into the tree-line, the observer would still feel the presence of those men with him on that scaffold, and would most likely shudder. It did not take long for the land to turn to mush. No matter how much the column complained, all knew that the governmental forces had it worse. That was a key factor in the plan; attack them while they were still shaking the mud from their boots. Sergei barely had time to draw up the plans, using the broad head of his steed as a platform to place running ink on a confiscated map of the region, all the while cursing his agents for being so tardy in their report-making. The first, which was ultimately last, draft chose a field interspersed with grassy knolls to be the point of interception. The whole endeavor seemed to be no more complicated than anything else, and that allowed Anatoli`s mind to wander. He grazed his spurs on the scar-ridded flanks of his horse, reaching Ms. Pavenlova at the front, looking no less steadfast than at any other time. Was their stoicism the result of so many weeks of struggle, or was it a struggle of its own? She heard his horse approaching, and turned her head to one side. Anatoli`s horse reared up, but was subdued by another spurring. At last, when the two steeds were parallel, Anatoli spoke. "It should be just beyond the horizon now, yes?" She let out an affirmative mutter. "Good." Anatoli checked the hairs on the back of his horse`s head. Still the same as the last time. "You know, there`s an old story that I`m reminded of now..." He just noticed that his heart was in sync with the trotting horses, and the men behind them. "...A myth really- bu-but it`s inspired by reality. It`s about a woman... she was called Joan of Arc. Have you heard of Joan of Arc?" "No." "Well it`s a French tale, and-" She sprung up, and furrowed her brow. "Where did you hear that?", she exclaimed, wielding a typed of hushed rage mastered only by angered mothers and teachers. "No! It`s... it`s an old myth; an old myth! Nothing more, nothing more!" She focused her attention back on the path in front of her. "Well, I`ll ask you not to tell any more of those French tales to me or my men, now. Remember that." "Yes, Ms. Pavenlova." And he did. On arrival, the men were ordered to crouch in the tall grass while Sergei was sent out alone with a spyglass. Sure enough, as he was more than happy to report, the governmental flag was seen swaying behind a few rows of trees- with a rather miserable looking bearer lifting it just above the mire. Though dirtied and mauled by moths, he held on to it with no less passion than a dearly departed lover. He brandished an expression seen on the faces of crusaders and partisans the world over; the face of a man who has no space left for uncertainty in his heart. You cannot negotiate with a man like that. Though he shuddered at the fact he hoped that none of them would survive the upcoming battle, so no more would have to be fought, and the Soyuz could once more be reunified. How twisted had the world become, when such thoughts could flow freely through one`s mind? When nausea was the last sign of sanity? But there was no time to think of sanity. The first few columns were at the banks of ground, congregating around the flag bearer. Anatoli rushed to where Sergei and Ms. Pavenlova stood and found, to his dismay, that both were carrying muskets. Sergei even boasted about having a few pistols lodged in his coat, though he would never reveal how many. He was willing, however, to order a nearby ranker to requisition his musket and hand over a mere pistol in exchange. It had been a few weeks since Anatoli had held one of them, but a few stern looks brought back similar memories from countless hours of drill. If there ever was a time to be ready, it was now. "At that moment I was no longer an advisor, or a literate; no one in the enemy ranks knew, and fewer cared. They just wanted to break through to the East, just like their ancestors did so many years ago. To them, all that stood in their way was a meager hill- no less unassuming than the rest. The whimpering winds halted; at least, I no longer remembered them. All eyes were transfixed on the golden scythes, the symbol of the enemies of free man and the true God, bobbing and rising ever closer to the top of the hill. No order was given, but none were needed. As the first rank of the governmental troops exposed their torsos over the crest, the line opened fire in a most incredible display of firepower. At first, only a few distant muskets were discharged, assumedly belonging to the more zealous members of the rebellion. When the others noticed that the courageous few were not reprimanded, they created an indescribable chorus- one which I took part in. Dozens upon dozens of cracking sounds on either side of me; I believe it took a full five seconds for all of them to fire. The enemy seemed as stunned as we were. I remember there was a mutual silence before the inevitable: they sank to their knees and, eventually, the ground. The smoke drifted gently over their bodies, lingering over the flag bearer, who still clutched onto the flag with lifeless arms, before collapsing and taking it down with him. The order was given to reload, and shaking hands struggled to fit the ramrod inside of the barrel. A frail man to my left let out a quiet curse as he missed it once again, and dropped the rod into the grass. I leaned over to search for it, when I heard the most frightful sound in my right ear. Not a moment later, men clutched at their stomachs and necks, before falling to the ground and writhing in pain. I shielded my face with the palm of my hand, only to find it spattered with drops of thick red blood. though I could feel no pain. It was the frail man-only moments ago shaking in fear- he was now convulsing on the ground, his wound hidden under the creases of his coat. Some of the horses, stationed behind our position at the foot of the knoll, were startled by the sudden outbreak of gunfire. They reared up, and started kicking the air, almost throwing their riders off. The cavalry officer, which was more of a self-appointed position than anything else, considered the element of surprise to be lost due to the excess noise, and decided to spring his trap early. Using the enemy`s smoke to his advantage, he rode over the crest of the hill. The governmental soldiers had only a few seconds to attach their bayonets, which many never did. Forced to use them as knives, they stood no chance against the assortment of lances, sabers, and pistols in use by the bloodthirsty horsemen. All was not lost for them, however, as a group of mounted scouts had noticed the ambush and saddled up once again. The terrain however, proved to be against them, as any momentum gained from their charge was blunted when they went up the hill. Even worse, they reached the top just as the line finished reloading, and was presenting at the survivors from the first volley. I do believe I struck one of those scouts in the lower-mid quadrant of his breastplate, making him drop his short sword and slouch over the mane of his steed before falling off. The other scouts faired poorly as well, as a detachment of lancers happened to strike a few stragglers as they attempted to ride up the hill. The scouts routed, and trampled over a number of the infantry in the progress. If there ever was a chance of a governmental victory, it ended at that moment. I can only imagine the terror of those men, surrounded by cavalry behind and at the sides, and infantry at the front. You cannot think in times like that, only react. And as his men fell all around him with all manner of wounds, cradling limbs and fallen brethren, he made one last decision. Some of the men in our lines were veterans from R4. When they heard the piercing cry of the whistle, they could no longer focus on reloading. They were no longer tethered to our reality. I saw it in their twitching eyes, they could notice nothing in front of them. Not the officer, clad in a hole-ridden overcoat carrying a broadsword over his head. Not the handful of men who accompanied him rising over the top of the crest, many without bayonets or knives. It was but a small patch of open ground, mostly untouched by the mass of corpses and the wounded. Just a few paces past the halfway point, the line fired once more. The officer`s companions all few to the ground, but I doubt he ever noticed. He was limping now, but even if his wound proved fatal, he would not retire to a slow death. He let out a hoarse shout, and raised the sword even higher above his head. A ranker in front of him desperately fumbled for his knife, but found nothing. Sergei stood up and, in one motion, unholstered his pistol and cocked it. A single shot to the chest was all that was needed to bring the man down, who crumpled onto his side. Blackpowder stains covered the front of his coat, masking any blood- if there was any. Then, nothing. All we were left with was the sounds of the volley echoing through the valleys, until even that faded away. I felt an acidic pain rising in my chest, scorching my insides unlike any fire ever set alight. Through the stomach right to the base of the throat, growing with increasing ferocity, like a tiger clawing at its cage. I closed my eyes, then clenched them shut, until no light shone past my eyelids. I felt it... subsiding, yes, finally subsiding. When I swallowed, it was gone. My eyes opened to see shadows circling around the field, dancing up and over the deceased, like it was a mere schoolyard for them- like it belonged to them. It belongs to no-one! Government or Rebellion, true God or false God, chains or gallows, let all men hope to learn this inherent fact: the dead belong to the dead! Let the living choose their creed, but let the dead have their freedom! It was then the shadows descended upon them, and we were ordered to leave. I was not sick that day, and have not been sick since. I was damn close to it, and I was still not a hundred yards from the new camp and the battlefield. It is not guilt I feel, of that I am certain; I had done what was expected of me, what some would call righteous. If I ever decided to return to camp I would not be beaten or hanged, quite the opposite, I would be sat down once again with Ms. Pavenlova and Sergei and we would strategize and the whole display would continue once more until... until something. The war would end, like all do, and the land would recover. The people would remain, whether in presence or in memory. I was dragged out of my mind once more by the feeling that I was no longer alone. There was only one person in all the Soyuz that could have scaled a knoll without making so much of a sound. In fact, the only noise that he did make was unintentional: the grass rustled as he sat down besides me. He was breathing deeper than I expected from him, not in a sickly way like an old dog with riddled lungs, but like he had entered a sauna after a long day`s work. I suppose for him, this is a long day`s work. "You`ve picked quite the spot. We should have set up here." He was not disappointed by my lack of a response; he himself was already scanning the horizon. "Yep...", he said, focused in the distance, "...It`s nice spot indeed. No better in all the Soyuz." "Do you believe in Blee, Sergei?" I could hear him shift in the grass. What I didn`t hear was an answer, and I wouldn`t for some time. In truth, I wasn`t looking for one in particular. But, he had to respond in time, whether it be now or at the end of another battle. "I believe in a lot of things, Anatoli. Blee can be one of them. He has certainly shown His favor towards Tanya. She`s the most powerful woman on the island, and it`s not a stretch she thinks that it`s because of Him. Not so bad for a Cliff-Coast illiterate. I suppose her piety had rubbed off on me a bit- it certainly has on the rankers. Saying this, however... it`s all based off of faith. Any army can win an ambush, no matter their God. If we win a few more battle here and there, well, I`ll be the first at the altar praying for forgiveness. If we win this war, I might just become a monk!" I hadn`t looked at him properly since the moment he joined me on that hill. There was a slight glow to him, as if his coats were not there due to the weather, but to obscure him from us, so we may not go blind. It was a shame that a man so familiar with shadows would be so bright, and even more so that he would direct it upon solely myself and Ms. Pavenlova- it almost seemed like a waste. "But enough of theology. I don`t think we even properly met, did we? You never told me why you joined this operation." I turned towards him and smiled, "You never told me your name." "Sergei." Of course. "Well, it`s the same as everyone else, really. I wasn`t fond of the government, and less fond of the revolutionaries taking things over." Sergei sighed, "Yeah, I`ve heard that one before. Let me guess... are you a veteran?" "No." "No!?!" "No. Just my father." "I see." He shuffled closer to me, and laid a calloused hand on my back. "I was at R4, too. The fact that we met them at Province R4 at all was, I believe, the last good thing the government ever did for us. When they crossed, we were there- and waiting for them. The paths were absolutely clogged full of marching men, and it didn`t help that all the women of the Soyuz were at the sidelines wishing their beloveds goodbye. Waving handkerchiefs and everything. And every time they passed a village, all the men and boys would run out of their houses and to their sheds and grab their guns and swords and the like, then melt into the column, still wearing their civilian clothes. Yes, they were freezing, but this was worth it. I knew it had to be worth it." Anatoli turned towards him now. This could put him at ease. If nothing else, this could provide insight on whatever happened over there. "Hell, if we drove them across the tundra line that day... we would`ve driven then back to their Citadel and beyond- and there would be no stopping us. Niroc would have led us, and he would never have even dreamt of selling us out to the ravenous ministers. Defeat on a battlefield is one thing, but to have the people assigned to protect you turn on you in such a way... it`s a damn shame." "Was it any different? From this battle, I mean." Sergei laughed through a closed mouth, "Different? Well, we won this one, didn`t we?" "That`s not what I meant." "Well... yes. Yes, open combat is different from an ambush. When the enemy knows you`re coming, they become less restless. They make less mistakes; that goes for both the officers and the men. Which reminds me..." Sergei pulled a pistol out of his coat, causing Anatoli to recoil. He stretched out an open palm, and calmed the poor man down. Out came a powder vial and a spherical bullet; both were inserted inside the chamber and hammered in with a ramrod. "You keep a loaded pistol inside your coat?" "A few actually- that`s a necessary precaution in this line of work. It certainly didn`t do me any harm back there. But you asked for a story about R4, not about my weapons." Anatoli was not sure if he wanted to be around someone with multiple loaded pistols on his body, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Alright, go on." "We formed up on this snowy hill about an hour before they arrived. We`d been running the last few miles, but of course that couldn`t stop us. I remember, quite fondly, that the moment we saw them form up we fired out a volley- which most certainly did nothing to them. The officer was very keen on getting the fist shot off in the war." Anatoli wondered he same could be said about the revolution. "But when they got into range, that`s when they showed us how to fight a battle. We`d been mocking the Crown Colonies the night before for their performance, but no more. They shot faster, shot better, and most importantly, they shot back. They routed us almost to the edge of the province before we rallied again. But we were still a cohesive unit, one which could still hold off the enemy if we were in a proper defensive position." Sergei looked at the ground below him. He grabbed a fistful of grass in his palm, them pressed it back into the ground. "What we shouldn`t have done is attacked. Anything but attack. When we found them, they were there- and they were waiting." Sergei pulled the collar of his coat down with his spare hand. A single red line was revealed just below the neck and ventured down his chest. "That`s only the half of it. I was on that field for two days, waiting for them to move out so I could make my escape. I saw them bury men all around me, and they would have found me out if they weren`t so lazy. I found a break and I ran and hid... by the time I found out about this rebellion, running and hiding had become my speciality. That`s all." "I.. thank you Sergei." Sergei nodded, and covered his wound. "Oh, and we will be marching out in a few moments. A survivor made it back to the army, and they`re none too happy." Anatoli sprung to his feet, "Alright, well where are we marching?" "Here." "Here?" "No better spot in all the Soyuz." And with that he stood up and marched down the hill, silent as ever. The army seemed less motivated to climb this hill than the one they had climbed before. This was due to one key fact: artillery. Two cannons had been captured in the earlier battle. Just as well, a handful of troops had worked in the bronze-making industry, which had- in the immediate months before the war- started construction of cannons (all of which were now being used against them by the government forces). Although not trained in the art of firing the cannons, they knew how to safely operate them, including the appropriate amounts of gunpowder to be used for each cannonball. Besides, there was a very real chance that the artillery crew from the governmental army were among the dead, so they were more than happy to gain some actual practice for a later date. The site of battle was once the domain of a particularly rich farmer-baron, who most likely fled the continent the moment trouble was afoot with no small amount of riches to tide him over until no one was there to threaten his business. Perhaps he shouldn`t have fled though; a mere pledge of loyalty would have been all that was needed to secure a role in the new Franco-Russian elite. While he was still in the Soyuz, however, he constructed two parapets- assumedly the remains of hunting lodges- on the two hills which shielded his estate from the inevitable floods of the river sud`ba. A few axe swings leveled the whole shack, which happened to provide overwatch over the entire valley. Though a few men wished to bombard the manor, but it was spared by order of Ms. Pavenlova herself. `A waste of ammunition` was the given explanation. The enemy found itself positioned on the opposing hill, and immediately disproved the prevailing theory about their artillery by setting up two cannons of their own. Ms. Pavenlova stepped in front of the men, blocking the cannons from view, and took out her bardiche. The wind stopped, the animals hid, and the world ceased its daily motions to concentrate on this singular moment. "Know this men; on this most important hour, we will have no advantage in surprise or numbers. Blee has given us this opportunity to compare ourselves and our souls to those of the heretics. I cannot guarantee He will show mercy. I can only guarantee that our enemy will not. But if we retain confidence in Him, no matter the trials before us, there will be no force in the world which can stop us. Not hunger, not fatigue... and certainly not man! This battle is but a prelude for the destiny of all that serve Blee, and it relies solely on the ground on which we tread! So tread upon them! The Soyuz will be a testament to His will, the Island will be a testament to His power, the world will be a testament to His divinity!" The line burst out in a sign of revelation louder than any scene of battle. Anatoli soon found himself cheering along to. This path, no matter the turmoil, was be the only one that could suit a man so dedicated to freedom like him. This revolution would surely- The cannons fired their payload across the valley. In the other hill, men dived for whatever cover they could fund- though little was offered. Sergei spotted the enemy officers giving out orders, and was able to direct the line behind the lodge just as the ground behind them erupted in two large craters. A great cheer rang out from the rebel lines, one which many believed could stop the next volley altogether. It was, however, soon silenced by the next barrage, which missed its target and kicked up a big pile of mud. When the mud settled, four columns of governmental troops had begun of march towards the manor. Without hesitation, Sergei rallied as many men to him and raced to intercept them. Anatoli was on his way to join him, but was ordered to lead the garrison with Ms. Pavenlova. The last time he saw Sergei, before the distance became too far to discern detail, he was doing what he did best: running. He struggled to get a good sight of the events occurring at the manor. There was too much smoke, and too far away. What became clear, however, was that the rebellion was at a disadvantage. The governmental troops occupied the manor moments before, and used their position to fire down on the troops. Their artillery focused fire on the thin bridge which had to be crossed in order for the manor to be contested. The fighting proved to be the first major source of casualties for the rebellion, as the courtyard proved to be too small to create a formation, and all entrances were heavily guarded. With no where to go, the troops hid against the mighty brick walls of the manor, where the governmental troops struggled to hit them. A great trumpet call rang through the valley. It did not belong to Ms. Pavenlova`s men. In a matter of moments, the troops in the manner sallied from their fortifications, bayonets out. A great melee ensued, as the front lines went back and forth. Men got a few stabs in, before being horribly overwhelmed and hacked to pieced by bayonets and swords. The rebels, no matter their skill at arms, were at a distinct disadvantage. However, this was not the immediate concern for Anatoli. While the manor was under siege, the rest of the governmental army was advancing towards the main rebel positions. Using the forest as cover, they remained out of sight of both the men and artillery for long enough to gain the element of surprise. They did make one grave mistake, however, in that they revealed their trap too early, and had to make an assault over lightly forested ground in order to make it to the main positions. This time, the men had ample space to form a line, and let loose a devastating volley. Rank after rank of government troops fell before an all out assault was ordered. The rest of the battle was no more than a blur. Ms. Pavenlova rushed out to the front, bardiche in hand, ready to meet them head-on. But, the enemy would not oblige her, and instead formed up to fire at the last possible moment. They all knew where to train their guns. She fell like any other. But she was not simply "any other". She was the champion of Blee. The champion of the Soyuz. The champion of the men, who dared not disrespect her, even in death. They broke formation, not in a retreat, but towards the enemy. Her body was left undisturbed, even as men fought and died around her. But this is what they wanted, and soon a herd of cavalry wheeled around the center mass and behind the men. Anatoli, unable to do anything more than watch as the cavalry slew the surviving zealots, wondered what kind of man he was, that would fell almost... calm, in a situation like this. Yes, the traitors still lived- and would continue to- but his death was not simply irrelevant. If he had served Him, than it was an honor. If he had served the people, which he was in full confidence that he had, then that was a prize worthy of death. If there was a time for the people to suffer oppression, it was now. But they would remember when a few hundred rebels thought that freedom was worth more than damnation. They would hear of us, learn from us, and one day when the governmental troops let their guard down and the people see their chance... Thus ends the story of Ms. Pavenlova`s Rebellion against the Grand Russian Republic. The battle of sud`ba, though over in hours, proved to be a defining moment throughout the lands of the former Soyuz. Of all puppet nations in the iron grasp of the Grand Republic of France, the Russian Republic has consistently proven to be the most difficult to subjugate. The wild nature of their people- combined with the sheer inhabitability of their lands and shoddy infrastructure- has and continues to be the death of many French commanders, which warrants a nod of approval from this curator. Still, one wonders what would happen if the rebels had overthrown the weak government while they still had the chance. The French still had a sizable presence in the area due to the rapid nature of the capitulation, which would prove to be a major burden on the new theocracy. One that may have been proved to be insurmountable. If nothing else, the Russians would have at least brought more time for the Crown Colonies to continue its valiant fight against the French menace. Perhaps an extra flotilla of transport ships could have landed, which would have turned the tide of the war and driven the enemy back to their land and beyond. But no, one must make sure not to ask too much of the Russians. They are a wild people, after all.