The Hemicycle was an outdoor debate chamber located in a regional park in Gloucestershire, Narciss. It had specifically been constructed to seat the Archregional Assembly of UEGNA. The AA as it was more commonly known, met every ten years to hear an announcement from the ruler in addition to allowing the members to ask questions or raise concerns directly to the sovereign.
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The Hemicycle was fan-shaped, with three hundred seats arranged in six rows of fifty. Of the three hundred seats, thirty-eight were empty.
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The other two hundred and sixty-two were filled with an excited gathering of commoners, nobles, officers, bureaucrats, administrators, governors and advisors. The bulk of the seats were filled by the one hundred and fifty-nine Rectors and Rectesses - a merit-awarded noble title that could not be inherited and was therefore seen as less prestigious than the title of Baron / Baroness - whose appointment to the assembly had been controversial, to say the least.
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It had been proposed before Urlic had become sovereign, that UEGNA and CVAPU form an Empyrean Assembly to more effectively resolve disagreements between Upper and Lower Empyrea. The idea had been rejected due to conflicting political systems in the eight regions and a deeply rooted reluctance in UEGNA to cooperate with CVAPU.
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Archcount-Khagan Urlic the Fourth and First stood at a podium, sweat running down his handsome face in rivers. The representatives in the first row could practically smell his fear.
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"A nest of vipers..." Thought Urlic glumly, not looking forward to announcing the war starting in thirteen days to them all.
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The Speaker of the Archregional Assembly - the 262nd member - stood up holding his heavy stick. No one knew his name, hence why he had been chosen for the post.
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"I hereby call this second Decennial meeting of the most illustrious Archregional Assembly of U.E.G.N.A," He began, pausing for dramatic effect before banging the stick down and booming, "To order!"
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"Firstly, as tradition dictates, the floor is open to questions for the sovereign." He muttered
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An older man with a steel grey handlebar moustache stood up from his seat in the 2nd row.
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"The Assembly recognises Margrave Anuax Hessen, Chairman of the BCU!" The Speaker shouted.
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Urlic groaned to himself when he saw that Aunax Hessen had sat beside Lady Marjorie Rostov, Head of the House of Rostov. No doubt the two had been plotting to kill two birds with one stone by trying to get Gräfin Xauna and Rector Tiberius together.
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The older man opened his mouth to speak, "We at the Biotechnological Commission of Umbracrest have had more than enough of outcry about our research from the Ceruleans - especially his all whining holiness, Archbishop Vance of Ecclesia. I humbly ask His Grace for his full endorsement to bring out the big guns - namely Eastern Haemorrhagic Fever, Asher viruses, and the Æther Sickness - for bioweapons in case the realm needs us. " He began in his reedy tenor.
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Urlic`s heart sank like a stone made of solid gold in the sea. Biological superweapons had brought about the collapse of the West during the Umbracresti Civil War. Yet he could not refuse the BCU, they were simply too powerful.
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"To demonstrate the fruits of this research, I have brought a test subject from a recent trial with a weaponised mutation bringing about the disease known as Progressive Ossifying Fibrodysplasia or POF. This, for those who do not know, was the disease that afflicted Countess Nyctra of Narciss until her death. The BCU presents to His Grace, Archcount-Khagan Urlic, the stoneman!" He barked, snapping his fingers to summon four strong, tanned men hauling a heavy-looking box.
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The box was removed, and the contents revealed: a man covered in bony outgrowths, locked stiffly in his lap. The fact his features were twisted in an expression of agony told Urlic he had died in great pain.
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"One word from the Grand Army and the BCU will hit anywhere." He said with a bow, retaking his seat calmly.
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The sovereign shivered. It may have not been cold outside that day, but the Chairman`s words were.
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A woman stood up, she was middle-aged with brown hair tied back neatly.
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"Not government nor nobility; must be in business." Mentally concluded Urlic without much thought.
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The Speaker of the Archregional Assembly paused before realising he was meant to introduce her as well.
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"Er...the Assembly recognises Rectess Chloe Astor, Magister of the New Caeli Rector Co!"
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The new Caeli Rector Co was a revival of an old aeronautical engineering and construction company that had been started by its Magister, Baron Ludvoic von Geldmäcker. He had been killed by a Dragoon Knight called Ser Drakonsarius in 5 YBP after being revealed as a leading figure in the Covenant of the Void, he had been known as the Monopolist for the extent of his economic dominance over Empyrea.
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The Rectors of the Skies had been nationalised and shut down on the orders of the Meritocratic Council of Aquiloria.
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"The Grand Fleet continually refuses to order any of my company's experimental bombers, the Reaper-type craft. This shows the arrogant, narrow-minded nature of His Grace's Areoadmir-"
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"This is not the time nor the place for this, Magister Astor. Any concerns about the handling of Grand Fleet funding should be directed to my office or the Admiralty." Snapped an irritated Aeroadmiral Sophie, who had heard this before.
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A man in the fourth row caught Urlic`s attention but it was the sight of his white-knuckled grip on a long thin staff of a brittle, old wood. Four copper prongs extended upwards from the top, spiralling around a small, rotating suspension crystal. But this one was...white?
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Suspension had been a stepping stone between steam and ætherical power pioneered by the Adeptus Mechanical shortly before his untimely death in 5 YBP. It usually took the form of opaque green crystals that tended to repel each other - the larger but rarer crystals opposed each other more violently. Some Novice Scholars and apprentices of the Academies of the Adept had whispered that the man who had been the Adeptus Mechanical had been killed by a monster of some kind. They then said similar things when his pupil, the Adeptus Æther, succumbed to the Æther Sickness in 0 YBP.
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The second ruler of UEGNA realised it was his turn to speak.
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There was a bang as the speaker slammed his heavy stick on the ground. "The Assembly recognises His Grace the Archcount-Khagan of UEGNA, Urlic Ego-Estrin-Romanakov!" He said in the grandest, most melodramatic tone he could muster
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"80 EH will not be remembered fondly at all by those of us that remain once what is coming has run its course..." The ruler said solemnly, the deep tone of his voice sounding melancholy and sad.
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The Assembly waited intently for their leader to continue.
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"Yesterday I received a letter from General Grantè, Counter Admiral Corsair, Archbishop Vance of Ecclesia, Technocrat pro tempore Norik of Austerium, Meritocrat Mylo of Artè and Prime Minister Rawrchart of Pheasantine - all the big names of the Cerulean-Vorantine-Aqulio-Pheasantine Union against our noble realm!" He told them all, his deep voice increasing in volume with every word.
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"In thirteen days, all of Empyrea will be dragged kicking and screaming by the bastards leading CVAPU into something not just horrible, but horrendous and horrific as well! Something that our greatest heroes, respected men like High-Commander Azure and Grand-General Worce warned should never happen again. We never forgot those who bled for us, but Lower Empyrea has, and they will bleed Empyrea white before they admit that they have. My friends, the truth is that our efforts not to be the aggressors have been wasted, that
in two weeks...the second COALITION WAR WILL BEGIN!" Roared the Archcount-Khagan at the top of his lungs.
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The 262 filled seats broke out into an incoherent mess
Of mixed reactions: the government and military officials sighed, wept and angrily cursed at the business owners, who rubbed their hands together gleefully at the thought of the fortune they could make from war profiteering.
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Urlic Ego-Estrin-Romanakov did his best not to join either. The sovereign had to be neutral after all.
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