Josepania
Establishing Nation
Presidential Palace, Palmira, The Occidental Republic of Josepania
26/02/2024, 1337hrs
'Doesn't matter how many times we do this... it never stops being weird.' El Presidente José David Costantino thought to himself as he stood with a solemn air, waiting for the prayer led by the Secretary of Religious Affairs Antonio Jose Panadero to come to an end, one of the many rituals El Presidente and the twelve other assembled souls followed before their regular meetings. Here, away from the prying eyes of the public, the Knights of St. Joseph who orchestrated the whims of the Occidental Republic of Josepania assembled to discuss current affairs and how best to respond.
It was a secret society, ever since the conclusion of the Josepanian Revolutionary Wars and the sudden death of the First Empire. The Knights of St. Joseph had initially come over from @Radilo to bring peace to the Occidentian colonies, and instead were motivated by God (and more specifically the fanaticism of Grand Master Giuseppe Luigi Constantino) to help bring liberty and freedom to the peoples there, and conveniently enough control of those peoples by the Knights. But obvious, open control was swiftly deemed far too inconvenient, incoherent, and inefficient. This was especially apparent with the death of the Emperor Constantino (the Grand Master was more than happy to elevate himself as high as he could go to be closer to God after all), and so the Knights withdrew into the shadows from that point on. Perhaps too far into the shadows, for their grip on power became weak and they were unable to properly control the people in their rapid northern expansion through Westernesse and the corruption and decay that followed, opening the door to a Radillan effort at reconquest that very nearly succeeded, if not for the efforts of descendants of Grand Master Giuseppe Luigi Constantino to rally the people (and the Knights from the shadows) and expel the former masters. From that point on, the Knights struck a balance with their control, ensuring they were just far enough out of sight to not be seen and exposed, but with a firm enough grip on the levers of power to ensure the Occidental Republic was steered in the direction they chose, first and foremost. That was why their highest ranking members were all assembled in the Executive Cabinet, the lower ranks scattered throughout the Congress and the judicial system as well as in the private world.
That was what El Presidente reflected on as he intoned "Amen." at the conclusion of the prayer, finally being seated at the round table he and all the other Knights were assembled around. 'For God's sake, this is essentially a Cabinet meeting, and yet we've got to have this tradition...' the statesman grumbled to himself, but kept silent aloud, for after all their discussion could finally begin, and he stated, "Secretary General, you may open discussion."
Vice President Gabriel Ceretto, his right-hand man and the public bureaucratic force behind El Presidente's rhetoric, nodded in reply, the eight-pointed
At that mention, El Presidente nodded, recalling he was amongst the first of world leaders to condemn the militarist Alfonsists and accuse them of assassinating the late King Manuel III, in his own effort to control the narrative of the situation. The Chancellor General continued, "This office is confident that both the @Socialist Commonwealth and @The Federation will join Josepania and the Radillans in supporting this Popular Front, either openly or from the shadows. From there, it is difficult to say who will be aligned with whom, though to our understanding the Communes of @Thaumantica have seemingly backed down from open support of the Alfonsists due to internal issues and are posing as a relatively neutral party, which better aligns with our wishes. We have already issued travel warnings to the area and will continue to monitor and update as needed, the latter we expect will have to soon given the escalation of violence. The question now becomes how do we respond to this escalation?"
There was a brief silence, as everyone looked intently at the report in front of them, studying and considering the details. The Generalissimo, Secretary of Defense Marco Vasquez was the first to respond. "Military intervention is out of the question, in my mind. Our forces are not prepared for a serious expedition and intervention given the expected level of resistance to be found from hostile Ebrian forces, to say nothing of any potential response from powers like the Pelasgians and Tarusans." There was no objection to this statement, and solemn silence descended once more upon the group.
The Seneschal General, Secretary of Commerce, Infrastructure, and Transportation Antoinette Belmonte, next spoke, "Perhaps we should focus on the transportation of supplies, such as ammunition or medical equipment, to the Popular Front to reinforce their cause. We can continue what was started in the transfer of medical supplies in the aftermath of the Valls earthquake and ensure that, with our commitment to humanitarian aid, we do not yet further involve ourselves in the civil war that is breaking out."
The silence returned, but a positive one, for this time there was more nodding in approval and no follow-up statements. After a set period of time, El Presidente intoned with his authority as Grand Master, "Are there any objections to the proposal laid out by the Seneschal General?"
Silence returned, the unanimity seemed quite clear, and was finalized by the Grand Master. "As is the will of God, and of the Knights of St. Joseph, so shall be the will of the people of Josepania. The Seneschal General shall coordinate with the Chancellor General immediately after this meeting to ensure it is carried out swiftly."
With that, the next topic would be introduced, and El Presidente once again sat back to observe the proceedings, reflecting to himself how... banal conspiracies and secret societies actually were. Without the archaic and silly titles used here, without the prayers and the other specific phrases, it was a generic governmental meeting otherwise. The only difference aside from the visuals and audio was the intent: not making it clear to those outside the room that it was these thirteen people, along with the underlings within the Order, who truly controlled Josepania, and protected it from the other conspiracy that El Presidente constantly referenced in his rhetoric: The Global Exploitation Conspiracy. It was... mildly hypocritical perhaps, given the principles of democracy and self-determination, but given past lessons there was a logic to the involvement of the Order in Josepania's very existence, and if nothing else the inertia of it all.
For after all, the Knights of St. Joseph were instrumental in the birth of the nation, and the raising of the nation as though it were their own child. It was only fitting that, until the Order itself died or God forbid the nation died, they would be instrumental to the very end. That, unlike the goofy traditions in this meeting, at least made sense to El Presidente, and that's why he put up with it along with, perhaps, the men and women that joined him in this room.
26/02/2024, 1337hrs
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'Doesn't matter how many times we do this... it never stops being weird.' El Presidente José David Costantino thought to himself as he stood with a solemn air, waiting for the prayer led by the Secretary of Religious Affairs Antonio Jose Panadero to come to an end, one of the many rituals El Presidente and the twelve other assembled souls followed before their regular meetings. Here, away from the prying eyes of the public, the Knights of St. Joseph who orchestrated the whims of the Occidental Republic of Josepania assembled to discuss current affairs and how best to respond.
It was a secret society, ever since the conclusion of the Josepanian Revolutionary Wars and the sudden death of the First Empire. The Knights of St. Joseph had initially come over from @Radilo to bring peace to the Occidentian colonies, and instead were motivated by God (and more specifically the fanaticism of Grand Master Giuseppe Luigi Constantino) to help bring liberty and freedom to the peoples there, and conveniently enough control of those peoples by the Knights. But obvious, open control was swiftly deemed far too inconvenient, incoherent, and inefficient. This was especially apparent with the death of the Emperor Constantino (the Grand Master was more than happy to elevate himself as high as he could go to be closer to God after all), and so the Knights withdrew into the shadows from that point on. Perhaps too far into the shadows, for their grip on power became weak and they were unable to properly control the people in their rapid northern expansion through Westernesse and the corruption and decay that followed, opening the door to a Radillan effort at reconquest that very nearly succeeded, if not for the efforts of descendants of Grand Master Giuseppe Luigi Constantino to rally the people (and the Knights from the shadows) and expel the former masters. From that point on, the Knights struck a balance with their control, ensuring they were just far enough out of sight to not be seen and exposed, but with a firm enough grip on the levers of power to ensure the Occidental Republic was steered in the direction they chose, first and foremost. That was why their highest ranking members were all assembled in the Executive Cabinet, the lower ranks scattered throughout the Congress and the judicial system as well as in the private world.
That was what El Presidente reflected on as he intoned "Amen." at the conclusion of the prayer, finally being seated at the round table he and all the other Knights were assembled around. 'For God's sake, this is essentially a Cabinet meeting, and yet we've got to have this tradition...' the statesman grumbled to himself, but kept silent aloud, for after all their discussion could finally begin, and he stated, "Secretary General, you may open discussion."
Vice President Gabriel Ceretto, his right-hand man and the public bureaucratic force behind El Presidente's rhetoric, nodded in reply, the eight-pointed
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lapel pin prominent on his suit, as it was on everybody. He went on, "Thank you, Grand Master. As you are all well aware, the situation in @Ebria is rapidly deteriorating and shows no signs of stopping, and all that follows comes from a report prepared by the Chancellor General." Secretary of Foreign Affairs Giuseppe Emmanuel nodded in reply to the acknowledgement, who took out the report laid in front of him, copies of which were distributed to all assembled, and carried on. "Thank you, Secretary General. The Third Army, now proclaiming a certain Alfonso VII to be the new King of Ebria, is advancing on Valls to take control of the capital and secure their legitimacy, though they appear to be running into resistance. The Empires of @Tarusa and @Pelasgia have already recognized the Alfonsists as the legitimate faction in this war, while the Radillan Republic has declared their support of this developing Popular Front of ex-Manuelists, republicans, and the trade unions, which is where we in Josepania are aligned per the public statements made by the Grand Master."At that mention, El Presidente nodded, recalling he was amongst the first of world leaders to condemn the militarist Alfonsists and accuse them of assassinating the late King Manuel III, in his own effort to control the narrative of the situation. The Chancellor General continued, "This office is confident that both the @Socialist Commonwealth and @The Federation will join Josepania and the Radillans in supporting this Popular Front, either openly or from the shadows. From there, it is difficult to say who will be aligned with whom, though to our understanding the Communes of @Thaumantica have seemingly backed down from open support of the Alfonsists due to internal issues and are posing as a relatively neutral party, which better aligns with our wishes. We have already issued travel warnings to the area and will continue to monitor and update as needed, the latter we expect will have to soon given the escalation of violence. The question now becomes how do we respond to this escalation?"
There was a brief silence, as everyone looked intently at the report in front of them, studying and considering the details. The Generalissimo, Secretary of Defense Marco Vasquez was the first to respond. "Military intervention is out of the question, in my mind. Our forces are not prepared for a serious expedition and intervention given the expected level of resistance to be found from hostile Ebrian forces, to say nothing of any potential response from powers like the Pelasgians and Tarusans." There was no objection to this statement, and solemn silence descended once more upon the group.
The Seneschal General, Secretary of Commerce, Infrastructure, and Transportation Antoinette Belmonte, next spoke, "Perhaps we should focus on the transportation of supplies, such as ammunition or medical equipment, to the Popular Front to reinforce their cause. We can continue what was started in the transfer of medical supplies in the aftermath of the Valls earthquake and ensure that, with our commitment to humanitarian aid, we do not yet further involve ourselves in the civil war that is breaking out."
The silence returned, but a positive one, for this time there was more nodding in approval and no follow-up statements. After a set period of time, El Presidente intoned with his authority as Grand Master, "Are there any objections to the proposal laid out by the Seneschal General?"
Silence returned, the unanimity seemed quite clear, and was finalized by the Grand Master. "As is the will of God, and of the Knights of St. Joseph, so shall be the will of the people of Josepania. The Seneschal General shall coordinate with the Chancellor General immediately after this meeting to ensure it is carried out swiftly."
With that, the next topic would be introduced, and El Presidente once again sat back to observe the proceedings, reflecting to himself how... banal conspiracies and secret societies actually were. Without the archaic and silly titles used here, without the prayers and the other specific phrases, it was a generic governmental meeting otherwise. The only difference aside from the visuals and audio was the intent: not making it clear to those outside the room that it was these thirteen people, along with the underlings within the Order, who truly controlled Josepania, and protected it from the other conspiracy that El Presidente constantly referenced in his rhetoric: The Global Exploitation Conspiracy. It was... mildly hypocritical perhaps, given the principles of democracy and self-determination, but given past lessons there was a logic to the involvement of the Order in Josepania's very existence, and if nothing else the inertia of it all.
For after all, the Knights of St. Joseph were instrumental in the birth of the nation, and the raising of the nation as though it were their own child. It was only fitting that, until the Order itself died or God forbid the nation died, they would be instrumental to the very end. That, unlike the goofy traditions in this meeting, at least made sense to El Presidente, and that's why he put up with it along with, perhaps, the men and women that joined him in this room.