Death of the King! (MT, OPEN)

[Tarensal]

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of His Majesty, King Johan VII of Tarensal, at the age of 74, following a long battle with lymphoma. King Johan, who was elected and crowned in 1977, led his kingdom through many changes, and saw Tarensal become a modern economic power. He will be greatly missed by all his people.

All members of the House of Lords are hereby summoned to Lengarholm to begin the time-honored process of electing a new monarch from among King Johan's heirs.

His Excellency
Lord Regent Arnold Warhan, Count Vikersdahl
Royal Palace, Lengarholm

Editorial in the Karpol Independent

With the death of King Johan, the question must now be answered: who will replace him? Who shall be our new king?

For decades, the answer seemed clear enough. Prince Karl, Duke of Esnar, was King Johan's eldest son, and seemingly the model heir to the throne. Unfortunately, Prince Karl died in December 2016 from a heart attack, leaving an unclear succession. His eldest child, Princess Ersa,
is only 17, and would be the first Queen Regnant of Tarenesh in over two centuries. Many have instead rallied around King Johan's younger son, Prince Sigurd, Duke of Altburg, and currently an Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Tarenesh Air Force. However, Prince Sigurd's public disputes with the government over certain policy matters, not to mention his ties to many reactionary elements, make many in Lengarholm uncomfortable.

Controversy also surrounds the man who will likely decide this, Lord Regent Warhan. It falls to this newspaper to remind the public that not three weeks ago, Lord Regent Warhan ordered Vikersdahl provincial troops to fire on striking factory workers at the Brethinburg aluminum mill, killing 18 people! A decision on the succession must be made, but not by this man!

This is the buildup to my planned Tarenesh Civil War. I invite nations to react to the ongoing events whether or not they will eventually intervene.

[Barnabia]

"His Tarensal Majesty is dead Sir" reported the cornet to Bennett Hexen, the Security Chief and close advisor to the sovereign. "King Johan us dead!"echoed an excited agent who had bursted into the office.

Hexen rolled his eyes at his underling' enthusiasm before dismissing the cornet.

"Agent Bluehawk, I know that you have a lot invested in this area, and that I allow you allow more leeway then the others, besides protocol must be observed. "

"Apologies sir, it is just that I believe we have to act fast, to influence the election. I request permission to go there."

"I need you here. I want you to write a report on the possible actions we can take."

"Yes sir."

[Valipoli]

King Valgard held the tablet in his hand, scrolling through the headlines. Simeon Mathers, the royal vizier stood quietly a few feet away as the king finished reading. "Have we had any contact with Tarensal since the news broke?" He asked.

"No your Majesty. As you know, we still have not established formal diplomatic ties with them. We had been in contact with a few government officials regarding an embassy exchange, however they now seem preoccupied with internal matters."

"Well as a general rule, you know we don't meddle in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation, unless our own security is at stake. But the Lord Regent seems like he could be trouble for his own people. Simeon, send a correspondence to the Prince and Princess expressing our condolences for the loss of their grandfather. And make sure to keep trying to maintain an open channel with our contacts there." The King instructed. Simeon bowed and retreated to his office to do as he had been instructed.

Prince Sigurd and Princess Ersa,

It is with great sadness that I reach out to you today in response to the death of your grandfather. Death is always a time of great sorrow, and in this case for your entire nation and more so your family. On behalf of my people, I extend our deepest sympathies to you and your people.

Sincerely,
His Royal Majesty, King Valgard Galandro Mcloster Lenois of Valipoli, Protector of the Realms, Defender of the Sovereignty, son of King Viktor Kanathas Lenois.

[Kowani]

/tag

[Tarensal]

We Need A Strong King!

Radio Address by Patriarch Jakob Farlan

Many have spoken of the debate that supposedly faces our country. A debate over who shall succeed King Johan VII. But this is no debate at all! How can it be, when one candidate is a decorated military officer with years of experience, and the other is a teenage girl?

Had Prince Karl lived, perhaps there would be a true debate over the future of Tarensal. As it is, the "debate" serves only one purpose: to cast doubt upon the righteous character of His Royal Highness, Prince Sigurd, and give support to enthroning a mere child in his place! The Lord Regent and his cronies know that King Sigurd would not simply stand aside and let them rule the country as they see fit! He is a godly man,
one who abhors the changes wrought on our country in the name of profit. If Princess Elsa is enthroned, she will be their puppet.

I call upon my fellow members of the House of Lords to recall the faith that is the bedrock of this kingdom, and cast aside wordly concerns. There is only one acceptable choice for our new king! Hail King Sigurd!

From the Lengarholm Times:

...many politicians cast aspersions upon Patriarch Jakob's declaration of support for Prince Sigurd's bid for the throne. The Honorable Mikael Jonson, Delegate for North Oldenheim, said "While I have the utmost respect for the church, it seems Patriarch Jakob does not, given his willingness to use his pulpit to support the ambitions of his own brother-in-law!"

While the decision of the succession is solely in the hands of the House of Lords, many members of the House of Delegates have arrived in Lengarholm to lobby the Lords to support Princess Elsa, who is clearly the favorite of the Tarenesh business community...

[Tarensal]

(OOC: Signup thread for the civil war is here!)

[Barnabia]

Hexen read over the report on his desk growing irritated as he did. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a phone on his desk, the gold one. It was the Sovereign. The Security Chef answered immediately.

"Yes your excellencey, I am reading it now. ... No, I hadn't planned that ... now that you suggest it ... of course ... we could do that ... I will send my best agent in the region. ..."

As soon as he had received the order, Bluehawk was on his way to the airport. It had been a while since he had been in Tarensal, and he was looking forward to his return. It would be a long flight, but he didn't mind. He had already arranged for a fellow agent to meet him there. The thought of their reunion made him smile.

[TURTLESHROOM II]

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!

The Kingdom of the United Turtles, Mushrooms, and Men of TurtleShroom extends its sincere condolences to the nation and peoples of Tarensel and wish a speedy transition of power of the Tarensite Crown, that a power vacuum may be averted. Our thoughts and prayers extend to your Royal Family.

TurtleShroom rejects the idea of Princess Ersa succeeding her father and backs Prince Sigund for the Terensite throne.


[Tarensal]

TBC News Special Report with Rosa Halvers

RH: ...Welcome back. We are just minutes away from hearing the official results from the succession vote in the House of Lords. This is perhaps the most contested succession in Tarensal in centuries, with public figures - including members of the House of Lords - openly stating their case in favor of either Prince Sigurd or Princess Ersa. Will the Lords choose the controversial and outspoken officer, or will they elect the first Queen Regnant in over two centuries? For this, we turn to our political correspondent, Sir Gunther Schreiber. Sir Gunther, why has this vote sparked such controversy?

GS: Well, Rosa, most succession votes are formalities, with the expected heir known long before the previous king - or queen's - death. For King Johan, everyone expected that Prince Karl would succeed him, until Karl himself died before his father. I can tell you that while public discussion of the succession was avoided while King Johan was still alive, this battle has been raging for months.

Beyond that, the debate really centers around Prince Sigurd. Traditionally, Tarenesh monarchs don't take major policy stances, instead serving to inspire the people, providing a neutral symbol we can all rally around. Prince Sigurd, however, is not only outspoken, but an outright reactionary. If he is elected, he will no doubt break over a century of custom and take a direct hand in ruling the kingdom, seeking to undo many of the changes and reforms of the past decades.

Princess Ersa, on the other hand, is still a child. The Palace has deliberately kept her and her siblings out of the public limelight.

RH: *nods* I'm told that Her Highness has been confined to St. Agnes' Palace since her father's death, save for his funeral.

GS: That's correct. That was at the order of the Royal Guards, and it's quite unprecedented. For the same reason, Prince Sigurd hasn't left Horn Airbase. Anyway, no one - including the Princess - knows what sort of person she'll turn out to be when she comes of age. So the question facing the Lords is, do they go with a complete unknown, or do they enthrone a king who will break the tradition of apolitical royal behavior?

RH: What do you think?

GS: My prediction is that Princess Ersa will become Queen. Prince Sigurd has few friends in the Lords aside from the Patriarch, and he's openly clashed with the Lord Regent, who enjoys very broad support. I wouldn't rule out the Prince coming out on top, however, if he can -

RH: I'm sorry to cut you off, Sir Gunther, but we're just getting word that the voting has been completed. The official result is...

31 votes for Princess Ersa, 7 for Prince Sigurd, with two abstentions. Princess Ersa will become the next Queen of Tarensal.

GS: Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Although... who abstained?

RH: Lady Chancellor Arianne Selvig of Aasimar University and High Chief Tatukko Alen of Sitaariland.

GS: Selvig's no surprise. She hates both Prince Sigurd and the Lord Regent. But the High Chief... that's unusual. Regardless, the result is clear. Long live Queen Ersa!

---

One hour later

RH: ...In his statement, His Highness condemned the Lords as "a pack of spineless weasels who would sell out their own grandmothers for the right price." The Prince was met with applause by the assembled officers, some of whom even chanted "Long Live King -"

Wait... we have breaking news. Lord Regent Arnold Warhan, on behalf of Her Majesty, Queen Ersa, has issued an edict dismissing Prince Sigurd from the Royal Tarenesh Air Force for "conduct unbecoming an officer", and demanded that he return to St. Agnes' Palace...

Meanwhile, anti-monarchist demonstrations continue at Aasimar University. Demands by the Palace that the protests be broken up have been met with silence by Lady Chancellor Arianna Selvig, who earlier today abstained from the succession vote...

[Barnabia]

"Please put your seats and trays in the upright position and prepare for landing."

The voice over the intercom interrupted Bluehawk in his sleep. He was thinking about the last time he was in the country, it had been years ago. He still kept in contact with his agents from then. Still he was looking forward to seeing them again
Especially Yellowmouse. It wouldn't be long, he was expecting her to meet him at the airport.

Getting through customs was a breeze, he carried no contraband, and although the info on the passport was false, the passport itself was real. As the agent exited the terminal, there was the usual collection of families lovers and professional drivers waiting to meet the passengers. As Bluehawk scanned the faces he began to become anxious as he failed to see a friendly face. Suddenly, he noticed a bearded driver holding a sign with Tanner written on it. Tanner was his alias so he approached the driver, who greeted him with a "Tanner?"

Bluehawk's nod didn't seem enough for the driver, so after showing his id, the agent received a sealed envelope with a letter:

Sorry, I wasn't able to make it. I have sent this driver instead.

Penelope

Bluehawk didn't know a single person named Penelope, but he knew it was a code and followed the driver, who remained silent even as they got in the car and exited the airport. Only after they had driven for a while did the driver make a noise. The agent wasn't sure, but he thought it waa a giggle. There it was again, a giggle, a girlish giggle. The car suddenly pulled over and the driver turned around, laughing like a school girl.

" I am sorry ...I couldn't ..." she, the driver, spoke between outbursts of laughter as she pulled off her beard.

"Mary!" shouted the passenger with joy as he moved to embrace his fellow agent. The hug surprised Mary and apparently the Bluehawk as well. Nonetheless, they lingered before awkwardly returning to their seats.

"What is the disguise for?" asked the senior agent.

"So I won't be recognized, I have several aliases and I could have a cover blown." answered the junior agent. "You won't believed how fast things are developing here, the Lords have voted for the Princess, the Prince is protesting, and there looks to be a leftist uprising in the works."

Bluehawk stared in disbelief. "Okay Mouse, we have no time to lose, get me to the safehouse and catch me up on the way. I will have to try and set up a meeting once I am there" ordered Bluehawk.

[Valipoli]

In the war room, King Valgard was meeting with the joint chiefs of the armed forces. Several charts were displayed on the table screen in front of them, showing the latest confirmed traffic from their intelligence network. There had been a decision to deploy only naval and marine units, as army units might be seen as invasion force, while the marines could be considered a support force, and the Navy would be "patrolling" the area in the event any forces hostile to the legitimate government decided to cause trouble.

The massive triple hulled HMS Unyielding Valor was heading up the operation. Admiral Gustlov was an experienced veteran and the Valor's arsenal made her a floating fortress.The Valor was accompanied by the destroyer HMS Helheimr's Dagger.

Two other destroyers, HMS Odin's Fury, and HMS Sword of Niðavellir would accompany the railgun battleship HMS Wrath of Jötunheimr. The Jötunheimr was the latest heavy warship to be commissioned by the Navy, and had state of the art railguns in place of where traditional battleships had their heavy guns mounted. She was capable of firing 18inch HE projectiles a range of 50 miles with a rate of fire of 3 rounds per minute per turret. Her escorts were generally tasked with providing short range coverage, but they were also equipped with sub finding sonar and long range radar. They were capable of detecting submarines clearly to depth of 100 meters in most conditions, sometimes deeper. In either case, they were ordered not to engage unless fired on for the time being.

[TURTLESHROOM II]

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!!

The United Kingdom of Turtles, Mushrooms, and Men of TurtleShroom does hereby recognize the succession of the Terensalite Crown and the inheritance of the Terensal realm to Queen Ersa. The government and newly reigning monarch of Terensal shall continue enjoying full recognition and acceptance from the TurtleShroomian state.

May her reign be long, prosperous, righteous, and peaceful. Our thoughts and prayers are with Terensal during this period of unrest and strife from dissenting voices.