Shining City On A Hill (Redux)

[Daniel-Franklin]

Fawn City, Fawn County, Northern Daniel-Franklin.
New Year's Day, 2021

There was upheaval in downtown Fawn City as City Hall was abruptly attacked by a company of its local garrison. It was a swift assault, the troops involved using Uzis, Thompsons, and MP-38s to capture the main municipal offices by a combination of speed and surprise. Little did most in the city know that the barracks had already fallen to the mutiny, the work of a man named Lieutenant Colonel Elias Markham. He had been the executive officer of the regiment that served as the town garrison, the 6th Grenadiers Regiment, but now he had executed Colonel David Phipps, the previous CO, and taken command of the garrison by mutiny and murder.

Within several more minutes of fighting, Markham had eliminated any resistance to his control of the barracks and the garrison, after which he now ordered his troops to strike at City Hall, the police stations, the local radio and TV stations, the newspaper offices, and the local offices of the Order of Saints, the primary instrument of the Turner regime in keeping its iron grip on the nation through organization and terror.

An hour after the mutiny began, most civilians had wisely returned home to avoid being caught in the cross-fire, as loyalist police units resisted the revolt and had to be put down by the rebels. City Hall was one of the first targets, with the belief that if the municipal government were leaderless, its constables would be listless and ineffective, a gamble that proved mostly correct.

Maybe so, but for now, Mayor Jason Burgess was still very much alive, and so were the City Council, as well as the City Treasurer, City Solicitor, and City Police Chief, Dale Fawn, a direct descendant of Jacques Fontaine, who had renamed himself Jack Fawn and founded the town itself, serving as its first mayor. They were now besieged by the Army due to the mutiny, with only a small number of police and Saints to defend them. Of course, Mayor Burgess and the others were members of the Order themselves, but Burgess couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, even if he weren't over 400 lbs. and verging on a massive coronary or stroke, with diabetes already affecting his vision.

Once the attack on City Hall commenced and was making at least some progress, of course, Markham ordered the other attacks to commence, resulting in some victories taking longer than others. Police stations were still resolved to hold out until given orders to stand down, not to mention the variety of Saints who had gathered in plainclothes to guard their local chapter from assault, with a wide disparity of competence, of course.

So far, however, the churches had been off-limits, as Markham didn't want to alienate moderate Christians....even so, a dozen priests had joined in the defense of the Order, as had 8 monks from the local priory.

It was the office of the Fawn City Gazette that fell first, as the editor prudently didn't resist at all, instead agreeing to print whatever the mutineers demanded of him. The radio and TV stations only put up token resistance before surrendering as well. The rest would have to wait until after City Hall, though a few police stations were wavering ahead of that time.

It was another two hours before Dale Fawn was killed under mysterious circumstances and the new, acting Chief of Police, Antoine Bordeaux, gave the order for the police to stand down, so as not needlessly cost the city the necessary services of so many valuable constables. Bordeaux arrested the entire municipal government as well and turned them over to Markham. After that, the police stations all meekly yielded, not knowing why the orders came, but feeling relief that they did. They were police, not soldiers, after all, and didn't want to waste their lives and bullets fighting against fellow citizens in a Civil War.

Now, naturally, all eyes were on the headquarters of the local chapter of the Order of Saints, where a select remnant of faithful Saints resisted the takeover of the city by the rebel garrison and its new commander. Only now, the question lingered...when, not if, the Order's compound was finally captured, what would happen to the city? What was the future of Fawn City under Markham's administration? What could be expected from the New Era, anyway?

...and what would the foreign consuls and visitors in Fawn City think, seeing the once sleepy and peaceful town shattered by the outbreak of violence after more than 80 years of relative peace since the last conflict was won by the Evangelical Brigades in 1935, resulting in the overthrow of the last King? Could the present regime finally collapse after eight decades of religious fundamentalist tyranny?

[Daniel-Franklin]

Fontaine, Canton Fontaine, Northern Daniel-Franklin....
1852 hours


The Sun had just barely set when the white flag waved, signalling the surrender of the remnant of the Order of the Saints, as it became apparent that no relief would arrive in time. The Order's local headquarters was yielded up to the insurgents, who took down the national standard and hoisted a brand new flag above the building. This new flag also began to fly above City Hall, police stations, schools, etc. as the banner of what Markham now called the Committee of National Liberation. It consisted of Markham, Bordeaux, and the handpicked Bishop of Fontaine (Fawn City had been renamed), Father Walter Gordon. Whether or not this government would last was open to question, even in terms of it being the governing body of the rebellious territory, but for now at least, an interim entity now existed to challenge the claims of the central government to authority and supremacy over the nation.


Of course, the Turner regime wasn't going to take this lying down, but it would still need to mobilize the necessary forces nearby, having been caught off guard by the seriousness of the revolt. As a beginning, however, Turner put a bounty on the heads of the Committee members, especially Markham, and the National Synod of the Grand Evangelical Church officially excommunicated Gordon as well as putting the entire city of Fontaine under an official Interdict.


So, while Fontaine began to adjust to a New Era under Markham's rule, with a change of style, regulations, and attitude....the neighboring Jubal County and its capital, Lamech, witnessed a mobilization of the Home Guard, the national militia. Some 215,000 militiamen began to muster, preparing to fight for the recapture of the disloyal citadel to their east.


As for Fontaine itself, Markham wasn't lying idle. He, too, called up militia, particularly any Home Guard living in Canton Fontaine, as he called it, some 147,000 militia so far, not to mention the local garrison. While he was outnumbered, he also issued a call for volunteers to make up the shortfall. The first trickle was in, but would the People respond en masse or simply stand by and wait to see the outcome? How loyal would they prove to be to the New Order in their nation...or would they prefer the Devil that they knew?

Already, troops of the Committee cause were wearing black and red armbands, those of the Turner regime white and blue, as both camps began organizing in earnest....the country now on the verge of open civil war.

[Daniel-Franklin]

Committee-controlled Territory,
February 8, 2021


Everywhere, the images of Colonel Markham (now full colonel) were on display, his portrait replacing that of General Turner wherever possible in public buildings, in his capacity as Chairman of the Committee, which soon expanded to have 2 more members, notably Dr. Arnold Schumann, Superintendent of Le Grande Ecole pour Homme, and former City Auditor Jeanne Thierry, who had been dismissed in 2003 for opposing some expenditures. This led to the abolition of her office by the central government's Local Government Renovation Act, which also seized control of local budgets, transferring them to the jurisdiction of the National Government. Thierry was appointed Vice-Chair of the Committee and given responsibility for the finances of the new regime.

Effectively immediately, the following statutes were issued as "Committee Directives" for all "liberated territory":

1. Directive 1, which banned and dissolved the Order of Saints, prohibiting all meetings, as well as outlawing its pins, its symbols, newspaper, and any other intellectual property of the Order of Saints.
2. Directive 2, which established special tribunals to arraign and prosecute leading figures of the old regime in Fontaine, particularly those of the Order of Saints.
3. Directive 3, which outlawed the Holy Office for the Defense of the Faith and the Purity Courts, dismissing their members from the civil service and the public payroll, depriving them of all pensions, and subjecting them in particular to the auspices of the special tribunals formed under the auspices of Directive 2.
4. Directive 4, which repealed all heresy, blasphemy, and apostasy laws, as well as explicitly declaring "full freedom to worship, deny, or proselytize the existence of any Deity, to advocate any system of belief, as well as instruct minor children regarding the same."
5. Directive 5, which mandated the teaching of evolution exclusively in public schools, terminated compulsory school prayer, and abolished the requirement that all senior faculty be approved by a special intendant appointed by the Church.
6. Directive 6, which liberalized marriage, divorce, and family laws, as well as providing means to legitimize bastards. It also abolished all remaining forms of entail, thus granting women full and equal rights of inheritance of property with men.

While these new laws had no immediate effect in the rest of the nation, there was no doubt that their passage would dramatically transform life in the territory controlled by Markham and his insurgency. They would have a chance to adapt life without clerical control of their daily lives as well as having greater freedom of religious dissent and even unbelief. Whatever else happened, at least at present, the citizens of the city, and perhaps the canton as well in time, would have a taste of more freedom than they had known in their entire lives....would they be willing to even consider living back under the way things had been?

[Daniel-Franklin]

Lamech, Jubal County,
21 March, 2021
6:34 AM


The guns had fallen silent at last, as the rebel banner was raised above City Hall and the County Courthouse. The garrison commander, Colonel Andre Humbert, had surrendered to the insurgents, further expanding the territory now controlled by the Committee of National Liberation and depriving the Government of National Unity of crucial revenue due to the loss of the county assessors who aided in the collection of taxes. Lamech, and all of Jubal County with it, had been captured by the insurgents. This wasn’t just a local revolt anymore. It was now spreading to other parts of the land.


Troops wearing red and black armbands now swarmed all over the city and county, seizing and arresting anyone caught in the open supporting the old regime. Some were lined up and shot, even, particularly members of the Order of Saints. The wrath of the revolutionaries was confined largely to the key targets from the previous administration, though, with ordinary citizens basically left alone. The Committee had lost its patience with the reactionaries, and so had arranged more drastic step to quash any further resistance to the 2018 Revolution. Soon, however, the special tribunals were in place and trials began in earnest. This was even more trouble for those lucky enough to escape summary executions in the first place.


Then, of course, Colonel Elias Markham stood at a podium just outside the City Hall, and then declared Jubal County formally “liberated from ecclesiastical tyranny, the same yoke of injustice and oppression that has held sway for decades. Theocracy is dead and now it’s time to bury it. As from this moment, this is the Commonwealth of Daniel-Franklin and I am its President.”

With a city of 124,000 plus now under his control, Markham was much closer to being able to impose his rule on the nation….but he still had 63 more counties to go. This was far from over, this civil war of theirs...far, far from done. He had a nation to set free from superstition and medieval barbarism.

[Daniel-Franklin]

Provisional Army HQ, Methuselah County Front,
1409 hours local time, 18 June, 2021

The fighting had been very intense, but the government forces had already suffered a stunning decline in morale due to continued harassment by Markhamite insurgents. The local Franklinite government forces' commander endured considerable tongue-lashings from the War Minister, General Brian Blake, and the Commander-in-Chief himself, General Adam Turner, so he was already on edge. With his supply lines crumbling, he nevertheless withdrew to a more easily defended position, only to get sacked for his troubles. General Ethan Summers was appointed in place of General Levi Cordon and he was not one for retreats, tactical or otherwise.

That was just what Colonel Elias Markham, the rebel supreme commander, counted upon, of course. He continued the pressure on the enemy flanks and supply lines, harassment by partisan or irregular forces closely linked to his own general command, but given a great deal of latitude and autonomy. Markham insisted that the enemy not be given the chance to breathe, as he wanted him overextended, under-supplied, and eventually cut off in several sectors. He got his wish, as he called it his "Christmas present from the Fates."

"We have 'em, boys. That fool Turner couldn't leave well-enough alone, of course. General Cordon did the wise move, a tactical withdrawal that was textbook, even. An orderly retreat. The next time that they are forced to pull back, I predict a panic-stricken and disorganized rout due to entire battalions lacking the bullets for their rifles, let alone shells for their howitzers. They can't even feed all of their troops or give them shoes, and these are government soldiers! If they can't clothe, shod, or feed their officers and men, defections to our ranks among the imminent captives will be inevitable.

"Turner's general philosophy in terms of discipline and morale these days seems to be one of 'the beatings will continue until morale improves,' but that, of course, is a meme, not a plan of action. It's certainly not rational or logical or practical by any means. When you can't even take good care of your soldiers, and they are not fighting a foreign war against a foreign enemy, but a civil war against fellow countrymen, how long do you think that they'll stay loyal? We've already seen mass defections in areas that we've seized and liberated. How long before they join us en masse here in Methuselah County and the adjoining Seth, Abel, Peleg, Shem, Japheth, Enoch, and Arphaxad Counties?

"This is why we're holding firm to this current strategy of mixed conventional and asymmetrical warfare, because it's working against this rigid and inflexible opponent, whose lack of imagination and resourcefulness has proven truly staggering and will boggle the minds of military historians for generations to come. Our foes have remarkable persistence, I'll give them that, but they lack any resiliency, any flexibility, any openness to any kind of change whatsoever. They will be in real trouble if and when they lose control of more major industrial, commercial, and agricultural production centers.

"I want very much to capture this city of Reuel by the end of the year, preferably by Christmas Eve, as I would love to spend Christmas Day in a liberated county seat of Methuselah County. Reuel is the chief center of their coal processing and distribution, and a poster child for what's wrong about this country in terms of its environmental policy or lack of one. I will take charge of retraining these locals for new, more sustainable economy jobs, green jobs, if you will, as part of our more forward-looking vision for this country. In the meantime, they can have new jobs in my growing army.

"Most importantly, because the enemy's electrical grid is so heavily dependent upon coal, the sudden loss will not only reduce this country's national carbon footprint, but also deprive them heavily of the electrical power on which they rely so heavily for major industrial production of armaments. They will have to rely far more on foreign supplies of armaments, which will cost them, and at a time when their general manufacturing capacity and productivity, their domestic electrical use, and their overall economic health will be decreased. Imagine the additional pressure on their popularity, their treasury, and their military stockpiles.

"We are cutting into their Achilles' Heel, boys! By the time that Turner realizes what's happened to him and his regime, it will already be too late. As a bonus, the air quality will be much better here and their overall physical health as well. Imagine the reduced cases of black lung, asbestosis, asthma, emphysema, mesothelioma, lung cancer, and COPD. Between that and our national health care plans that I intend to unveil for all of Daniel-Franklin upon victory, the country will never be as good of health as they will be under my rule.

"So, yes, my friends, we will bring about a much better world and certainly a better nation as a direct result of the actions that we take here. Let's resolve to commit ourselves to our current plan of battle and focus on taking this city first, then the county, and then the adjacent counties as part of the national liberation of Daniel-Franklin. Don't get me wrong. Civil war will have costs and sacrifices involved, in terms of blood and treasure, make no mistake about that. Even so, the long-term greater good requires us to pull through and carry on with our plans. We have a nation to take out of the Dark Ages and into the Light!" Markham pepped up his high command as he lay out the plans for the capture of Reuel, and with it, much of the north-central area of the nation.

Markham hoped that he could eventually capture most of the country in one piece, but if not, he would painstakingly liberate all of it from the chains and shackles of religious tyranny, of ecclesiastical power politics, of theocratic rule. Privately, Markham was an agnostic at most, atheist perhaps, even. He didn't believe that religion should trump science and he did believe that the country had to move toward a more progressive vision and national philosophy. 83 years of theocratic repression was quite long enough.

[Daniel-Franklin]

Port Allard,
Christopher County,
10:05 PM local time (2205 hours),
Sunday, 27 June, 2021

The Dauphin...the Prince...he had returned, to claim the patrimony, the kingdom stolen from his family. It was time. Colonel Markham had weakened the Turner regime, but he couldn't be allowed to take over in the long run. Now that the fundies were bloodied, battered, and bruised, it was high time for the Dauphin to return. He would reclaim the Crown of Saint Daniel and ascend the great Franklinite throne. It was his by birthright, and he had recruited a sufficient force of mercenaries by now to make this a real fight on the hands of General Adam Turner, especially with said Turner now focused on the danger from Colonel Elias Markham and his rebels.

The Prince had returned, and it was high time that all of his subjects yielded to his absolute fealty. The Corpus Evangelicorum had gone on long enough, and it was an unmitigated disaster. The Dauphin was no liberal or progressive, but he was a reformer in his own way, and he wasn't keen on the kind of militant religious zeal that dominated politics and government in Daniel-Franklin long enough. Next to Turner or Markham, he was confident that he was the sane choice. He wasn't a crazed general or colonel with no birthright and a willingness to shed copious amounts of blood and treasure for dubious causes. This was his domain, and he was going to get it back.

His Royal Highness, Prince Charles Jean Philippe Louis, the Dauphin, the Duc de Saint-Sebastien, was back...and he would not return to exile. If it cost him his life, he would topple the Turner regime and restore his family, the legitimate dynasty, the House of Saint-Sebastien, to the throne. He wasn't going to leave his subjects to the devices of the likes of a godless atheist like Markham or a puritanical fascist like Turner. It was his sacred duty to restore the monarchy and that he would, by all of the Saints!

The country was his...and by God, he would take it back!

[Daniel-Franklin]

The Christopher Herald
Marc Santillan, Senior Writer
29 June, 2021


Eighteen known or suspected feminists were arrested at 1845 hours by agents of the Order of Saints in Saint-Jerome, a suburb of Christopher. The subversive seditionists were detained at an undisclosed location for the next forty-eight hours, with no comment or queries permitted as to the name of the correctional facility for reasons of national security. The eighteen included six men and twelve women, though two of the men claimed to be "transwomen" instead of their actual sex. Why such men would desire to betray God, Man, and Country is beyond this reporter, of course, but rest assured, their trial, conviction, and lawful execution are mere matters of time. Since our judicial system doesn't waste time with juries and other such amateurish nonsense prone to be swayed by softer sentiments, retribution is virtually guaranteed. The accused would do better to focus on reconciliation with and restoration to their Maker, rather than wasting precious time with a pointless criminal defense given their patently obvious guilt. Confession would be good for the soul, at least, if not for the body.

Heaven has truly blessed us with such a wonderful sign of Almighty God's favor and His Providence in allowing this success on the eve of National Redemption Day. May all of the condemned repent and seek Christ and His Mercy prior to their passage to the world beyond this one. For as the Apostle wrote by inspiration of our Lord in Hebrews 10:31, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Surely, this triumph is a sign and omen from the Lord of Hosts that we shall have deliverance and victory over the insurgents led by the godless atheist Colonel Elias Markham and the decadent Papist royalists headed by the Dauphin. This last crusade for the restoration and redemption of our land shall end in the ultimate conquest of all heretics, apostates, and infidels by the armies of the Holy One. Surely, the angels of the Lord shall fight for us and the hand of God shall overcome our foes. We shall surely smite our enemies with the edge of the sword and prevail against them.

The penalty for advocating feminist propaganda is death, but perhaps God will move our glorious leader, Generalissimo Adam Turner, to compassion and clemency. Then again, God is known to work mysteriously. This final crusade must culminate in the triumph of the Cross of our Lord Christ Jesus. For is not His dominion and kingdom to be forever? Is he not the Everlasting Father?

[Daniel-Franklin]

The Christopher Herald
Marc Santillan, Senior Writer
3 July, 2021

The new Documents Authorization Act has prohibited women and girls from receiving passports and visas for international travel without direct permission and authorization from either husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, nephews, cousins, or some other male "guardian or protector." This newest edict follows on the heels of a spate of regulations aimed at reducing feminist political activity, cracking down on feminist political sympathies, propaganda, and organizations, and eliminating many areas of "excessive female autonomy which has gone to the ladies' heads and has been used by Satan as a tool and means to delude and deceive. For as Eve was deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, so the women of this age have been seduced by the forbidden fruit of feminist dogmas and ideologies. For the good of faith, family, community, and social order, such absurd doctrines must be and will be suppressed. We have erred as a nation in being soft on feminist rhetoric, literature, and other forms of sin repackaged as 'wokeness' and 'equality.' Righteous manhood has been rebranded 'toxic masculinity' by these misguided fools in their pursuit of post-modernist tolerance of evil and corruption. For as the writer of the First Book of Samuel wrote, in Chapter XV, verse XXIII, 'For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.' In the name of holiness to the Lord God of Heaven, the Lord of Hosts, we must repress this latest movement toward gynocracy."

Women must be calmed and restored to their proper fellowship with God, their proper standing with Christ, and for this cause, we must return them to contentment with the natural order of things ordained by Almighty God. As Saint Paul wrote, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter V, verses XXII-XXIV, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." As the same Apostle later wrote, in the First Epistle to Timothy, Chapter II, verse XII, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." Indeed, as King Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs, Chapter XIV, verse XXXIV, "
Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people."

This new legislation is far from oppressive. It is liberation of women from the burdens of careerism, feminist ideology, obligation, and danger. Where would this sinful path of "equality" end, except for women in combat on the front lines, being killed and wasted instead of protected and comforted as the valuable resources that any mothers, wives, and daughters would be? Women are being given the greatest freedom of all, the gift of freedom "from" things, most of all from sins of pride, harlotry, sorcery, and idolatry. On that note, we should be careful to stamp out all traces of "goddess" type cults that preach witchcraft, quack medicine, abortion, lesbianism, matriarchy, environmentalism, and the worship of false nature deities. As the ancient israelites rooted out the cults of Asherah, Ashtaroth, and Baal, in the face of that wicked Queen Jezebel and her daughter Athaliah, the first feminists in history, so must we emulate Elijah and Elisha and put down these modern jezebels like the mad bitches that they are. Feminism is a cancer on the soul of our nation and we must cut her out forever, so that she is purged entirely, not merely put in remission, and never returns.

Nothing else than averting the judgment of a holy and righteous God depends upon it for the sake of our nation.

[Daniel-Franklin]

The Christopher Herald
Marc Santillan, Senior Writer
6 July, 2021

The new Reproductive Reform Act prohibiting artificial forms of contraception and prophylactics, has been formally ratified. It will take effect on 21 July. Generalissimo Adam Turner, when asked about the effects of this new law, pointedly stated that, "the waning of our zeal for the righteous cause of the Lord of Hosts is the cause of recent reverses in battle, and once we have purified and cleansed our own house, the house of God, we can and shall prevail over our enemies. Now that we have begun to reform our own ways and rediscover our proper zeal, the purity of purpose, God shall surely smite our foes and deliver them into our hands." It is clear that, through the path of repentance and holiness, our glorious leader is taking us back into the bosom of our Lord and restoring our fellowship with God that is essential for prosperity and victory.

Minor protests did take place in downtown Christopher, largely by elements that typically advance the enemy of our Lord and His Kingdom, the very disciples and synagogue of Satan that could be expected to be favored by such Jezebels. These whoremongers believe that sexuality should be a matter of "consent, autonomy, and personal expression," rather than our Heavenly Father's plan to bring new souls into this world to fellowship with Almighty God. When matters of such a sensitive and private nature become so public and also so about narcissistic purposes and ambitions rather than the will of God, that is surely a sign of the end of our age, a beginning of the last days that will terminate our dispensation and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven as opposed to the kingdoms of Satan and of Man. Naturally, those apprehended in the midst of this wickedness have been given the opportunity to redeem themselves in the appropriate facilities.

May our Lord and His anointed servant, Generalissimo Adam Turner triumph thus over the adversaries who are evidently in league with the Devil Himself. For what is the "freedom" to sin but bondage to sin and what is the "liberation" of women but their enslavement by the fallen archangel Lucifer, the son of the morning? Satan being the father of lies, he will always twist freedom from sin into oppression by the host of the righteous. Let those who are wise discern the truth of this.

[Gristol and Morley]

His Royal Highness, Prince Charles Jean Philippe Louis, the Dauphin, the Duc de Saint-Sebastien, was back...and he would not return to exile. If it cost him his life, he would topple the Turner regime and restore his family, the legitimate dynasty, the House of Saint-Sebastien, to the throne. He wasn't going to leave his subjects to the devices of the likes of a godless atheist like Markham or a puritanical fascist like Turner. It was his sacred duty to restore the monarchy and that he would, by all of the Saints!

The country was his...and by God, he would take it back!

Port Allard

Alongside the banners of the House of Saint-Sebastien flew the flag of Gristol and Morley. The United Kingdom, a longtime ally of the ancien regime, had offered its deposed royal family sanctuary when the Evangelical Brigades had toppled the monarchy and installed the theocratic regime. For many years the monarch-in-exile had been little more than an accessory of the royal court in Dunwall. They had been granted lands and a subsidy by the King, which in turn had drawn them into the intrigues and social life of the Gristolian nobility, and over the years many people forgot that they had ever ruled a country in their own right. Those that did usually regarded them with pity. But the winds of change had blown through the halls of Dunwall with the ascent of the new King. He had promised the Duc de Saint-Sebastien that he would once again walk upon the soil of Daniel-Franklin as its sovereign.

Intervention in Daniel-Franklin was a significant departure from the policy of previous governments in Gristol, who had balked at spending the blood and treasure that a restoration would cost. But close allies of the Dauphin have the ear, and the favor, of the new King. His two fiercest partisans are Baron Daniel De Cobre, who is descended from Francophone Franklinites on his mother's side and long advocated a more forceful support of the Prince. The court at Dunwall is full of rumors about the effect that De Cobre's beautiful wife, the Baroness Anastasia, has had on the King's judgement. If De Cobre sits upon the King's left, then upon his right sits Samuel Fairfax, Baron of Clarendon. De Cobre's interest in Daniel-Franklin is personal, while Fairfax merely sees an opportunity for the United Kingdom to flex its strength. Some believe that that Lord Fairfax supported the expedition in order to send the Dauphin away from his daughters Jane and Alice, but rumors of liaisons between either or both of the pair and the foreign Prince remain mere whispers.

To support the Dauphin in his bid for power the King had selected General Sir Henry Grant, Baron of Craven, to command the expeditionary force that accompanied the hired mercenaries the Prince had assembled himself. The Baron's force included some of the most experienced and blooded regiments in the Gristol Establishment, including the Royal Foresters light infantry, a unit of Royal Marines, and the armored vehicles of the Prince Royal's Own Hussars. They had been transported and escorted to Daniel-Franklin by a fleet of Royal Navy warships under the command of Admiral Samuel Beechworth, who led the naval task force from the flagship Amaranth. While the Gristolian force was somewhat small for the task of subduing two warring factions and establishing monarchist control over the whole country, General Grant was confident that their training and equipment would be superior to anyone the rebels or Turner's regime could put in the field to oppose him. For now, the Royal Marines and the first battalions of the Royal Foresters were out, securing a defensive perimeter around the port so that the unloading of the heavy weapons and vehicles could begin.