From the Office of Chancellor Pepe, Acting Head of Civil Service

April 10th, in the year of our Goddess 1747. That was the day King Valerius XXIII met his end. Or should I say King Valerius the Last, as he is now being called. The day Crysta executed him with her mighty hammer changed the nation of Valoria forever. I was delighted of course, this was a great opportunity. Although I was from the lower nobility, even the revolutionaries realized we lower aristocrats didn’t have much privilege and we shared plenty of grievances against the monarchy and upper aristocracy. As long as we swore loyalty to the new republic, didn’t have any close connections to the monarch, and generally didn’t cause trouble, they left us alone.

No, more than left alone, they depended on us. Most of the civil service was purged, too many were close friends of King Valerius. In a day, I went from mid level bureaucrat to head of the civil service. Revolutionary army officers were taking over administrative jobs under my direction, and generally did a poor job. Their record keeping habits left much to be desired, and their organizational skills were non-existent. I had to teach them my filing system, which was an improved version of the system used under Valerius. I used my position to push through other beneficial changes to the bureaucratic system.

As I said, the toppling of the monarchy was a great opportunity. Not just for myself, but for the whole country. I could speak honestly about my true feelings, that the aristocratic appointments to government offices were ineffective, and we needed to reward true merit instead. That the organizational and structural systems of the civil service were based more on tradition than effectiveness, and needed reform. My words seemed to resonate with many members of the revolution.

Within a couple weeks of the king’s death, citizens were growing concerned about the military presence in the capital and suspected a dictatorship. Crysta reassured the crowd that a constitutional convention would be convened and the country would quickly transition from military rule to democratic governance. However, the revolutionary military would have a significant influence on the convention. I was invited, because General Aguilo and Admiral Dauphin believed it would be wise to have an apolitical administrator present to help design the structure of the new government. I humbly accepted this important role.

Statement from General Aguilo, Revolutionary Commander - Western Front

When Crysta toppled the arrogant fool, the tyrant King Valerius the Last, I immediately gathered my officers and asked who would still fight for monarchy. And then I had the royalist dogs executed on the spot. I went to my men, the enlisted soldiers, and said, “today we fight for a free country, not for a dying tradition.” They cheered at my proclamation, already brimming with enthusiasm to fight for a just cause. Together we marched to the capital to support the revolutionaries against a royalist counter attack. With revolutionary zeal, we crushed the royalist scum, and secured the heart of our country. By the hands of the revolutionary army, freedom had triumphed.

I was born to a very high level of the nobility, which has caused some to speculate on my motives for joining the revolution. I will not dignify the rumors, I will only say I have always known in my bones that monarchy and aristocratic privileges are an affront to nature. The equality of all citizens is as obvious as the sun in the sky. Despite my association with the decadent and corrupt nobility, my immediate defection has earned the trust of the revolutionary forces. However, I would only ever join a revolution, I would never start one. Only Crysta had the courage to topple a monarch, and we all look to her as our guiding light.

When Crysta called for a constitutional convention, we threw our full support behind her. Many have accused the military forces of hijacking the convention, and stacking the membership. This is an insult. If we had wanted a dictatorship we could have one, but we are committed to a democratic transition. Our purpose at the constitutional convention is to ensure the guiding principles of the revolution are honored. We earned our seats at the convention through blood and sweat.

The militia farmers can be credited with marching on the capital, and securing northern farmlands for the revolution. Their risk and sacrifice is as great as the professional soldiers. But on what basis can the urban agitators complain about our influence in the temporary government, or our representation in the constitutional convention? Unlike the rural farmers, the urban mobs were slow to mobilize in support of the revolution. They waited until Crysta had kicked down the gate, and stepped through to claim victory. Passing out pamphlets doesn’t topple a king, and chanting slogans doesn’t stop a royalist invasion. It is the army, navy and militias that are the muscle of the revolution. We only take what we have earned, and exercise the greatest responsibility in working toward a democratic transition.

Official Communique from Ambassador Charles, Envoy to the United Kingdom of Hibion

Although it is not popular to admit this, when I heard the news of the death of King Valerius, and the purging of nobles from the government, I was a little concerned. My concern grew to fear when I heard rumors of widespread property theft, assaults and even murders of nobles. I was on a diplomatic mission in Hibion at the time, and when the news reached the country, they offered me asylum. I turned it down of course. Regardless of the danger I might have faced, Valoria was my home, and I returned to offer my services to the new government.

The revolutionary soldiers were a little impressed, I think, that I would return home when the situation was so dire for the nobility. A low level officer questioned why I shouldn’t be killed on the spot. I said, “You wouldn’t kill someone useful, would you?” He asked how I could possibly be useful. I explained the dire diplomatic situation, Valoria is surrounded by very concerned monarchies, and they are all preparing to intervene. Having a member of the old aristocracy, someone they have negotiated with for years, would help smooth over the diplomatic situation. I was imprisoned for several days. It was a good sign that they had not simply executed me on the spot, and eventually General Oliphaunt arranged for my release. Another old aristocrat, he was one of several military leaders that earned a place in the revolution by defecting and offering useful command experience. Oliphaunt said he persuaded the other generals of my usefulness and that I would return to my diplomatic mission in Hibion.

Upon my return, my friends in Hibion treated me as they always had. Despite the collapse of the diplomatic situation as the Revolutionary excesses spiraled out of control, I continued to attend social functions in Hibion. Even when war finally broke out, Hibion never lifted my diplomatic immunity. They treated me politely, while also insisting that negotiation was impossible at this time. I never gave up on peace.

I was surprised to hear that I was being briefly recalled back to Valoria to attend a constitutional convention. Chancellor Pepe had recommended I attend, in the hopes that I could explain the diplomatic situation and propose solutions that would alleviate concerns of the newly formed Royalist Coalition. Before I left, I managed to negotiate a one month ceasefire with Hibion, promising them I could achieve a moderate constitutional arrangement and fair treatment for the royal family and nobility. I still firmly believe that the constitutional settlement will be a key factor in our future negotiations.

From the notes of Citizen Emilia, Voice of the People

When Crysta marched into the capital with a ragtag group of farmers and toppled the monarchy, many of us felt hope for the first time that we could remember. However, the permanent sight of soldiers patrolling the streets, mandatory curfews, and restrictions on public gatherings began to alarm many of us. Although this was an improvement over the tyranny of King Valerius, it was beginning to look a lot like a military dictatorship. 

Within a week of Valerius’s death, the army announced that, despite appearances, it was under civilian leadership. Crysta was acting as a temporary head of state, and supported by a group of advisors, both civilian and military. From that day forward, Crysta began making daily speeches about her goals and aspirations for a free country. It was certainly reassuring to hear daily sermons from the mother of the revolution. I cheered along with the rest of the crowd, but I also pushed back. When the speeches ended I always shouted out, “when will we have elections?” And each day more voices joined me.

Within two weeks of the king's execution, Crysta announced that there would be a constitutional convention and a transition from military rule to democratic governance. Again I cheered along with the crowd, as I had done in the past, but inside I was still concerned. Concerned about who would attend this convention and what kind of system they would establish. It sounded like military officials would be the largest group in attendance. I had to do something to counterbalance this military influence.

I gathered opinions from my community about what we needed in a government, and I expanded it with legal and philosophical theories from liberal thinkers across the continent. Soon I had a core framework, democratically accountable institutions empowered to promote the good of citizens and a list of guaranteed rights that could not be violated. I organized a crowd to surround the convention hall, to force them to read our demands for the new constitution. I didn’t imagine that I would actually be let in to participate.