Imperial Financial News The Finance Ministry Cuts the army's funding to pre-war numbers, with many of the soldiers being decommissioned as a result as their wages are cut. The Regalian Military is now only the High Sea Fleets on patrol, and the 20,000 Chancellor's Regiment. Additionally, the Alms Ministry has 40% of its budget slashed, making foreign missions on budget no longer possible without the funding of outside sources. For the time being, the Alms Ministry's buildings can stay open. Finally, the Civics Ministry's funding is gutted, with the vast majority of the secretarial and paperwork staff being dismissed from the payroll. The Civic's Ministry is now just the Minister and one book-keeper. Financial gains made by budget cuts in the administration are immediately undone by the Chancellor as he explodes a single administrative office into several semi-independent bureaucracies with new positions in government, while also creating a new overarching government body for the department of Civics. Bureaucratic expansion by creating new offices, departments, and ministries always comes with a cost. The Army disbanding does have some positive effect on making the bankruptcy less looming. Imperial Diplomatic News The Principality of L'Elvellen descends into chaos as a statue of Emperor Alexander is torn down in the capital by pro-Allorn rebels who launch a country-wide rebellion against the Empire. The Rebellion is mostly made up of poor disenfranchised Altalar who stayed behind in L'Elvellen despite many of their fellow kin leaving for the southern Altalar Principalities after the state was conquered by Regalia in 302 AC. The sudden guerilla attacks across the country coupled with what the military governor claims is insurgents funneled in from the Allorn Empire cause the military element to buckle, calling on the Empire for aid. Ithania, seeing the conflict on their near-southern border, marches its army down south invading the completely un-involved Andois and Visois Principalities. These states at first assume the Ithanian military is actually a Regalian garrison sent to deal with L'Elvellen, however quickly realize too late it is a coup staged by the Ithanians to quickly overthrow the viscounts, as the military is poised to capture all major government offices before the viscounts can act. The King of Ithania proclaims that his intentions are pure, and that occupation is merely for the better good of the southern viscounties, who are known to have weak militaries and a fraction of the budget of Ithania to pay for one. The King also proclaims he will soon deal with the Rebels in L'Elvellen. Florence Amaya's 1,000 Mercenaries travel with Simone Amaya to the defensive frontline of Daenshore, where the mercenary force is summarily defeated and forced to retreat behind the walls of Daenshore itself, completely un-equipped to deal with the Altalar artillery. The High King of Eriu-Innis is angered by the Chancellor's complete withdrawal from an agreement signed during the tenure of the last Chancellor, an act that is universally denounced by many foreign and domestic leaders as careless and dangerous politics, setting the precedent that any successor Chancellor can simply decide that a previous Chancellor's word is no longer valid, thus damaging the trustworthiness of the Regalian Government. The High King has very little time to be angry however, as before the Regalian Garrison can arrive, the micro-state is annexed by the Allorn Empire which already had military attachments present in the area and simply overwhelmed the micro-state's lacking defenses. The High King is transported to the interior of the Allorn Empire for "safekeeping", while the Altalar take up much of the infrastructure left behind by the Regalian soldiers that left, letting the few that stayed behind leave peacefully and without too much rudeness. The Songaskian Ambassador presents a gift of 2,000 cows to the Regalian Empire from the Massya in Farahdeen, proclaiming that "The Empire is in need of donations and charity, and as such, the Masaya brings forth the value of cattle, which have great personal value in the arid deserts of Farahdeen, so as to symbolize our co-operation and mutual respect, for this time, it is your Empire in need, not ours". While the diplomatic gesture /seems/ genuine, jingoist hardliners are outraged that the Empire has gotten to such a point that a foreign nation that it once defeated in war is now grandstanding with charity. The Jingoist hardliners ask for the cattle to be slaughtered and their corpses to be thrown into the ocean, an act that would surely offend the Massya, but please the hardliners. The Jorrhildr colony of Baron Rauda, called Iteå, falls silent. Some merchants eventually explore the area, finding it completely overrun by Url who have seemingly defeated Baron Rauda and turned his entire garrison into Url and induced them into their society. The last Ailor settlement under Regalian authority in Jorrhildr is as such destroyed, causing what little Velheim settlers that remained under watch from the Baron to leave for Nordskag, abandoning Jorrhildr to the Url. Panic tension among states is increasing. It has been another 10 days since the last reshuffle of government and still not a single diplomat was sent anywhere. Even nations that previously did not seem to share the sentiments of Qar-Digmaan Yaotl about the idea that the Empire was no longer able to defend them from foreign incursions, have started talking about organizing their own regional alliances and agreements for mutual defense, while ramping up mobilization of their own forces. The Imperial Regent Reymond Kade has left behind very clear instructions with the Grand Ekhein for his planning with regards to the Assembly reshuffle, but surprises the Imperial Administration by taking his brother Frederick Kade, putting him in the front of a hastily put together army of Kade retinues paid for by Anglia, picking up their aunt Aliandre Kade along the way, and setting out north for Jorrhildr, leaving behind the message that they will be "campaiging in Jorrhildr to re-establish Imperial authority". A massive stockpile of military equipment is taking place in the Azzizzari ports of Vultaro, with soldiers funneling from all over the Vultarin Hegemony's lands to the barracks in the south, from where they are armed and drilled into battle ready-ness. The Iron Duke has made no proclamation or statement as to why this is happening.
