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Socialist Republic of Andrew wrote:

That is incredible to hear Orson! I certainly didn't know that the older Orsonian Empire had taken to adopting more Roman/European styled traditions back then. But I suppose it does make sense, as we discussed awhile ago about the Orsonians being a species of dominance and the Roman Empire itself (both IRL and I can only assume EOA as well) were the epitome of Imperial dominance, having ruled a massive Empire spanning multiple continents, lasting for centuries and quite possibly setting the tone for the modernization of military and civilization as we know it today. So I can definitely see the Orsonians adopting some Roman/European traditions and styles. Quite fascinating!

Appreciate it Andrew! Indeed, the Orsonians were inspired by the dominance of the Romans for so many centuries. Also, glad to hear that someone came to look after those horses- definitely a strange situation lol.

Oceara wrote:

Does your nation have any famous feuds between prominent families? The Confederation's most famous feud between prominent families is the feud between The Sangares and the Keitas, the Keitas are angry with the Sangares overthrowing their Dynasty in 1800, while the Sangares are angry with the Keitas because the Keitas defiantly backed the PPD over the Conservative Party in 1920 instead of working with the Conservatives to rebuild a monarchist movement. The Keitas continue to vote PPD out of spite for the family that betrayed theirs' while the Sangares continue to promote corporate interests over that of monarchists within the Conservatives out of spite for the Keitas "Insulting Lack of pragmatism" perpetuating the feud.

Monarchists in the Confederation are surprisingly moderate and tend to be members of the PPD as a result of this feud, as the politics of monarchism in the Confederation turned towards electoral monarchy. The movement is still extremely tiny, as the base of the PPD at large doesn't approve of monarchy in any form and the Feud with the Sangares which are the face of the Conservative Party left monarchists without much inroads to poach voters from the Conservatives base.

(Decided that it made sense to have the monarchists have a rift with the Conservatives considering the origin of the Conservative party)

Interesting to see the internal dynamics of Malian politics, and how the major families continue to influence it to this day.

For Orson, the most infamous is the Palace Feud of the early 20th century. To sum it up, it was not a feud between different families, but instead between two camps of the Jackson royal family. The feud began when Emperor Shoan Jackson died in 1900, after spending 94 years on the throne. Shoan outlived his original heir, Val Jackson, who died in 1877; according to succession law, Val's children were next in line to inherit. The two eldest children were Prince Sion Jackson and Princess Biala Jackson, both twins and both with a valid claim to the throne. This immediately caused a political crisis, as a similar situation had caused the Empire to experience the Succession War in the 16th century, leading to fall of the founding Akaran dynasty from power. Shoan tried to resolve the situation by having the two siblings be co-Emperors, but this utterly failed as they were staunch rivals. Sion and Biala used their political connections to form factions in support of their claims, and every member of the royal family, bureaucrat, and politician had to pick a side. Violence rapidly erupted across Fort Victorium, with duels and gunfights in the streets, assassinations, and bombings. Biala was killed in 1904, and Sion met his end in 1911, but the fighting continued for decades afterwards. Between 1911 and 1963, 12 different Emperors sat on the throne, each assassinated or killed in these brawls.

The Palace Feud had three major effects on Orson:

1. It legitimized political violence and introduced a level of ruthlessness in Orsonian politics unheard of during Shoan's reign. Politicians were encouraged to use all means necessary to obtain power, enrich themselves, or otherwise engage in flagrant corruption. Turner and many Aturorists politicians grew up during or in the aftermath of the feud and were highly influenced by this political climate.

2. It, alongside Orson's defeat in the Second World War, led to the birth of the separatist movements. People across the Empire increasingly resented the Constitutional regime for its systemic corruption and general weakness, and took advantage of the lack of direction or leadership after the 1940's.

3. It set the tone for Emperor Thorseus's reign. By the time he became Emperor in 1963, he was the last surviving member of the royal family. Thorseus not only lacked any formal training for the throne, but was extremely jaded and depressed after seeing his beloved family be viciously killed over their obsession with power and glory. Thorseus utterly despised ruling, and as a result accomplished very little during his entire 40-year reign. He indulged in drugs, sex, and parties to take his mind off of his depression while the Empire fell apart around him. Thorseus could have used his power to introduce numerous political reforms and appease the separatists, and Orson might still be a democracy if he had actually ruled. However, Thorseus chose to do nothing at all, and Orson paid a horrible price for it.