(even in this post many entries below have been complemented a posteriori...)
For new entries and added comments please scroll down:
latest update: O5.15."14
latest update: O5.15."14
I had so many dreams
That tomorrow would be better than yesterday
- 'Less worse' than today
Up to my prayers.
I was a woman full of dreams
With so many doubts
But little of hatred.
But all crumbled down when I learned
From the doctors that I was condemned.
I am of those so few ones
Who know when their deadline expires:
From now on I live as in a cell
In the Death Row.
I want to have a last chance
G*d to review the sentence
But I don’t have any choice
Compelled to live with *that*
But why?
I do not deserve it.
.
(Soprano – 'Derniere Chance')
Death rides a jet-black stallion
Face hooded
When the boys march to battle
Walks at their side.
Death rides a snow-white mare
As beautiful as an Angel from Heaven
When the girls go dancing
Enters their ring.
.
(Anonymous , Flanders 1917 - "Der Tod reit't")
I am the Dark One - the Widower - the One Beyond Solace,
The Prince of Aquitaine of the ruined Tower:
My only Star is dead - my once constellated shield
Now wears the Black Sun of Melancholy.
My only Star is dead - my once constellated shield
Now wears the Black Sun of Melancholy.
(Gerard de Nerval - "El Desdichado")
Chante, rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai.
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi je l'ai à pleurer.
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,
Jamais je ne t'oublierai.
I loved you my Lady:
Though in your grave you lie
I'll always be with you,
This rose will never die,
This rose will never die.
In the temple of love, shine like thunderToi qui as le cœur gai.
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi je l'ai à pleurer.
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,
Jamais je ne t'oublierai.
I loved you my Lady:
Though in your grave you lie
I'll always be with you,
This rose will never die,
This rose will never die.
But it's not far before you reach your goal
When you go where the lonely souls go.
When you go where the lonely souls go.
In the temple of love, cry like rain
In the temple of love, hear the calling
And the temple of love is falling
Down
.
Ohne deine Hilfe verliere ich mich in diesem Ort
._._._._._._.
. Bittersweet memories... . a ghost from the past? . Fall fell on me
III was a child and she was a child on those benches of the university...Those were the days: and now...All these years -almost 40- we kept in touch:
Maybe I was still vaguely dreaming of a possible future?unfortunately... now brooding on your grave
SO BE IT…
Henceforward new updates will be posted below.
News, updates and a resume
2014
- May 15: 6th Jour-Denise in the Presipality
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2012
-°-: "12 updates
- August 15 : on this day, while Catholics commemorate the (assumption of) the Assumption of Virgin Mary, their skepticism notwithstanding Monte-Cristans celebrate the Fada Esterella, the tutelary demi-goddess (?) of their land: a sorceress, a warrior, but emphatically NOT a virgin!
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2011
-°- "11 updates
-°- August "11: The pride 
in the French Antilles after an uneventful crossing, her captain Chevalier Biscouillu de Blondesburnes and his Lieutenant Gellet Violay-Dubout took up quarters in the Mes rousses : thon inn, owned by a retired Monte-Cristan 'privateer' with a taste for dirty puns ("Rose par devant, renoncule par derriere") and his Creole bouncer - cum - cook - cum wife Ruth Abagha. Gloriole is to be joined by the Spanish corvette La Biamajora and the French brigs Congre debout & Duel en Tendre.
-°- May 15 "11 : 4th Jour-Denise in the Presipality: for Monte-Cristans, 'Life's too short' and 'Music is the most wonderful gift given to Mankind', and they cannot imagine a feast, public or private (O1.25."09 comment), without music, dances and songs, traditional (paroles) or recent.
On the morning of this day of remembrance, the Band of the Carabiniers will parade on the Rue de Bourbon, alternating Purcell's Funeral March with a German one Louys judged specially appropriate, if one understands 'bullet' as 'cancer'. Having reached the Theatre de Verdure the Band will perform in full Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary. With its parade strength of 397 the Band gathers enough good singers to double as a Choir, and many instrumentalists are female, specially in the woodwinds section -Monte-Cristan girls are justifiably renowned for their skill, with their gifted mouths and nimble fingers, to get the best from very old instruments (such as cornett and crumhorn, what were you thinking about?).
But the oppressive gloom will not last: from the afternoon after siesta time to dusk, then from full sunset to dawn there will be free merry (some songs defying translation: Lady Denise loved to laugh and dance so much that her popular nickname was 'our April Queen') music and dances (on this day some from Limousin) everywhere in the City, with State-funded concerts as well as 'events' and demonstrations of traditional dances in the Theatre de Verdure and spontaneous performances in the squares and streets (with, in a very Monte-Cristan fashion, occasional bursts of grim-ness and melancholy after evocations of Lady Denise's country); all more and more 'exotic' and... odd, with guests from further and further away, wilder and wilder as the night advances -a rainbow of faeric (neopagan?) and 'exotic' performances.
On the morning of this day of remembrance, the Band of the Carabiniers will parade on the Rue de Bourbon, alternating Purcell's Funeral March with a German one Louys judged specially appropriate, if one understands 'bullet' as 'cancer'. Having reached the Theatre de Verdure the Band will perform in full Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary. With its parade strength of 397 the Band gathers enough good singers to double as a Choir, and many instrumentalists are female, specially in the woodwinds section -Monte-Cristan girls are justifiably renowned for their skill, with their gifted mouths and nimble fingers, to get the best from very old instruments (such as cornett and crumhorn, what were you thinking about?).
But the oppressive gloom will not last: from the afternoon after siesta time to dusk, then from full sunset to dawn there will be free merry (some songs defying translation: Lady Denise loved to laugh and dance so much that her popular nickname was 'our April Queen') music and dances (on this day some from Limousin) everywhere in the City, with State-funded concerts as well as 'events' and demonstrations of traditional dances in the Theatre de Verdure and spontaneous performances in the squares and streets (with, in a very Monte-Cristan fashion, occasional bursts of grim-ness and melancholy after evocations of Lady Denise's country); all more and more 'exotic' and... odd, with guests from further and further away, wilder and wilder as the night advances -a rainbow of faeric (neopagan?) and 'exotic' performances.
-°- April 16 "11: Preparation of the next May 15: in eclectic and (seemingly) as peaceful as merciful 'Flower Power' Monte-Cristo, 
to each holiday of the rich festive calendar are attached one (at least) dish, but generally also a drink, a plant or flower, a song, a dance... When Louys established the Jour-Denise he stated that all the recipes his first wife brought from her native Limousin (a breathtakingly beautiful land, but so poor that chestnut provides most of starchy food, and pancakes of buckwheat and whey replace bread) were associated with her memorial day. To-day he specifies the drink: cider (Lemousis are almost as proud of their apples as of their cattle), the flower: the heather (so characteristic of her province), the song: Lou Turlututu, the dance: La Gigouillette.
Chestnut trees are rare in the Presipality, and chestnuts are mainly eaten, by a very old tradition, during the Niu de la Rostida; but Louys had whole convoys of chestnuts-loaded wagons coming last Autumn from Vivarais: the fruits will be distributed for free from May 13 to May 15.
. Louys also specifies that, in accordance with Monte-Cristan tradition, while it is courteous to wait for this holyday to cook its associated meals, they later can be enjoyed any time until the end of the year. Thus, Denise's congostas dau Lemosin (the land of the mila vacas = mille batz: 'thousand springs') are fully integrated in the popular culture of the Presipality.
. At last, Louys officially confirms that the Jour-Denise is among the few Monte-Cristan holidays (the Calendau sequence, the Walpurgis Night-Beltaine Day -known here as Jour du Muguet, Saint-Sulfond, the summer solstice and the equinoxes...) that are not shifted one day back or forward when they occur on a Sunday (and thus 'waste' what is already a festive day off- but of course the following Monday is a legal holiday 'to recover and finish the leftovers! ).
to each holiday of the rich festive calendar are attached one (at least) dish, but generally also a drink, a plant or flower, a song, a dance... When Louys established the Jour-Denise he stated that all the recipes his first wife brought from her native Limousin (a breathtakingly beautiful land, but so poor that chestnut provides most of starchy food, and pancakes of buckwheat and whey replace bread) were associated with her memorial day. To-day he specifies the drink: cider (Lemousis are almost as proud of their apples as of their cattle), the flower: the heather (so characteristic of her province), the song: Lou Turlututu, the dance: La Gigouillette.Chestnut trees are rare in the Presipality, and chestnuts are mainly eaten, by a very old tradition, during the Niu de la Rostida; but Louys had whole convoys of chestnuts-loaded wagons coming last Autumn from Vivarais: the fruits will be distributed for free from May 13 to May 15.
. Louys also specifies that, in accordance with Monte-Cristan tradition, while it is courteous to wait for this holyday to cook its associated meals, they later can be enjoyed any time until the end of the year. Thus, Denise's congostas dau Lemosin (the land of the mila vacas = mille batz: 'thousand springs') are fully integrated in the popular culture of the Presipality.
. At last, Louys officially confirms that the Jour-Denise is among the few Monte-Cristan holidays (the Calendau sequence, the Walpurgis Night-Beltaine Day -known here as Jour du Muguet, Saint-Sulfond, the summer solstice and the equinoxes...) that are not shifted one day back or forward when they occur on a Sunday (and thus 'waste' what is already a festive day off- but of course the following Monday is a legal holiday 'to recover and finish the leftovers
- February "11 updates: -°: a Monte-Cristan escort heading to Versailles: Sous-lieutenant Claire Baizanville, one of the few women among the Gardes de l’Etrier, was entrusted with the safety of our visitor the Galatan ambassador Marquis de Vilana during his secret trip to Versailles.-°: Monte-Cristan cultural influence in
model of democracy not only exemplary in our Age of Reason, but which if successful will remain so in the centuries to come. Of course, in some Pangaean circles, his current draft of Constitution is already felt as cataclysmic threat...
-°: Monte-Cristan cultural influence in the Caribbean: our typical zerokini and the practice of sunbathing are spreading to this -propitious- area: first examples observed at Neeuw Guelden.
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2010
- July -> December "10 updates:.
Alegre bon soulstice d'iver e urous an nouve !
-°:Monte-Cristan cultural influence in Witzboldfeld
: the Elector Spiritual of the Germanisch Reich in Pangaea, back from Monte-Cristo, modified drastically the atmosphere of his Court and the political structure of his Archbishopric. It is instructive to compare this contemporary portrait of His Eminence the Elector Spiritual, Cardinal Johan-Ludwig von Hausseinem in Christofberg, with the one done when still Feudal Suveraen Fuerste-Erzbischof of Witzboldfeld just before his departure to far away Monte-Cristo.
Monte-Cristan influence on neighbor Enteburg is for the time being limited to a few items in military fashion, either through the regiments raised in Witzboldfeld or more directly.
-°:New Flags for Witzboldfeld: The Elector Spiritual, as a Kurfuerst des Reiches -by tradition the Archbishopric of Wizboldfeld was given as a persoenliches feudales Land to the elected Geistiger Waehler- had to send a contingent to the Reich Armee. But Cardinal Johan-Louis was deeply changed by his sojourn in Monte-Cristo Thus, soon after his return to Pangaea he was appalled by the horrendous casualties suffered at the Battle of Grosser Feuerbach by the good men of Witzboldfeld; so, feeling personally unfit and unable to send again his 'secular' subjects to the bloodbath he decided to relinquish any secular power and to become a landless purely Spiritual leader. Witzboldfeld now secular, without government or 
political status, he seized this opportunity to apply *in full* the principles of Liberty and Equality he had discovered, observed and admired in their application in Monte-Cristo, turning the ex-Feudal Erzbischofssitz of Witzboldfeld into a weltlicher Volksrepublik, with himself as a provisional 'Lord Protector'. It is gratifying that, in the midst of the widespread wariness / hostility fired abroad by his daring initiative, the Elector Spiritual was nonetheless induced in the Order of the Reich Marschall (known as Der KaiserWoelfs Orden in Vorlund and Witzboldfeld, for politico-sentimental reasons; besides, Reichmarschall und Reichsjaegermeister Hermann Gooring left... controversial memories).
Such political Revolution required Witzboldfeld to wield a new 'civic / national' flag (and even here the Elector Spiritual found his inspiration in Monte-Cristo).
(The Eagle wielding a sickle and a sword, a tool and a weapon, reminds of the necessity of 'working to live, fighting to live free'; the 'broken manacle' symbolizes Liberty, the balance Equality, the sword the duty to defend these gains against the Reaction; the 'sickle & hammer' reminds that in a true democracy power belongs to the more numerous, the working classes, not to a privileged wealthy minority. On the motto 'Equality' comes before 'Liberty' because, while this last was claimed since Antiquity by philosophers and demagogues, *real* Equality -between sexes as well as social classes- is more a 'novelty'.)
Most regiments of the Witzboldfelder Army will keep their traditional flags; The Lord Protector gave 'new pattern' ones only to those few (specially reliable) units he either reinforced or created after the Revolution. Following the Monte-Cristan example each has a single flag, but in addition the two sides are identical (actually, mirror images -excepted of course for the lettering of the motto- when presented on the same plane.
The Republikanische Grenadier Garde Witzboldfelds (ex Archbishop Grenadier Garde) anyway needed new Colours, having heroically lost its previous ones at Grosser Feuerbach.
Foot (2 Grenadiere battalions and a reinforced company of Grenadiere-Bombardiere, whose 'field' elements are equipped with ultra-modern Schmetterling ultra-light 3 pounders).
The new Husaren-Grenadiere.
The new Amazonas Leibwaechter von des Herr-Beschuetzers(at first known as 'the mysterious all female company under the command of Hauptfrauen Anias Nin and Major Lolita von Sapho') who call themselves the Filles d'Aubigny. If, fulfilling the wish of both the People and the provisional Lord Protector of Witzboldfeld, Kurfuerstin Annabel von Vorlund accepts to become the Lady Protectrix of the Republic, the unit will proudly take the name of LeibStandarte Annabel Herrscherinbeschuetzer (LSAH ).
The Volkssturm (the new Militia of men and women volunteering to defend the Republic and the Revolution
)
Volkssturm Foot
V
Volkssturm Dragoons
David "NBA" Linienblatt of Tippelbruder designed with his usual artistic genius all these splendid flags from the confuse suggestions and rough sketches shamelessly submitted by the Elector Spiritual.
(-°: Langdouc: images and a song (O4.12."13 update: edited with more details there): Thisfeudal crusaders-in-exile successor state is the 
southeasternmost bastion of Christianity in the Balkans. Its mountainous third along the Ottoman border corresponds to the Chiesarchia ('Ecclesiarchy') ruled from the monastery-fortress of Montsegur by the frantically -if deviantly: apocalyptic / millenarist- fundamentalist Order of the Bloodied Martyrs. Hoping for a prompt return to the Holy Land and rebirth of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, its founders created only a 'State'. The Gran Capitou at his head is elected for three years renewable by the nobility -every noble family, regardless of its power and wealth, having only one vote. While -or because- it represented from the start at least half of the economic and military power of Langdouc, the Order as a whole -all its members together- got only one vote. Any meager power the Gran Capitou may have comes from the rivalry between the great families. Since the founding of the Estat the nobles agree on one point only: to prevent the Order from gaining more political power.
After the siege of Vienna, the Vatican took a renewed interest in this Christian outpost largely embeded in Ottoman lands. By then the Langdoucian armies were archaic: as in Poland and Russia their modernization began with the addition of mercenary units from Western Europe. Since the last years of the 17th C. an odd (paramilitary?) dragoon-type outfit, the Paladini di San Michele Arcangelo, serves the Gran Capitou and the infantry Reggimento Santi Pietro e Marco (rear depot in Venice) appears among the non-Order forces of the Chiesarchia: it's not coincidental that the flags of both units bear the crossed keys of Saint Peter.
A handful of knowledgeable people in Herrschaden, Monte-Cristo and the Vatican (mostly female in the two first cases) are fascinated by the whispered rumours locating some great Artifacts of Power in the dungeons of Montsegur: maybe the Grail and /or the Spear of Destiny but 'for sure' the Witchblade , that Fay Sword only women can wield, and perhaps Scathach's 'Gae Bolga'.
This old song is so popular that Langdoucians in exile use it almost as a national anthem. The nobles of Gran Langdouc cherish the troubadours traditions of the Amor Cortes / Cortes d'Amor, and trobairitz -still proudly using the beautiful Lemouzi tongue- contribute to the exceptionally high status of women in the secular part of the Estat -indeed they have the same status as men on most points, specially regarding property and inheritance; old songs are still cherished. On the opposite popular dances and mere songs [here França refers to the 'secular' part of Gran Langdouc: Roman Catholic Crusaders were 'Franks' for the Orthodoxs and Muslims alike; the girl laments her unhappy arranged marriage to a man living in the Chiesarchia] are strictly forbidden in the Chiesarchia -as is any form of secular art, literature and music: love and understanding are anathema there.
Btw, most of expatriate Langdoucians come from the Ecclesiarchy; many go no further than Herrschaden and enlist in the army of the Order's mortal enemy.
While a few Cathars -they ancestors having fled from Occitania first to Lombardia, then to that mysterious land to the East where their tongue was spoken- are openly tolerated in França, as are their Bonas Femnas priestesses: in Franc Langdouc even traditional children's tales are rooted in memories of Tolosa.
-°: Oversea: first detailed reports from a newly discovered Archipelago.
. ..........v.vvv.. And, from further afar, a Half-Continent.
-°: Monte-CristanFreiwillige for Herrschaden: The presence in the Herrschaden contingent recently attached to Prussian forces, of a small battalion of Monte-Cristan Freiwillige created some surprise. In the meantime, during her noticed sojourn in the Presipality, Direktorix Katarin Lahmia started recruiting a Monte-Cristan unit of cavalry (officially as a personal retinue): she departed with the first squadron and regimental staff fully constituted (including a few bold girls). Unkontrolled rumours in Herrschaden forecast that the two units are to be combined in a purely Monte-Cristan Volunteer Legion, maybe complemented later with some artillery (the Presipapal Palace here claimed it did not 
have to comment administrative changes of TOE of minor components of a foreign army). Monte-Cristo as a State is perfectly neutral and unaligned, thus a purely Monte-Cristan unit in foreign service may be perceived as a shocking 'novelty', perhaps marking a change of Presipapal policy. SUCH IS NOT THE CASE.
Indeed it is not uncommon for adventurous boys (and girls, sometimes) from the Presipality to individually enlist for a few years in foreign service: our Gardes and most of our full-time Carabiniers are indeed such retired military types. A minority makes a full career, and a few ended at the head of a 'local' regiment.
But it will be the first appearance abroad of an entirely and openly Monte-Cristan outfit: carefully parsed contracts copied on the Swiss model will assure it could not be taken as a breach in the traditional Monte-Cristan non-committal neutrality. A soothing, if somewhat toning-down the truth, note -the essence of diplomacy[*]- stressing that the converging of all Monte-Cristans in Herrschadener service service in a single unit is a purely administrative step, without any meaning or importance outside the Direktorat military structure. and can in no way be deemed a breach in, or an infringement of, the traditional Monte-Cristan policy of perfect neutrality was sent to all Courts of Europe.
---
[*]:"the essence of diplomacy":
'The Diplomat and the Honest Woman:
- When the Diplomat says 'Yes' he means 'Maybe';
. when the Diplomat says 'Maybe' he means 'No';
. when the Diplomat says 'No'... but no Diplomat ever says 'No'.
- When the Honest Woman says 'No' she means 'Maybe';
. when the Honest Woman says 'Maybe' she means 'Yes';
. when the Honest Woman says 'Yes'... but no Honest Woman ever says 'Yes'.'
Not a few Monte-Cristan soldiers are already present in Herrschaden, mostly from the disbanded Jowetski Legion, some released from the Liegrgt. or 'redirekted' from the Oebel dragoner; not far from the Direktorat, volunteers are unemployed after the calming down of the war in Lifonlia; and, in the Anabaptist Bishopric of Zenda, a sizeable number of disgruntled Monte-Cristans could easily be convinced to desert the Sal(i)vation Army, specially the Franco-Swiss regiment Pluccon-Tumeurs, on the verge of mutiny because of the incompetence and corruption of its colonel (Monte-Cristans *hate* incompetent officers); also came a few deserters from both sides after the pathetic battle of Troudukheim.
Monte-Cristans greatly admire stong-minded women who broke the chains of sexist prejudices and traditions, and 'Lady Katarin', as she is affectionately called here, easily gathered enthusiastic volunteers willing to form her personal retinue, Late Roman Bucellarii-fashion -the core of the future Monte-Cristan Light Horse.
But, the population of the Presipality is simply too small -and by far- to support at once the raising of what still amounts to at least a reinforced battalion. Yet the Palace seemingly wants to actively support the Defense effort of the Direktorat, at least in its 'Libro Pensado - Rasoun contro Supersticioun' front (even if only for some "Of two evils choose the least" type of reason). Thus, Monte-Cristans currently in, or recently retired from, foreign service were urged to contact among their comrades in arms those at the same time good soldiers and merry companions 'of Monte-Cristan temperament', and offer them a second military life in Herrschadener service. Official agreements insure Monte-Cristan nationals a privileged status and special protection (precious, at times) in the Direktorat. Thus, all foreign volunteers will be granted Monte-Cristan citizenship and receive, like the 'Monte-Cristan by birth' ones, an identity bill with their name, age, certificate of Monte-Cristan nationality, military record, anthropometric description and individual identification number. The Herrschadener Kontrollers (locally pronounced 'kuntrollers'; colloquially known in the Presipality as 'kons' / 'kunts' or 'trolls') are at the same time pernickety and cursorily expeditious: to prevent any difficulty each volunteer will have his identification number tattooed on the upper right arm below a tiny mermaid (our iridescent pink pigment forbidding any forgery); the official value of this mark will be explicitly mentioned in all contracts. An official delegation, with clerks and tattooers, departed for Herrschaden in order to provide all Monte-Cristans already there with up-to-date legal means of identification.
About tattoos, the doctors carrying out the enlistment medical examination were surprised to see SE tattooed on a very intimate organ of one of the volunteers: the man explained that when... in great shape one can read 'SUZIE', the name of his girlfriend. For another it was 'SOPHIE', but most memorable was the one on whom it was 'SOUVENIR DE MON EXPEDITION EN AFRIQUE EQUATORIALE FRANCAISE'.
[The cadres of the newly formed regiment were verbally instructed to beware of all ('paranoid') Unterdirektors, and to secretly give absolute priority to any orders from Direktorix Katarin Lahmia, up to becoming her equivalent of Milady de Winter's Black Legion if required to. But indeed, given Monte-Cristan temperament, the whole Legion feels spontaneously sworn to the Direktorix, in a like manner some Ancients would have recognized as personal 'Devotio' -any 'Direktion' or 'Undirektion' notwithstanding ]
The Presipapal Palace warmly compliments and thanks the famous military fashion designer and long-lasting friend of Monte-Cristo, David Linienblatt of Tippelbruder, for the great flags, beautiful, inspirational and meaningful in every minute detail, he kindly drew for this new unit.
According to Monte-Cristan practice, each unit has a single flag with 'a "State's" reverse and a "regimental" obverse, rather than a set of two flags, one "State's" and one "regimental".
-°: A Galatanlegacy in Monte-Cristo: 
A xebec proudly flying the ensigns of Galatea entered our harbor, carrying a legacy from that courageous defiant Principality fighting for its survival as an independent State. Its leader, the respected Marquis of Vilana, is not asking for any direct help from the Presipality -known to be not only peaceful and neutral, but tiny to the point of military impotence- but comes in the hope to meet delegates, official or officious, of various Major Powers. Because of its universally acknowledged neutrality and discretion, and to be blunt also because of its fair weather and relaxed atmosphere, Monte-Cristo is now a well-established, almost traditional location for diplomatic meetings -specially the officious ones, or the discret preliminaries to formal ones later held elsewhere.
Only Cavenderia sent a permanent ambassador to the Presipality -the lovely Ambassadrix Patronelle d'Anis (now more Monte-Cristan than Cavenderian, and by far)- and very few countries bother to maintain a consular legation -the exchanges with Versailles pass through some Monte-Cristan merchants in the Enclos du Temple, at this time mostly MM. Parsimoni et Abonescian (and also, it must be confessed, through the underground Royaume d'Argot, the secret 'kingdom' of beggars, cut-purses, prostitutes and thieves). Yet, as always during a crisis in Europe Monte-Cristo is currently teeming with underground diplomatic activities between the most unlikely people who officially came here to sample the restorative waters of the spa, to enjoy the benefits of thalassotherapie or for the Summer Baroque Festival. For instance, among the subjects of the Austrian Hasburg the isolationist party is represented by Jean Aideumol,
the Wallon producer of William McGonagallan shows, the cautious 'wait and see' persuasion by Pedock Puduck-Vibescu, hereditary hospodar from the easternmost part of the territories under Austrian hegemony, while the Polish-Galician Magnate Labitlas Baizenski is the 'lobbyist' of the bold pro-Galatan interventionists; William, Baron von Beerstein is known to be very close to the Imperial Throne, but came with his wife and young son, so, it seems, truly and only for the water, the festival and the great non-baroque night concert. Among the Britishs, Sir Robert Walpole represents the bellicose Malburian conviction, while the opposite party has for officious agent Lord Chickenbugger (nicknamed 'Bombardier
Beetle' for his uncontrollable flatulences). The (missionary) position of that Dutch clergyman Bilbo Petittbit looks unstable and seemingly could easily be reverted. A rogue jesuit from Versailles, the Pere (Teilhard) de Rouston [nicknamed there either 'Le Pere pervers' or 'Le Pepere vert', both have their partisans: Monte-Cristans merged both in 'Pervers Pepere'] is a neutral observer. Then, the Ottoman Mehter was invited again -this year with soloist Ali Begud- to the festival (Monte-Cristo favors cultural mediterranean syncretism): a few progressive officials accompany it and its escort of Nizam~Cedit.
During his numerous years in the Old Crown
the Marquis de Vilana was able to establish a solid net of relationships with several foreign representatives. Monte-Cristo is as peaceful as neutral, and thus if its vaunted neutrality now and then suffers a minor breach, it's only in that the Presipality is deeply biased in favor of peace and willing to support any effort bringing back peace or preventing war. Thus the Palace invited influential characters from very diverse countries who can turn to useful -if sometimes unexpected- interlocutors for the Galatan representative in his struggle to restore peace in the Iberic Peninsula. By a stroke of luck the visit 
of the Marquis of Vilana coincides with our annual festival of 'Baroque' Music, a golden excuse for the most diverse persons to come to Monte-Cristo. Just like the Galatan legacy, all those invited persons, as well as the representatives of Herrschaden and Beerstein and any other emissaries (Louis-Ferdinand Celine de Saint-Gobain, our Counsellor to the Relations with Resident Foreigners, is very good at spotting the 'secret' ones!) will stay at the Paris H. Palace Hostel, by its very conception propitious to discret / secret meetings.
The first reception of the Galatan legacy at its arrival will of course be friendly (Monte-Cristo is friendly with everyone -though the friendship will be more sincere in this case than in some others...), but without the ceremonial used for official representatives of countries currently enjoying peace. Actually the official reception (public, in front of the foreign representatives and Monte-Cristan personalities -but no obvious churchman) of de Vilana's credentials at the Palace will be more than gracious, the delegation greeted with fanfare by the brass & drums of the Carabiniers playing the Trompes d'Eustache followed by the Trompes de Fallope, then offered a musical entertainment, a variegated dancing show and then a medley of old Monte-Cristan songs by the children choir Les Rossignols du Caroubier.
Some malevolent persons -without any doubt nationals of countries envious of our success as a genial location for international meetings- suggest that, while the secrecy of private interviews in Monte-Cristo is indeed perfect towards third parties, not a single word whispered in the Presipality by a foreigner remains unknown from our Bureau de la Surete Nationale for more than half an hour. Of course we deny these low insinuations with the uttermost indignation. But anyway, peaceful we are, but not *naive*: knowing human nature, we understand peace can be preserved either by honest discussions dispelling misunderstandings or by the deterring nature of a powerful defensive alliance...
Update: From its very arrival the Palace gives the Galatan legation as many marks of attention and sympathy as possible without blatantly breaking the appearance of neutrality. De Saint-Gobain does not personally welcome all delegations at the harbour! It's not a secret that all Galatans are accommodated -the men in good inns, the staff in the PHPH- as State guests (all expenses "on the account of Monte-Cristo");
a junior officer of the Gardes de l'Etrier is permanently attached to de Vilana and a carriage from the Palace 'Ecuries et Equipages' is at his disposal. As the liaison officer Louys appointed the beautiful Sous-lieutenant Claire Baizanville, the highest ranking among the few female Gardes, a more amiable and pleasant company than any grizzled veteran (in Monte-Cristo this moving song is deemed a transparent reference to her) and, as an ex-professional duelist -"La Belle Dame sans Merci"- a perfect bodyguard for de Vilana (a summary of her biography posted as 2 comments below on O8.16"10). With the Palace support, a brilliant Galatan composer and performer, Jordi Savall, by a stroke of luck (?) invited this year to the Festival Baroque et Neo-baroque, will perform 
specially for his countrymen away from Galatea and a few major Monte-Cristan personalities (including Louys himself) with his Concert des Nations orchestra and Capella Reial de Catalunya choir.
At their official presentation, de Vilana's credentials were received with an obvious friendliness; de Vilana presented Louys with the Galatan Cross of Sant Jordi d'Alfama, and traditional Monte-Cristan neutrality notwithsatnding, the POPP publicly expressed his emotion and pride.
Even more significantly, on the evening of the official reception, de Vilana, the xebec captain Joan Ventura and the young lieutenant Leibnitz commanding the military escort -accompanied by sous-lieutenant Baizanville in her quality of liaison officer- were invited to a very private dinner -with
only Louys, de Saint-Gobain and Angele de Polihacrilamide- at the Palace: such a gathering, despite the presence of playful Scoubi, Louys' little furry companion, looks more like a working session than a mere convivial meeting... For sure Louys will report some recent Monte-Cristan 'diplomatic' activities in relation with the situation in Hispania (successive comments).
Update: while the hasty departure of his xebec distracted the attention of his enemies, Marquis de Vilana stayed behind to secretly try to to reach Versailles; Claire Baizanville volunteered to escort him in this dangerous journey.
Monte-Cristan military advisors for Galatea
._._._._._._.
Alegre bon soulstice d'iver e urous an nouve !
-°:
: the Elector Spiritual of the Germanisch Reich in Pangaea, back from Monte-Cristo, modified drastically the atmosphere of his Court and the political structure of his Archbishopric. It is instructive to compare this contemporary portrait of His Eminence the Elector Spiritual, Cardinal Johan-Ludwig von Hausseinem in Christofberg, with the one done when still Feudal Suveraen Fuerste-Erzbischof of Witzboldfeld just before his departure to far away Monte-Cristo. Monte-Cristan influence on neighbor Enteburg is for the time being limited to a few items in military fashion, either through the regiments raised in Witzboldfeld or more directly.
-°:
political status, he seized this opportunity to apply *in full* the principles of Liberty and Equality he had discovered, observed and admired in their application in Monte-Cristo, turning the ex-Feudal Erzbischofssitz of Witzboldfeld into a weltlicher Volksrepublik, with himself as a provisional 'Lord Protector'. It is gratifying that, in the midst of the widespread wariness / hostility fired abroad by his daring initiative, the Elector Spiritual was nonetheless induced in the Order of the Reich Marschall (known as Der KaiserWoelfs Orden in Vorlund and Witzboldfeld, for politico-sentimental reasons; besides, Reichmarschall und Reichsjaegermeister Hermann Gooring left... controversial memories). Such political Revolution required Witzboldfeld to wield a new 'civic / national' flag (and even here the Elector Spiritual found his inspiration in Monte-Cristo).
(The Eagle wielding a sickle and a sword, a tool and a weapon, reminds of the necessity of 'working to live, fighting to live free'; the 'broken manacle' symbolizes Liberty, the balance Equality, the sword the duty to defend these gains against the Reaction; the 'sickle & hammer' reminds that in a true democracy power belongs to the more numerous, the working classes, not to a privileged wealthy minority. On the motto 'Equality' comes before 'Liberty' because, while this last was claimed since Antiquity by philosophers and demagogues, *real* Equality -between sexes as well as social classes- is more a 'novelty'.)Most regiments of the Witzboldfelder Army will keep their traditional flags; The Lord Protector gave 'new pattern' ones only to those few (specially reliable) units he either reinforced or created after the Revolution. Following the Monte-Cristan example each has a single flag, but in addition the two sides are identical (actually, mirror images -excepted of course for the lettering of the motto- when presented on the same plane.
The Republikanische Grenadier Garde Witzboldfelds (ex Archbishop Grenadier Garde) anyway needed new Colours, having heroically lost its previous ones at Grosser Feuerbach.
Foot (2 Grenadiere battalions and a reinforced company of Grenadiere-Bombardiere, whose 'field' elements are equipped with ultra-modern Schmetterling ultra-light 3 pounders).
The new Husaren-Grenadiere.
The new Amazonas Leibwaechter von des Herr-Beschuetzers(at first known as 'the mysterious all female company under the command of Hauptfrauen Anias Nin and Major Lolita von Sapho') who call themselves the Filles d'Aubigny. If, fulfilling the wish of both the People and the provisional Lord Protector of Witzboldfeld, Kurfuerstin Annabel von Vorlund accepts to become the Lady Protectrix of the Republic, the unit will proudly take the name of LeibStandarte Annabel Herrscherinbeschuetzer (LSAH ).
The Volkssturm (the new Militia of men and women volunteering to defend the Republic and the Revolution
)Volkssturm Foot
V
Volkssturm Dragoons
David "NBA" Linienblatt of Tippelbruder designed with his usual artistic genius all these splendid flags from the confuse suggestions and rough sketches shamelessly submitted by the Elector Spiritual.
(-°: Langdouc: images and a song (O4.12."13 update: edited with more details there): This
southeasternmost bastion of Christianity in the Balkans. Its mountainous third along the Ottoman border corresponds to the Chiesarchia ('Ecclesiarchy') ruled from the monastery-fortress of Montsegur by the frantically -if deviantly: apocalyptic / millenarist- fundamentalist Order of the Bloodied Martyrs. Hoping for a prompt return to the Holy Land and rebirth of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, its founders created only a 'State'. The Gran Capitou at his head is elected for three years renewable by the nobility -every noble family, regardless of its power and wealth, having only one vote. While -or because- it represented from the start at least half of the economic and military power of Langdouc, the Order as a whole -all its members together- got only one vote. Any meager power the Gran Capitou may have comes from the rivalry between the great families. Since the founding of the Estat the nobles agree on one point only: to prevent the Order from gaining more political power.After the siege of Vienna, the Vatican took a renewed interest in this Christian outpost largely embeded in Ottoman lands. By then the Langdoucian armies were archaic: as in Poland and Russia their modernization began with the addition of mercenary units from Western Europe. Since the last years of the 17th C. an odd (paramilitary?) dragoon-type outfit, the Paladini di San Michele Arcangelo, serves the Gran Capitou and the infantry Reggimento Santi Pietro e Marco (rear depot in Venice) appears among the non-Order forces of the Chiesarchia: it's not coincidental that the flags of both units bear the crossed keys of Saint Peter.
A handful of knowledgeable people in Herrschaden, Monte-Cristo and the Vatican (mostly female in the two first cases) are fascinated by the whispered rumours locating some great Artifacts of Power in the dungeons of Montsegur: maybe the Grail and /or the Spear of Destiny but 'for sure' the Witchblade , that Fay Sword only women can wield, and perhaps Scathach's 'Gae Bolga'.
This old song is so popular that Langdoucians in exile use it almost as a national anthem. The nobles of Gran Langdouc cherish the troubadours traditions of the Amor Cortes / Cortes d'Amor, and trobairitz -still proudly using the beautiful Lemouzi tongue- contribute to the exceptionally high status of women in the secular part of the Estat -indeed they have the same status as men on most points, specially regarding property and inheritance; old songs are still cherished. On the opposite popular dances and mere songs [here França refers to the 'secular' part of Gran Langdouc: Roman Catholic Crusaders were 'Franks' for the Orthodoxs and Muslims alike; the girl laments her unhappy arranged marriage to a man living in the Chiesarchia] are strictly forbidden in the Chiesarchia -as is any form of secular art, literature and music: love and understanding are anathema there.
Btw, most of expatriate Langdoucians come from the Ecclesiarchy; many go no further than Herrschaden and enlist in the army of the Order's mortal enemy.While a few Cathars -they ancestors having fled from Occitania first to Lombardia, then to that mysterious land to the East where their tongue was spoken- are openly tolerated in França, as are their Bonas Femnas priestesses: in Franc Langdouc even traditional children's tales are rooted in memories of Tolosa.
-°: Academic honours: the Monte-Cristan Academie des Sciences & Arts elected Lady
Elisenda Folc de Cardona as foreign member honoris causa. Our Ecole des Sciences des Demoiselles is specially proud of this ex-pupil's achievements in numerous fields. For those (very few) 'knowledgeable', Lady Elisenda is preeminent among the outstanding women of the mysterious Korai (O4.07."11 comments). While brilliant in Sciences she was totally outstanding in 'Philosophy of Science' (for which she coined the word Epistémologie): her systematic use of Ockham's 'Logical Parsimony' and, chiefly, her dissertation demonstrating the requirement of Refutability for a hypothesis to be 'scientific', marked the intellectual approach of Monte-Cristan natural philosophers and scientists, striving since to be 'Folcally correct'
Besides, everybody in the Presipality remember her as the one who added the cagaire to our Crib.
Elisenda Folc de Cardona as foreign member honoris causa. Our Ecole des Sciences des Demoiselles is specially proud of this ex-pupil's achievements in numerous fields. For those (very few) 'knowledgeable', Lady Elisenda is preeminent among the outstanding women of the mysterious Korai (O4.07."11 comments). While brilliant in Sciences she was totally outstanding in 'Philosophy of Science' (for which she coined the word Epistémologie): her systematic use of Ockham's 'Logical Parsimony' and, chiefly, her dissertation demonstrating the requirement of Refutability for a hypothesis to be 'scientific', marked the intellectual approach of Monte-Cristan natural philosophers and scientists, striving since to be 'Folcally correct'Besides, everybody in the Presipality remember her as the one who added the cagaire to our Crib.
-°: Oversea: first detailed reports from a newly discovered Archipelago.
. ..........v.vvv.. And, from further afar, a Half-Continent.
-°: Monte-Cristan
have to comment administrative changes of TOE of minor components of a foreign army). Monte-Cristo as a State is perfectly neutral and unaligned, thus a purely Monte-Cristan unit in foreign service may be perceived as a shocking 'novelty', perhaps marking a change of Presipapal policy. SUCH IS NOT THE CASE.
Indeed it is not uncommon for adventurous boys (and girls, sometimes) from the Presipality to individually enlist for a few years in foreign service: our Gardes and most of our full-time Carabiniers are indeed such retired military types. A minority makes a full career, and a few ended at the head of a 'local' regiment.But it will be the first appearance abroad of an entirely and openly Monte-Cristan outfit: carefully parsed contracts copied on the Swiss model will assure it could not be taken as a breach in the traditional Monte-Cristan non-committal neutrality. A soothing, if somewhat toning-down the truth, note -the essence of diplomacy[*]- stressing that the converging of all Monte-Cristans in Herrschadener service service in a single unit is a purely administrative step, without any meaning or importance outside the Direktorat military structure. and can in no way be deemed a breach in, or an infringement of, the traditional Monte-Cristan policy of perfect neutrality was sent to all Courts of Europe.
---
[*]:"the essence of diplomacy":
'The Diplomat and the Honest Woman:
- When the Diplomat says 'Yes' he means 'Maybe';
. when the Diplomat says 'Maybe' he means 'No';
. when the Diplomat says 'No'... but no Diplomat ever says 'No'.
- When the Honest Woman says 'No' she means 'Maybe';
. when the Honest Woman says 'Maybe' she means 'Yes';
. when the Honest Woman says 'Yes'... but no Honest Woman ever says 'Yes'.'
Not a few Monte-Cristan soldiers are already present in Herrschaden, mostly from the disbanded Jowetski Legion, some released from the Liegrgt. or 'redirekted' from the Oebel dragoner; not far from the Direktorat, volunteers are unemployed after the calming down of the war in Lifonlia; and, in the Anabaptist Bishopric of Zenda, a sizeable number of disgruntled Monte-Cristans could easily be convinced to desert the Sal(i)vation Army, specially the Franco-Swiss regiment Pluccon-Tumeurs, on the verge of mutiny because of the incompetence and corruption of its colonel (Monte-Cristans *hate* incompetent officers); also came a few deserters from both sides after the pathetic battle of Troudukheim.
Monte-Cristans greatly admire stong-minded women who broke the chains of sexist prejudices and traditions, and 'Lady Katarin', as she is affectionately called here, easily gathered enthusiastic volunteers willing to form her personal retinue, Late Roman Bucellarii-fashion -the core of the future Monte-Cristan Light Horse.
But, the population of the Presipality is simply too small -and by far- to support at once the raising of what still amounts to at least a reinforced battalion. Yet the Palace seemingly wants to actively support the Defense effort of the Direktorat, at least in its 'Libro Pensado - Rasoun contro Supersticioun' front (even if only for some "Of two evils choose the least" type of reason). Thus, Monte-Cristans currently in, or recently retired from, foreign service were urged to contact among their comrades in arms those at the same time good soldiers and merry companions 'of Monte-Cristan temperament', and offer them a second military life in Herrschadener service. Official agreements insure Monte-Cristan nationals a privileged status and special protection (precious, at times) in the Direktorat. Thus, all foreign volunteers will be granted Monte-Cristan citizenship and receive, like the 'Monte-Cristan by birth' ones, an identity bill with their name, age, certificate of Monte-Cristan nationality, military record, anthropometric description and individual identification number. The Herrschadener Kontrollers (locally pronounced 'kuntrollers'; colloquially known in the Presipality as 'kons' / 'kunts' or 'trolls') are at the same time pernickety and cursorily expeditious: to prevent any difficulty each volunteer will have his identification number tattooed on the upper right arm below a tiny mermaid (our iridescent pink pigment forbidding any forgery); the official value of this mark will be explicitly mentioned in all contracts. An official delegation, with clerks and tattooers, departed for Herrschaden in order to provide all Monte-Cristans already there with up-to-date legal means of identification.
About tattoos, the doctors carrying out the enlistment medical examination were surprised to see SE tattooed on a very intimate organ of one of the volunteers: the man explained that when... in great shape one can read 'SUZIE', the name of his girlfriend. For another it was 'SOPHIE', but most memorable was the one on whom it was 'SOUVENIR DE MON EXPEDITION EN AFRIQUE EQUATORIALE FRANCAISE'.
[The cadres of the newly formed regiment were verbally instructed to beware of all ('paranoid') Unterdirektors, and to secretly give absolute priority to any orders from Direktorix Katarin Lahmia, up to becoming her equivalent of Milady de Winter's Black Legion if required to. But indeed, given Monte-Cristan temperament, the whole Legion feels spontaneously sworn to the Direktorix, in a like manner some Ancients would have recognized as personal 'Devotio' -any 'Direktion' or 'Undirektion' notwithstanding ]
According to Monte-Cristan practice, each unit has a single flag with 'a "State's" reverse and a "regimental" obverse, rather than a set of two flags, one "State's" and one "regimental".
"Der gure von Gamaret a les gouilles gui bentent"
(traditional marching song of Monte-Cristans soldiers, as sung by their Herrschadener brothers of arms)
-°: A Galatan
A xebec proudly flying the ensigns of Galatea entered our harbor, carrying a legacy from that courageous defiant Principality fighting for its survival as an independent State. Its leader, the respected Marquis of Vilana, is not asking for any direct help from the Presipality -known to be not only peaceful and neutral, but tiny to the point of military impotence- but comes in the hope to meet delegates, official or officious, of various Major Powers. Because of its universally acknowledged neutrality and discretion, and to be blunt also because of its fair weather and relaxed atmosphere, Monte-Cristo is now a well-established, almost traditional location for diplomatic meetings -specially the officious ones, or the discret preliminaries to formal ones later held elsewhere. 
Only Cavenderia sent a permanent ambassador to the Presipality -the lovely Ambassadrix Patronelle d'Anis (now more Monte-Cristan than Cavenderian, and by far)- and very few countries bother to maintain a consular legation -the exchanges with Versailles pass through some Monte-Cristan merchants in the Enclos du Temple, at this time mostly MM. Parsimoni et Abonescian (and also, it must be confessed, through the underground Royaume d'Argot, the secret 'kingdom' of beggars, cut-purses, prostitutes and thieves). Yet, as always during a crisis in Europe Monte-Cristo is currently teeming with underground diplomatic activities between the most unlikely people who officially came here to sample the restorative waters of the spa, to enjoy the benefits of thalassotherapie or for the Summer Baroque Festival. For instance, among the subjects of the Austrian Hasburg the isolationist party is represented by Jean Aideumol,
the Wallon producer of William McGonagallan shows, the cautious 'wait and see' persuasion by Pedock Puduck-Vibescu, hereditary hospodar from the easternmost part of the territories under Austrian hegemony, while the Polish-Galician Magnate Labitlas Baizenski is the 'lobbyist' of the bold pro-Galatan interventionists; William, Baron von Beerstein is known to be very close to the Imperial Throne, but came with his wife and young son, so, it seems, truly and only for the water, the festival and the great non-baroque night concert. Among the Britishs, Sir Robert Walpole represents the bellicose Malburian conviction, while the opposite party has for officious agent Lord Chickenbugger (nicknamed 'Bombardier
Beetle' for his uncontrollable flatulences). The (missionary) position of that Dutch clergyman Bilbo Petittbit looks unstable and seemingly could easily be reverted. A rogue jesuit from Versailles, the Pere (Teilhard) de Rouston [nicknamed there either 'Le Pere pervers' or 'Le Pepere vert', both have their partisans: Monte-Cristans merged both in 'Pervers Pepere'] is a neutral observer. Then, the Ottoman Mehter was invited again -this year with soloist Ali Begud- to the festival (Monte-Cristo favors cultural mediterranean syncretism): a few progressive officials accompany it and its escort of Nizam~Cedit.During his numerous years in the Old Crown
the Marquis de Vilana was able to establish a solid net of relationships with several foreign representatives. Monte-Cristo is as peaceful as neutral, and thus if its vaunted neutrality now and then suffers a minor breach, it's only in that the Presipality is deeply biased in favor of peace and willing to support any effort bringing back peace or preventing war. Thus the Palace invited influential characters from very diverse countries who can turn to useful -if sometimes unexpected- interlocutors for the Galatan representative in his struggle to restore peace in the Iberic Peninsula. By a stroke of luck the visit 
of the Marquis of Vilana coincides with our annual festival of 'Baroque' Music, a golden excuse for the most diverse persons to come to Monte-Cristo. Just like the Galatan legacy, all those invited persons, as well as the representatives of Herrschaden and Beerstein and any other emissaries (Louis-Ferdinand Celine de Saint-Gobain, our Counsellor to the Relations with Resident Foreigners, is very good at spotting the 'secret' ones!) will stay at the Paris H. Palace Hostel, by its very conception propitious to discret / secret meetings.
The first reception of the Galatan legacy at its arrival will of course be friendly (Monte-Cristo is friendly with everyone -though the friendship will be more sincere in this case than in some others...), but without the ceremonial used for official representatives of countries currently enjoying peace. Actually the official reception (public, in front of the foreign representatives and Monte-Cristan personalities -but no obvious churchman) of de Vilana's credentials at the Palace will be more than gracious, the delegation greeted with fanfare by the brass & drums of the Carabiniers playing the Trompes d'Eustache followed by the Trompes de Fallope, then offered a musical entertainment, a variegated dancing show and then a medley of old Monte-Cristan songs by the children choir Les Rossignols du Caroubier.
Some malevolent persons -without any doubt nationals of countries envious of our success as a genial location for international meetings- suggest that, while the secrecy of private interviews in Monte-Cristo is indeed perfect towards third parties, not a single word whispered in the Presipality by a foreigner remains unknown from our Bureau de la Surete Nationale for more than half an hour. Of course we deny these low insinuations with the uttermost indignation. But anyway, peaceful we are, but not *naive*: knowing human nature, we understand peace can be preserved either by honest discussions dispelling misunderstandings or by the deterring nature of a powerful defensive alliance...Update: From its very arrival the Palace gives the Galatan legation as many marks of attention and sympathy as possible without blatantly breaking the appearance of neutrality. De Saint-Gobain does not personally welcome all delegations at the harbour! It's not a secret that all Galatans are accommodated -the men in good inns, the staff in the PHPH- as State guests (all expenses "on the account of Monte-Cristo");
a junior officer of the Gardes de l'Etrier is permanently attached to de Vilana and a carriage from the Palace 'Ecuries et Equipages' is at his disposal. 
specially for his countrymen away from Galatea and a few major Monte-Cristan personalities (including Louys himself) with his Concert des Nations orchestra and Capella Reial de Catalunya choir.At their official presentation, de Vilana's credentials were received with an obvious friendliness; de Vilana presented Louys with the Galatan Cross of Sant Jordi d'Alfama, and traditional Monte-Cristan neutrality notwithsatnding, the POPP publicly expressed his emotion and pride.
Even more significantly, on the evening of the official reception, de Vilana, the xebec captain Joan Ventura and the young lieutenant Leibnitz commanding the military escort -accompanied by sous-lieutenant Baizanville in her quality of liaison officer- were invited to a very private dinner -with
only Louys, de Saint-Gobain and Angele de Polihacrilamide- at the Palace: such a gathering, despite the presence of playful Scoubi, Louys' little furry companion, looks more like a working session than a mere convivial meeting... For sure Louys will report some recent Monte-Cristan 'diplomatic' activities in relation with the situation in Hispania (successive comments).Update: while the hasty departure of his xebec distracted the attention of his enemies, Marquis de Vilana stayed behind to secretly try to to reach Versailles; Claire Baizanville volunteered to escort him in this dangerous journey.
Monte-Cristan military advisors for Galatea
- May "10 updates:.
_°_ May 15 "10:
3rd Jour-Denise in Monte-Cristo
Denise... l' Eglantino do Lemouzi.
_°_ May 15 "10:
3rd Jour-Denise in Monte-Cristo
Denise... l' Eglantino do Lemouzi.
(see May 15 "08 entry below).
-° May 07 "10: '
4 days later the Prince-President gathers the Gardes for an apero in honour of their invalid Quater-Master, the only commoner ever to have received the Croix de Saint Louis.
._._._._._._.
- January "10: more Monte-Cristan girls in the Beerstein Foreign Legion: the appeal of this prestigious Corps to our adventurous maidens (see april "09 entry below) is such that the Reich Duchy could form a light artillery section from the excess of vivandieres volunteers.
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2009
2009
- August "09 updates :. -°: 
Good and bad news from the (South-)East : while the Presipapal 'Service' scored a nice move in Herrschaden, unfortunately its agents' efficiency remains unsatisfying in the Langdoucian arch-enemy of this atheistic country, that Ecclesiarchy "La Chiesarchia (della Ordia) dels Sanguineus Martirs dou Langdouc" -the quasi-independant State of the semi-monastic Order of the Bloodied Martyrs (a big mouthful of a name, commonly shortened as 'La Chiesarchia dou (or 'en') Langdouc': the Order uses dou, its rival barons en).
Madly fundamentalist La Chiesarchia is known in Monte-Cristo as
"La Chaisachier".
-°: august 15 "09:. -day of la Fada Esterella in Monte-Cristo- great foreign
musical groups are invited to publicly perform, friendly compete in the rendition of the same same (Britton, here) merry dance, accompany the recitation of unforgettable poems, and conclude the night by playing together.
In the afternoon the Hichi-Hopo company from the Far East had played the deeply moving Tombeau des Lucioles.
-°: Monte-Cristan(s) spotted abroad? Likely in Batrachia, possible in the Soweiter League.
.
-°:Diplomatic Affairs: Great Ball 
last night in the Palace in honour of Countess d'Anis, just returned from a pilgrimage to La Santa Bauma, Mary Magdalene's Holy Cave in Provence.
On her way back to Monte-Cristo the charming Cavenderian ambassador visited the military harbor of Toulon, touring at length the defenses of the town. Given her perfect mastery of the French tongue, the Gardes escorting her (in civilian clothes) did not have to explain why the 'locals' claim
the huge naked statue on the main wharf to be that of Amiral de Cuverville. Casual remarks revealed that she is also aware of the bizarre ceremony performed here by the mayor and the town council every july 14th: well, she is in the area for some time, now...
Some maliciously
noticed that the nature of her escapade did not prevent Lady Patronelle and Herr Hermann Geldversteckt of rationalist Herrschaden from spending most of the evening together.
.
-°: Muliple identities:
When Louys wants to immerse himself in the good and merry Monte-Cristan population, he assumes -since late april of last year- the innocuous identity of Dolent de Samaison. Previously he sometimes pretended to be an Abdul -a reference, NOT to Abdul El Bulbul, Emir, but to Abdul Al-Hazred the Mad Poet -though Louys emphatically claims to have never fancied himself gifted in any manner by Clio or Erato ("Je ne poete pas plus haut que le trou de mon luth!"). Then he called his Border Terrier little companion 'Al-Zobi'. Some of his short ranting billets published abroad are indeed signed Abdul, and some of his works gained the attention of the Imperial Court of Vorlund, earning their anonymous author the envied (and totally inappropriate, in this case) title of Corresponding Court Composer, henceforward known in these distant lands under the name of Schmerzhaft von Hausseinem.
Good and bad news from the (South-)Madly fundamentalist La Chiesarchia is known in Monte-Cristo as
"La Chaisachier".
-°: august 15 "09:. -day of la Fada Esterella in Monte-Cristo- great foreign
musical groups are invited to publicly perform, friendly compete in the rendition of the same same (Britton, here) merry dance, accompany the recitation of unforgettable poems, and conclude the night by playing together.In the afternoon the Hichi-Hopo company from the Far East had played the deeply moving Tombeau des Lucioles.
-°: Monte-Cristan(s) spotted abroad? Likely in Batrachia, possible in the Soweiter League.
.
-°:
last night in the Palace in honour of Countess d'Anis, just returned from a pilgrimage to La Santa Bauma, Mary Magdalene's Holy Cave in Provence.On her way back to Monte-Cristo the charming Cavenderian ambassador visited the military harbor of Toulon, touring at length the defenses of the town. Given her perfect mastery of the French tongue, the Gardes escorting her (in civilian clothes) did not have to explain why the 'locals' claim
the huge naked statue on the main wharf to be that of Amiral de Cuverville. Casual remarks revealed that she is also aware of the bizarre ceremony performed here by the mayor and the town council every july 14th: well, she is in the area for some time, now...Some maliciously
noticed that the nature of her escapade did not prevent Lady Patronelle and Herr Hermann Geldversteckt of rationalist Herrschaden from spending most of the evening together..
-°: Muliple identities:
When Louys wants to immerse himself in the good and merry Monte-Cristan population, he assumes -since late april of last year- the innocuous identity of Dolent de Samaison. Previously he sometimes pretended to be an Abdul -a reference, NOT to Abdul El Bulbul, Emir, but to Abdul Al-Hazred the Mad Poet -though Louys emphatically claims to have never fancied himself gifted in any manner by Clio or Erato ("Je ne poete pas plus haut que le trou de mon luth!"). Then he called his Border Terrier little companion 'Al-Zobi'. Some of his short ranting billets published abroad are indeed signed Abdul, and some of his works gained the attention of the Imperial Court of Vorlund, earning their anonymous author the envied (and totally inappropriate, in this case) title of Corresponding Court Composer, henceforward known in these distant lands under the name of Schmerzhaft von Hausseinem.
-°: Monte-Cristo will genially welcome our compatriots so generously (?) 
discharged from Herrschadener service. Herr Hermann Geldversecht, the Direktorat representative in the Presipality, will be granted free access of all rooms and cabinets of the Palace private Library; unfortunately Dame Mouillenbese Clito, veuve Poignet, our Archiviste en Second is currently making the inventory of the subwing devoted to the supernatural (vampires, &c.): but for sure rationalist Herrschaden has no interest in such superstitions.
._._._._._._.
discharged from Herrschadener service. Herr Hermann Geldversecht, the Direktorat representative in the Presipality, will be granted free access of all rooms and cabinets of the Palace private Library; unfortunately Dame Mouillenbese Clito, veuve Poignet, our Archiviste en Second is currently making the inventory of the subwing devoted to the supernatural (vampires, &c.): but for sure rationalist Herrschaden has no interest in such superstitions.
.
-°: Monte-Cristan cultural influence appearing in Enteburg: the Kurfurstin Daisy Fusiliers recently illustrated themselves at the Battle of Geldoff's Woods. Their Obristlieutenant when in his teens served (under the name of Guiguelillot) as a page at the Presipapal Palace: clearly the Kurfurstin followed his suggestions when as Honorary Inhaber she choose the colours of 'her' Regiment. Her choice of a "light blue coat faced deep pink" for the uniform is probably also not coincidental.
Is Kurfurstin Daisy a close friend of Prinzessin Trixie of Saxe-Burlap und Schleswig-Beerstein?
Is Kurfurstin Daisy a close friend of Prinzessin Trixie of Saxe-Burlap und Schleswig-Beerstein?
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_°_ May 15 "09: 2nd Jour-Denise in the Presipality
(see O5.15."08 entry below ).
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_°_ April "09: Festivities and pride in Monte-Cristo: the Presipality is currently honoured by the visit of the ‘Royal Tourists’, Reich Duke Wilhelm and Reich Duchess Lynda of Beerstein accompanied by young King Basil of Morea, who arrived
safely here after some unpleasant contretemps and encounters. Their coming was of course celebrated by a series of public and private feasts! (O4.10. "9 comment): our Visitors, greeted with pageantry, pump and fanfare, seemed to appreciate our hospitality -the Reich Duke saw that our way of life did not change since his childhood. They will be missed and remembered as specially pleasant and merry Guests: we wish them a safe and enjoyable journey. Fortunately the timely arrival of Lady Patronelle d’Anis, the Cavenderian Representative, will allow us to prolong the festivities uninterrupted (O4.23. "9 comment).
.Shady visitors with a variety of undeclared goods and obscure agendas are more a matter of routine (O1.15. "9 comment below). Yet it is our pride and pleasure that, regardless of the circumstances of their arrival, foreigners seem always so reluctant to leave. Even prelates from very distant lands feel restored and indeed enlightened by a sojourn in the Presipality.
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Reich Duke Wilhelm published from Monte-Cristo the edict establishing the Beerstein Foreign Legion: several adventurous Monte-Cristan maidens enlisted as cantinieres (governments loaning their soldiers as a rule forget to provide this essential component of a well-kept force). Seven of nine joined the Royal Tourists' caravan (an additional escort of a kind?), two went straight to Beerstein as harbingers. (For miniature vivandieres or, more generally, Lace Wars ladies in feminized uniform / semi-military dress (daughter of the regiment / regimental god-mother / inhaber's wife / honorary colonel Prinzessin…) -on foot or mounted- see O5.07. " 9 comment.)
To our pride, Monte-Cristo through our Prince-President (who turned 65 on april 23) was recently honoured by three different Courts, and Louys was made Honorary Capitain of Fusiliers in the garrison of the antipodial Ne Plus Ultra fortress.
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Life in the Presipality being basically quiet and uneventful, the only ‘News from Monte-Cristo’ deserving to be reported here or in EvE Gazette come from such foreign initiatives – or accidents. Actually 'nothing ever happens' here, so without our foreign visitors the heraldic device of Monte-Cristo, rather than a deep pink mermaid, could well be a yellow lemon tree!
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2008
-°:
but extremely fond of festivities. Thus, among the twelve uninterrupted holidays covering from the Winter Solstice to New Year’s Day, Calendau (‘Noël’ in French - Xmas) is remembered as the date of the Gros Soupa with its 8 special dishes and concluded by the 13 desserts (though very, very few Monte-Cristans would think of it as a remembrance of ‘The Last Supper’ –instead they would guess it refers to the year and its 12 months, or to the 13 yearly 'moons' of the Old Calendar associated with the mythos of the Fada Esterella).
The Winter Feasts are the most frantic period of the rich festive calendar of the Presipality – Monte-Cristans managed to practically double the 12 days traditional elsewhere.Actually the Winter festive period begins long before, on nov. 15 (the old date of traditional Avent), a day of frolic and heavy eating (although the following 40 fasting days are ignored here!) when each family builds a crown of holy or green oak (corresponding to the Christian ‘Advent Wreath’, but with 7 small candles, since in Monte-Cristo the Avent runs to dec. 31; the last 2 candles will be lighted on dec. 24 and dec. 31 at dawn), the Yule Crown. On this day children under twelve run through the fields and orchards blowing in whistles, playing drum with spoons on saucepans, brandishing torches to set fire to bundles of straw, and thus ‘driving out such vermin as are likely to damage the crops’.
Then on dec. 6
(St Nicolas– elsewhere in Provence this ritual takes place on dec. 4, Ste Barbe) children scatter wheat seeds on watered white cotton in 9 (3 x 3) cups carved in pine cones: germinated, they will decorate the table of the Gros Soupa. On the same day children collect moss, little twigs, stones and bits of pine bark to complement any model house, well, fountain the family may own, and the scenery of the Creche is set in place, then each child receives a small Advent Calendar with 47 brightly colored candied pine seeds. In the afternoon children organize races of the typical goat-drawn minicarts. On dec. 8 most Monte-Cristan homes prepare the Soc de Nadal which will be 'fed' and pampered until XMas Eve. 
The(On the evening of dec. 13, Jour des Lumieres, the girls having reached puberty in the year wear a crown of ivy with candles that are lighted at sunset, when dressed in white with a green waistsash they gather to march in procession, each bearing a candle, and distributing saffron buns and ginger biscuits to children and elderlies -a day oddly omitted from the 'canonical' list of Calendar festivities preparing the turning of the year, certainly because from a cultural tradition alien to that of the Calendau of Provence. In
the same way, another '
Dec. 21 deemed Solstice Eve is the first of the 12 consecutive official holidays of the Winter Feasts, each with its special type of small cakes, exchanged as gifts. In the morning a wickerman, Carnavas le Pape des Fous (the Fools’ Pope) is erected in each commune. At home the ‘major characters’ and the faeries are placed in the Creche. At lunch the servants eat first, attended by their employers. At dusk all males and many women shoot their firearms to the sky ‘to chase the clouds away from the poor sun’, then perform a *very* old 'armed dance'. Then takes place the ritual of cacho-fio, symbol of the new fire / new year: the eldest member of the family seizes a log of oliver tree, thrice pours new wine on it and, holding it with the youngest member of 
the family, turns three time around the table while everybody sings "Alegre, alegre, cacho fio ven, tout ben ven, a l’an que ven se sian pas maï, que fuguen pas mens". Then he lays it in the hearth and starts the fire with eau de vie and a firebrand from the previous year ‘calendal’ log, set to fire at previous noon. The new fire cooks Ouassaille, eaten with gingerbread characters. Late in the night children fly kites carrying small lights (lack of winds is unauspicious) and people dance outdoor around bonfires. The fire in front of the Pape des Fous is kept burning from dusk to dawn.
On dec. 24 the Padre and all ‘minor’ characters are placed in the Creche. Adults exchange gifts just before the Gros Soupa – children will discover theirs when awakening next morning but most have the Soc de Nadal to 'shit' slices of torron, almonds and dried figs. XMas carols of Provence are well known, but sung here with secular, rather bawdy lyrics.On dec. 25, first day after the six day solar standstill of the winter
solstice, the breakfast is made of Poudigue, the recipe(s) of which was(ere) repeatedly brought from Great Britain by Monte-Cristan mercenaries having fought in the Jacobite risings from 1689 to 1719; served with thick liquour d'ióu and washed down with lait de poule. Lunch generally includes white boudin possibly truffé an a chapon de Bresse à la crème and cardons à la moëlle. Traditional sarcastic pantomimes are played during the afternoon; the following night is La Nuit des Mères, the 1st of the 12 ‘Saintes Nuits’ – the ‘Mothers’ depart on jan. 6. Seemingly these -12?- ‘Mothers’ came from a different tradition than the 3 Matres -Mater Suspirorum, M. Tenebrarum, M. Lacrymarum- whom Monte-Cristans
are so oddly reluctant to discuss: the 3rd is known to be associated with the Jour des Morts, the day after the Samhain night; nonetheless at the supper preceding the Night of the Mothers 3 empty seats are left for the Mothers at each family table. On dec. 28 children are allowed to make and eat all the cakes, creams, pastries and sweets they wish.
On dec. 31 at dusk children burn their Advent calendar and the candles are removed from the evergreen wreath, which is then hanged on a wall. Nobody sleeps during the dec. 31 – jan. 1st night! At early dawn all people of both sexes between 16 and 18 invade the streets, wearing funny masks made during the night (with the right half of the face black or white, the left one green), striking kettle lids and 
frying pans, playing music and loudly singing merry Aguilaneuf songs. They knock at each door to receive leftovers of dessert, candies or small coins: otherwise the songs turn to bawdy, insulting and scatological. Jan 1st is the last of the 12 consecutive holidays of the ‘turning of the year’, but while the advent wreath is removed at midday the Creche is kept up, and the festive holidays carry on, to jan. 13.
Jan. 6 is both the Lou Proumie Jour de Lumes / 12eme Nuit and the Jour des Rois. The rituals attached to the first title are secret. The Magi and their caravan are added to the Creche. At noon each family ‘draws’ its Roy (‘King’) with a feve (broad bean) concealed in a special cake. What equals best to a political division in Monte-Cristo is the difference between the families using a brioche and those concealing the feve in a galette,
but cakes are cooked in excess so that in the afternoon lefts over can be exchanged with neighbors of different 'conviction'! The reign of the ‘king’ ends at midnight – when the wicker Carnavas / Papes des Fous are joyfully burned. Pastries from the Eastern Mediterranean (kahk, kourabie, melomakarona, zalabya) eaten with mulled wine mark jan. 7: very few here remember they correspond to the Orthodox XMas.On jan. 13, the day of Rangement, the Creche is packed for the year. This ends the festive period of the New Year, though the Fete des Ecoliers (jan. 28) extend it as for the gifts to children, as do, for the familial festive meals and luck-bringing rituals for the New Year, the pancakes (cooked with silver coin) of the Jour de Bregida (Chandeleur / Candelmass) 
celebrated here on feb. 1st –crepes at lunch, mattefins at dinner– and the orange blossom water-flavored bugnes (fried with a few beans) -tuiles at lunch, rondes at dinner– ten days later(°). In the early night of feb. 1st processions walk the streets with lighted candles and around the fields with of torches; on the eve of feb. 11 young peoples of both sexes wearing bear masks simulate 'dances of seduction' and copulations.
Unrelated to the Calendau traditional sequence, the second saturday of january is Santa Cervesa (also known for some reason as Octuberfesse) copied on the famous Oktoberfest so much appreciated by Monte-Cristan mercenaries serving in Bavaria (but condensed in a single day). It was placed at the only time of the year when the weather is cool enough for Monte-Cristan women to wear the appropriate, but cumbersome, heavy and otherwise uncomfortably warm, costume if they wish so. Beer is not much consumed otherwise in the Presipality but the quantities (quantitties?) of Augustiner Oktoberfestbier drunk in this single day (with boned duck and roasted chicken dishes, pork knuckles and Guglhupf) balance for that.
°: everywhere else each family cooks a single type of pancake or bugne; but according to general Monte-Cristan philosophy: 'Facing two different sources of equal pleasure, do NOT choose, enjoy both!'
In Monte-Cristo to eat a meal associated with a feast before the proper date is deemed excessively bad manners; fortunately this traditional restriction is in reference to the 'old' calendar ('fossilized' in the suffixes of september to december) having the year beginning on march 1st (the month of Mars, the yearly military campaign could be started): thus the many delicacies of the Calendau period can be enjoyed during most of winter (the components of the 13 desserts are individually available all the year round)..
In Monte-Cristo to eat a meal associated with a feast before the proper date is deemed excessively bad manners; fortunately this traditional restriction is in reference to the 'old' calendar ('fossilized' in the suffixes of september to december) having the year beginning on march 1st (the month of Mars, the yearly military campaign could be started): thus the many delicacies of the Calendau period can be enjoyed during most of winter (the components of the 13 desserts are individually available all the year round)..
Padre, the Monte-Cristo ruler (in ¾ armour over a fancy rendition of the late 17th C. uniform of the Gardes de l’Etrier), presents the population of the Presipality to the Bonne Mere –the young ones in traditional Monte-Cristan nudity. The shepherds with their sheeps, of course and all the characters compulsory in any Creche in Provence: the tambourinaire, the cabrettaire, the commune mayor, the crieur public, the postperson, the (beret?) hunter all dressed in brown, Pamphile the shoemaker… The traditional ravi (the village idiot) is here in his typical attitude of marvelling surprise, but in Monte-Cristo his clothes are black wiyh a priestly collar and he wears a large cross hanging from a necklace – children craw when placing him the Crib. Peculiar to the Presipality, a goat-pulled minicart decorated with roses and loaded with cabbage. Then representatives of the various trades and classes, with a special emphasis on that of the household – being Monte-Cristans, younger characters wear no more than some kind of shoes, and often some form of apron – their trade being indicated by the tools they bear, and sometimes a peculiar headgear, the traditional white hat (here worn soft, almost beret-like) of cooks, the black 
faluche of female students… Monte-Cristo is friendly to Gypsies, hence the presence of a Boumian family with its cart. A recent (earliest years of our century) addition is the cagaire: Elisenda Folc de Cardona introduced the Catalan tradition of the caganer (and wrote a song in its honor) when she was studying at the Ecole des Demoiselles; 
King Georges of England and the Pope are popular subjects, but the King of Prussia is a rising star. If a child was born to the family in the year, and is still alive, a ceramic baby (with the first name and the year engraved on his back) is placed in a tiny model of a straw-lined cradle in front of the Bonne Mere: thus the child is blessed to make a good start in life next year. The tiny charm ends in a ring, and most Monte-Cristans wear their pitchoun their whole life long on a string at their neck (often hidden in a piece of jewelry for wealthy women: right). The 3 Magi (again, one of them Black [**]) and their camel and/or elephant are added on Jour des Rois.
The santouns are traditionally 4 inches hight; the major characters are of far better 
quality and workmanship, often very nice pieces of porcelaine, and their base is painted a golden ochre, while that of the other characters is green – the Padre enjoys an intermediate status, being of the same making as the Bonne Mere but with a green base.
quality and workmanship, often very nice pieces of porcelaine, and their base is painted a golden ochre, while that of the other characters is green – the Padre enjoys an intermediate status, being of the same making as the Bonne Mere but with a green base.The associated story (devoid of any overt religious content) explains the gap between the astronomical (solstice), traditional (Xmas) and calendar (New Year’s Day) dates of the same event, the turning of the year (and thus, incidentally, the discrepancy between the 12 official holydays and the 12 ‘Nights’). It tells that the Bonne Mere began to gave birth on dec. 21 at dusk, but the labour lasted to dec. 24 at midnight, when the first cry of the baby was heard; but the mother forbade to cut the umbilical cord, which dried and felt on dec. 31 at midnight…. These 3 steps also explains why 3 different evergreens (symbols of the resilience of Life to winter 'death') are associated with the turning of the year: holly (or green oak), fir (or pine) tree, mistletoe.
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{*}: It's not coincidental that the Maries are 3 like the Hittite Irsirras, the Greek Moirai, Erinyes, Gorgons, Harpies, Hesperides, Horae, Keres and Charites, the Goddesses of the Judgment of Paris, the triple Hecate, Persephone, and Selene ["triple-sounding, triple-headed, triple-voiced..., triple-pointed, triple-faced, triple-necked"], the Gallic 3 cranes, the Gallo-Roman 3 Matres, the Roman Triple Diana, the Nornes, the thrice reborn Gullveig/Heiðr, the (Norse-inspired) Somi Saaraahka, Juoksahka, Oksaahka, the (Persian-inspired) pre-Islmaic Arab Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat (3 cranes), the Slav 3 Soudenitsy, the Rus 3 Zoryas ('Dawns': Morning Star, Evening Star, and Midnight Star) and triple Mati-Syra-Zemlia, the 3 / Triple Brighid, the 3 Macha, the Triple Morrigan / 3 Morrigna Nemain, Danu / Anann /Badb (the virgin young Vestal -1st function, the Mother (associated with cows)-3rd function, the Crone associated with death and thus war -2nd function), Ériu and her 2 sisters, the Welsh 3 Gwenhwyfar ('White Fay'), Morgan the Fay and her 2 sisters, down to Shakespeare's 3 witches, the 3 Baba Yaga and the Sleeping Beauty's 3 'good faeries' godmothers: all reminiscences of the trifunctional Triple Goddess ['Pure, strong, fecund' Anahita in Iran, Sarasvati / Sree in India] )O(.
[**]:«3 characters, 1 of them Black »: Antiquity knew 3 continents (‘Lybia’ = Africa). Then, Asia (minor) had yet to know the Arab and Turk expansions and had been hellenized for centuries, so ‘Asiatics’ were as ‘white’ as, say, Greeks; Africa on the other hand was characterized by Blacks. Thus «3 characters, 1 of them Black» means that ‘the Whole World’ is involved (the 3 Maries) or is attending the event (the 3 Magi).
During the Calendau feasts Monte-Cristan women go out more covered than usual
-but only because of the temperature!
-but only because of the temperature!
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-°: Foreign shady emissaries in Monte-Cristo? See 12.12."08 comment below..
-°: Monte-Cristan intelligence in the Adriatic Sea? See 12.10."08 comment below.
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-°: Biography of an interesting (?) Monte-Cristancharacter (Jean Kullacec, of Britton ancestry -every generation the eldest son receives the first name of des Entommeures' companion) posted as 12.05."08 comment to next post (with a few change of dates and names, could easily carried back in time to enter the career during the WSS or WPS or on the Ottoman border and be part of the 'current' cast of Monte-Cristan personae).
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-°: Biography of an interesting (?) Monte-Cristan
Monte-Cristo from Spring to Fall
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- November "08 updates:.
-°: B3! and a pure gem of Battlegaming poetry: see 11.27. "08 comment to next post.
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-°: de Saxe's "Mes Reveries" has been numerized by Google. They are also on-line (*including Tome 2*) at Gallica, the on-line library of French Bibliotheque Nationale: maybe less easy to navigate than the Google rendition, and the plates are reproduced in B&W - but, seemingly on larger format? And it appears you can download pages...
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Really weird uniforms: no Imagi-Nation builder would have dared to be so… creative, I guess! The legionary looks like he forgot to put his trousers on –in ample skirt, vest and socks, like the classical ‘lover hiding in the wall cupboard’ of early 20th C. boulevard comedies!
The decoration of the helmet is specially intringuing, seemingly as 'mysterious' as Mickey Mouse's ears (from whatever angle you look at them, they appear as disks - yet they are NOT spherical...): seen from the side it seem to go rather backwards, yet it is not covered by the hood of the 'Turkish coat'....
The Duchy of Strackenz will field an army based on the Reveries -since no commercial mini is available as a suitable basis for conversions, the ‘Duke’ will sculpt and mould his own soldiers: cheers!
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-°: Just received "The War Game Companion" by C.S. Grant, son of the author of the seminal ‘The War Game’ (cover left above). Did not known it before opening this book, but I’ve be waiting for it for more than 35 years –and not only for the nostalgia value! Worthy of the title, really a ‘companion’, a complement to the first volume, exciting, informative and inspirational - and a specially mouth-watering OOB of the army of the Vereinigte Freie Städte. Now, 'The War Game' already had a "Companion" par excellence (largely ignored since its nature doesn't show up in the title): C. Grant's 'Battle of Fontenoy'...
.-°: A little early for the ‘Lace Wars’ as I understand them, and a little fuzzy, but impressive and eye-candy: 2 short videos travelling across an Allied and a French armies of the WSS.
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Really weird uniforms: no Imagi-Nation builder would have dared to be so… creative, I guess! The legionary looks like he forgot to put his trousers on –in ample skirt, vest and socks, like the classical ‘lover hiding in the wall cupboard’ of early 20th C. boulevard comedies!The decoration of the helmet is specially intringuing, seemingly as 'mysterious' as Mickey Mouse's ears (from whatever angle you look at them, they appear as disks - yet they are NOT spherical...): seen from the side it seem to go rather backwards, yet it is not covered by the hood of the 'Turkish coat'....
The Duchy of Strackenz will field an army based on the Reveries -since no commercial mini is available as a suitable basis for conversions, the ‘Duke’ will sculpt and mould his own soldiers: cheers!
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-°: Just received "The War Game Companion" by C.S. Grant, son of the author of the seminal ‘The War Game’ (cover left above). Did not known it before opening this book, but I’ve be waiting for it for more than 35 years –and not only for the nostalgia value! Worthy of the title, really a ‘companion’, a complement to the first volume, exciting, informative and inspirational - and a specially mouth-watering OOB of the army of the Vereinigte Freie Städte. Now, 'The War Game' already had a "Companion" par excellence (largely ignored since its nature doesn't show up in the title): C. Grant's 'Battle of Fontenoy'....-°: A little early for the ‘Lace Wars’ as I understand them, and a little fuzzy, but impressive and eye-candy: 2 short videos travelling across an Allied and a French armies of the WSS.
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- October "08 updates:.
-°: A Monte-Cristan 
settled down in Cavenderia? Descending from a Bohemian mercenary of the Black Company, Jean Kullaceck prefers, for some reason, to be known as Jean de Florette. Capitain of the Free Company he had joined as a mere private ten years earlier, he soon turned it into a famed Free Battalion. After brilliant services during the War of Polish Succession (albeit on the losing side), a private feud with the Salvation Army of the Anabaptist Bishopric of Zenda –and a drinking duel with young baron Munchausen concluded by a snoring draw– he finally managed to have his outfit ‘regularized’ by Prinz Geoffrey as (the nucleus of) Cavenderia IR-5. For the facing color of the new uniform, Jean chose a so-slightly-orangeish pink he describes as ‘the color of dawn’, the regiment being named in homage to a mysterious ‘Dame Aurora’: according to companions of his adventurous youth, a lovely goddaughter of Aurora von Koenigsmark and lady-in-waiting of Catherin II?
settled down in Cavenderia? Descending from a Bohemian mercenary of the Black Company, Jean Kullaceck prefers, for some reason, to be known as Jean de Florette. Capitain of the Free Company he had joined as a mere private ten years earlier, he soon turned it into a famed Free Battalion. After brilliant services during the War of Polish Succession (albeit on the losing side), a private feud with the Salvation Army of the Anabaptist Bishopric of Zenda –and a drinking duel with young baron Munchausen concluded by a snoring draw– he finally managed to have his outfit ‘regularized’ by Prinz Geoffrey as (the nucleus of) Cavenderia IR-5. For the facing color of the new uniform, Jean chose a so-slightly-orangeish pink he describes as ‘the color of dawn’, the regiment being named in homage to a mysterious ‘Dame Aurora’: according to companions of his adventurous youth, a lovely goddaughter of Aurora von Koenigsmark and lady-in-waiting of Catherin II?
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- September "08 updates:.
-°: 'Alternate' America: updated the Oversea Colonies post with a sketchy description of the diplomatic situation in the New World. Most of the Imagi-Nations there appeared (generally by pair) on an ‘alternate Earth’ (wargame campaign setting), in an 'alternate' universe, parallel to ours, where they constitute the main difference with 'our' reality. Yet in the infinity of the Multiverse there must be at least one ‘parallel universe’ where they *all* coexist – with some divergences from their ‘original’ setting, including possibly displacement in location and time of founding, owing to the additional interactions between them: I try to propose such an inclusive avatar..
-°: Monte-Cristo introduced in Saxe 'n Violets: ‘Otto’, owner of the SOCDAISY Yahoo group, *prints* (yes, on paper!) a Society Journal, Saxe ‘n Violets. There he kindly published, to introduce Monte-Cristo, an edited and improved version of the text posted here when I started this blog. I reproduce it as a comment to the original post so that you can appreciate Otto’s additions and humour.
«Presipacy» is actually a far better translation of French ‘Presipaute’ than my own ‘Presipality’, now unfortunately sanctioned by usage. Yet I deny, with the uttermost indignation, that in Monte-Cristo total nudity of the young and / or fair of both sexes is restricted to the beaches! And when reading this Daisyesque prose, remember that Monte-Cristo is part of Provence, and that from Tarascon to Marseilles and Toulon, people there *love* long-winded stories, specially when fetching them to gullible strangers....
-°: Monte-Cristo, as always, is ready to welcome graciously any prestigious guest..
-°: Monte-Cristo: Louys, who sometimes signs lampoons and rants as ‘Abdul’ (an hommage to the poet Abdul-al-Arzed), greatly enjoyed to learn the drinking song «Abdul el Bulbul Emir». Note that ‘Abdul’ is a wrong rendition by Westerners, since ‘Abd’ means ‘servant of’, and ‘ul’ is missing in Arabic («Il manque ‘ul’ en Arabe»).
-°: A very enjoyable and so well illustrated "Carribean adventure" (AWI, it's true... I'd prefer FIW uniforms...) AAR (Sharpe's Practice rules). There, set in the same area but earlier in time, Black Bob the infamous pirate captain’s quest for the legendary Treasure of the Mayans and descent on El Diablo .
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- July updates:. -°: Reminder: in the 2nd half of July check Der Alte Fritz’s blog for the AAR of the second battle of the Jacobite campaign. Several members / Imagi-Nation rulers of ‘EvE’ sent one or several mini(s) / character(s) (even a small unit from across the Pond) to be present at this fateful event. Update: 2nd Jacobite victory: look at the spectacular battle report (tremendous terrain!). For some reason the unobtrusive Monte-Cristan observer(s) attached to the Jacobite army nicknamed Pipe Major Sean MacLeod "Couillu le Barbu".
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- May "08 updates:
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fried), grillous (crumbled pork cooked in its own fat, garlic, parsley, pepper; eaten cold on bread slices or in rolled buckwheat pancakes), millassou (a thick grated chestnut omelette) and milliassou (a cake of millet flour), calhada (wildly evolved curdled cow milk), clafouti (a kind of thick custard: whole black cherries cooked in pancake dough; called flognarde when made with other fruits) and specially the galetous, bourriols and tourtous (large ‘buckwheat flour and whey’ pancakes, rolled around respectively ham, melted Laguiole cheese or bilberry jam) will be associated with this Day. (-°
The Wars of Faltenian Succession: some ten years after the founding fathers of fictitious Lace-Wargaming, C. Grant and P. Young, published 'The Wargame' and 'Charge!', Henry Hyde rekindled the flame with his ‘Fictitious Wars’ article in a popular magazine. Henry’s Wars of the Faltenian Succession are the archetypal mid-18th C. campaign between imaginary countries. It’s thus with great pleasure that I add a ‘Fict:Faltenland’ link (the 72nd 'Fict' link, btw!) to the series of ‘WFS-labelled’ posts he just started on his blog: enjoy! And remember to peruse on his Battlegames site his ‘Old School’ fictitious Lace Wars battle reports, regiments, forteress….
-° Monte-Cristo Home Defence capacity:
added as a comment a crude pidgin English translation of a 'Resistance' war song, with a link to the corresponding video.
In the same vein, this tune is a favorite of the Carabiniers’ band: in typical Monte-Cristan fashion, the beat don't keep 'military' for long, soon turning into a dance! 'Farandole' is indeed the traditional dance here, generally played by a 'tambourinaire' (pipe and high drum) and a 'cabrettaire' (because the bag of his bagpipe is of goat {cabra}'s skin). Louys' first wife Denise brought the 'Bourrée' from her native 'Land of the Thousand Springs' Limousin Highlands, arousing a local revival of the vielle a roue (hurdy-gurdy).
{As for bagpipes, Monte-Cristan cabrettas keep their traditional pattern and tuning, but now receive the exquisite ornamentation of Limousin chabretas: mountings of bone, ivory and different colours of horn inlaid with pewter on all pipes, and specially that very particular mosaic of tiny mirrors set in pewter decorating the chanter/tenor drone stock}. As for Louys, for some reason, he tried then to learn guitar ...Then, Monte-Cristo demonstrates the most genial eclectism in all festive matters, and thus warmly welcomes and eagerly assimilates any novelty that can make its numerous Fertility Feasts even more frentic and joyful.
added as a comment a crude pidgin English translation of a 'Resistance' war song, with a link to the corresponding video.
'True glory for a prince is to spare blood'
(Louis XV to his son on battlefield of Fontenoy)
Now, this poem ("Curse on War!") reflects the Monte-Cristan attitude towards war since the Wars of Religion, unless imposed on the Presipality.
In the same vein, this tune is a favorite of the Carabiniers’ band: in typical Monte-Cristan fashion, the beat don't keep 'military' for long, soon turning into a dance! 'Farandole' is indeed the traditional dance here, generally played by a 'tambourinaire' (pipe and high drum) and a 'cabrettaire' (because the bag of his bagpipe is of goat {cabra}'s skin). Louys' first wife Denise brought the 'Bourrée' from her native 'Land of the Thousand Springs' Limousin Highlands, arousing a local revival of the vielle a roue (hurdy-gurdy).
{As for bagpipes, Monte-Cristan cabrettas keep their traditional pattern and tuning, but now receive the exquisite ornamentation of Limousin chabretas: mountings of bone, ivory and different colours of horn inlaid with pewter on all pipes, and specially that very particular mosaic of tiny mirrors set in pewter decorating the chanter/tenor drone stock}. As for Louys, for some reason, he tried then to learn guitar ...Then, Monte-Cristo demonstrates the most genial eclectism in all festive matters, and thus warmly welcomes and eagerly assimilates any novelty that can make its numerous Fertility Feasts even more frentic and joyful.
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- April "08 updates:.
-° The Mermaid puts to High Seas: 
while Monte-Cristo never had a Navy –customs officers don’t even have revenue boats of their own– to everyone’s surprise the Palace just rented a corvette. A French ship, complete with her crew (captain Adrien-Paul Sanlaville, regarded as a future Admiral), contracted for 5 years renewable. 
Renamed La Petillante, she is currently being armed en-flute. A detachment of Carabiniers from the (reinforced last october, see below) Palace ‘company’ 
under Lieutenant Sebastien Mouafaure-Labitt (nephew of the Commissaire) will embark as Marines. According to the old sea dogs on the wharfs «It’s clear, she’s of the kind to –hopefully– reappear after years of silence». Other Monte-Cristan comments, referring cryptically to a ‘drink’ and ‘the Fountain of Youth’, have -it's clear- to be a kind of ‘private joke’ rooted in old parochial culture rather than in to-day reality, and understandable only by the locals: ?
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while Monte-Cristo never had a Navy –customs officers don’t even have revenue boats of their own– to everyone’s surprise the Palace just rented a corvette. A French ship, complete with her crew (captain Adrien-Paul Sanlaville, regarded as a future Admiral), contracted for 5 years renewable. 
Renamed La Petillante, she is currently being armed en-flute. A detachment of Carabiniers from the (reinforced last october, see below) Palace ‘company’ 
under Lieutenant Sebastien Mouafaure-Labitt (nephew of the Commissaire) will embark as Marines. According to the old sea dogs on the wharfs «It’s clear, she’s of the kind to –hopefully– reappear after years of silence». Other Monte-Cristan comments, referring cryptically to a ‘drink’ and ‘the Fountain of Youth’, have -it's clear- to be a kind of ‘private joke’ rooted in old parochial culture rather than in to-day reality, and understandable only by the locals: ?-° Bodicious -or is it bodylicious?- Pirettes (other trailer)! Surely a few Monte-Cristans swashbucklers among them.
-° Discussion of Vizier Evidya's new aggressiveness (re. the Emperor vs Elector diplomatic blog) added as a comment to this very post. A new star *may* be rising under the Crescent, and the Lys *may* have given the initial push..
-° Surprising news from Monte-Cristo: the Palace just announced a substantial increase of the Carabiniers’ band. What is most commented upon is the
origin of the additional instruments: all are typical components of the Turkish Mehter Takımı. Observers doubt that the cooccurrence of this announcement with the recent spurt of tension in the East is merely coincidental. If a form of diplomatic message, suppositions about its significance vary widely, but all agree that the officially unexpected presence of a Monte-Cristan envoy at the grandiose reception of Ambassador Said Effendi by Louis XV, a few years ago, for the solemn renewal of the Capitulations of 1536, is to be remembered in this context.
«Intelligence & Action» specialists in the service of the Mermaid: (one of) our agent(s) -as 'Baronne Evangeline Trelawney'- in Britannia, another just back from Istanbul, one on her way to… ? another one… well, already somewhere else.
After the successful completion of their dangerous missions, it has just been revealed that at least two Monte-Cristan agents recently infiltrated the ‘Services’ of Major Powers: valorous Catherine Aca-Selene acted -as ‘Anna Zigeunera’- for the Austrian Secret Police in Transylvania / Transcarpathiana; while Monique Quirican di Castillo had been ‘Sylvia La Lupa’, 
in ‘errand’ for no less than (one of?) the Vatican’s secret service(s), the dreadful Opus Dei (in this context, nobody would expect the Spanish Inquisition).
Foreign observers in residence wonder about the ‘why’ of such a leak; Monte-Cristan diplomacy has been again commented upon recently. An experienced diplomat compared it to an onion: you have to decorticate layer after layer to go the heart of it; but, he added bitterly, while the surface is sweeter than honey, the heart tastes worse than garlic.
origin of the additional instruments: all are typical components of the Turkish Mehter Takımı. Observers doubt that the cooccurrence of this announcement with the recent spurt of tension in the East is merely coincidental. If a form of diplomatic message, suppositions about its significance vary widely, but all agree that the officially unexpected presence of a Monte-Cristan envoy at the grandiose reception of Ambassador Said Effendi by Louis XV, a few years ago, for the solemn renewal of the Capitulations of 1536, is to be remembered in this context.«Intelligence & Action» specialists in the service of the Mermaid: (one of) our agent(s) -as 'Baronne Evangeline Trelawney'- in Britannia, another just back from Istanbul, one on her way to… ? another one… well, already somewhere else.
After the successful completion of their dangerous missions, it has just been revealed that at least two Monte-Cristan agents recently infiltrated the ‘Services’ of Major Powers: valorous Catherine Aca-Selene acted -as ‘Anna Zigeunera’- for the Austrian Secret Police in Transylvania / Transcarpathiana; while Monique Quirican di Castillo had been ‘Sylvia La Lupa’, 
in ‘errand’ for no less than (one of?) the Vatican’s secret service(s), the dreadful Opus Dei (in this context, nobody would expect the Spanish Inquisition).Foreign observers in residence wonder about the ‘why’ of such a leak; Monte-Cristan diplomacy has been again commented upon recently. An experienced diplomat compared it to an onion: you have to decorticate layer after layer to go the heart of it; but, he added bitterly, while the surface is sweeter than honey, the heart tastes worse than garlic.
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-° Keep treating most of this blog as a 'directory' with several 'major' posts as so many 'folders', their content increasing by alterations to the main text but mainly by addition of new 'files' in the form of comments; devoted these weeks mainly to the 'Oversea' and 'Lace Wars Sci-Fi topics, now converging to that mysterious Land designated by the Justified and Ancient name of Mu (the erroneous denomination ‘Mu-Mu' comes from the last mumblings of a dying shipwrecked sailor, poor soul); to progress one step beyond would be madness, of course.
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.- February "08 updates:
-° Tippelbruder saved! (O1 27): in this second ‘battle by proxy’ of the ‘EvE’ group, the converged contingents of the ‘Anti-Vile Alliance’ broke (were lucky to break, according to the first rumours) the assault of the Stagonian ‘Tippelbruder Punishment Force’. Posted on the TMP a link to the preliminary (unillustrated) battle report; updated the thread with links to the successive steps of the battle and the photo report; and also with links to the first reference to the 3rd EvE battle by proxy, that of Unter-Schweingau, and to Murdock's glorious report.
-° Updated the references of women soldiers in tricorn; specially, discovered 3 Shadowforge very interesting characters -really Monte-Cristan agents.
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-° Several relevant videos, most featuring reenactors: Almansa, the Plains of Abraham, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort William Henry, Fort Duquesne, the French and Indian Wars in NJ.
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.-° Fictitious Lace Wars uniforms: added, as comments, the description of 5 legions and 2 whole armies; also expanded the possible uniforms of the hypothetical army of Saxe-Chambord.
The illustration below is here only as an inspiration for colorful uniforms (of course! What else?) -the anachronical colored tricorn excepted.
The illustration below is here only as an inspiration for colorful uniforms (of course! What else?) -the anachronical colored tricorn excepted.
You know the trick: click on the thumbnail to get a better view.
(links to other similar uniform plates there)
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-° 18th C. Imagi-Nations: a call to blogging (Tried to collect information through messages on various TMP boards) With the recent reprint of ‘The Wargame’, and its forthcoming ‘Companion’, the interest of the wargaming community to Imagi-Nations, specially Lace Wars ones, will be boosted.
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Yet they are already less rare than their limited presence on the Web may suggest. While I have some 50 working ‘Fict’ links to blogs or sites at least partly devoted to (at least) one fictitious 18th C. country, a cursory browsing of the TMP and 3 Yahoo groups revealed 78 (yes, seventy eight!) other gamers with that same interest: I publish their list as a comment to this post. A new imagination and an additional potential (hopefully) blogger discovered since on the TMP; and I realize I forgot John 'OSW' Preece who is building a 'yet to be named OSW mythical army of vintage figures': an update will be posted as a comment to next post. Please peruse this list: I had more than a single one motivation to post it.
-If you know of another wargamer (yourself or a fellow player) interested in Lace Wars Imagi-Nations, with or without a blog / site, please post his / her coordinates: thanks in advance.
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If yourself (mentioned on the list or not) share this game setting, discovering how many ‘we’ are, realizing that you are not alone, not some kind of freaky ‘drop out’, hopefully will decide you, not only to make your ‘outcoming’, but also to ‘take the plunge’ and launch *your own BLOG* (it’s free and, believe me, incredibly *easy*). We all to gain in the mutual encouragement, inspiration and learning provided by published personal experience, photos, comments… Thus don’t be shy and openly join the ‘Virtual Brotherhood’! What you created deserves to be known and will inspire and encourage others. And remember, among the 6+ billions of persons in Earth, only YOU can publish your creations, they are your –totally original and unique– brainchild; to let them stay in oblivion is like letting an endangered species die out; nobody but you can publish them. The more numerous we will be present on the Web, the richer will be our exchanges (even if only ‘virtual’), and the (bio-like) diversity of the Imaginary 18th century.On-line Albums such as Photobucket are nor very convenient: ‘eye-candy’ as the pics may be, they are disconnected from any description (painting or modelling hints, background, battle report…) -unless carefully 'linked' to posts on a blog. We are drowned under the overflow of information on the web, messages posted on Discussion Groups and Boards (such as on the TMP) pass by and are soon forgotten, buried under layers and layers of new messages: these forums are marvelous for instantaneous exchange of information, but far from ideal when it comes to perusing their Archives –so much the more as none I know allows to search by date. Thus within a few days it becomes difficult to link pictures and text –unless the poster cared to quote in the legend of the illo. the # of the corresponding message, or to archive the ‘written part’ in a ‘Files’ folder with the same name as his ‘Photos’ one. Additionally access is restricted to members, so to post a direct link to photos or files archived in a Group is almost useless.
Only on *blogs* do illustrations and text stay together, and searching their archives is far easier (specially if the blogger cares to label his posts). No support is as reader-friendly and convenient as a blog, and blogging is NEITHER more difficult NOR more time-consuming than posting files or images on a Group: thus…
[Setting up a blog is *nothing*; maintaining it is a chore only if you see it as a *diary* (such blogs are too often long-winded, time consuming, and frankly boring): you feel guilty if it is not regularly updated. Not so if you treat your blog as a 'specialized folder': you come back to it *only* if and when you have something new to post; nothing like 'duty' or 'work'. And if your interests change? So what? Among the sites referenced on my blog a *lot* have not been updated for years (among the 'uniformology' ones, or the funny but rich 'Duke Elector King’) and are still enjoyable, informative and inspirational.].If you feel tempted by the idea of designing your own Imagi-Nation (or group of warring neighbors), its (/their) geography, natural resources and economy, its history and current political situation, deciphering the Court gossip to disclose plots, 'characterizing' noteworthy individuals with some RPG-like events thrown in... you can take the plunge before having a single mini! You would not be the first (nor the last) Imagi-Nation creator to launch his blog before buying the first miniature soldier for its army – browse the ‘Fict’ links for stimulating examples.
And of course owning only fully historical miniature armies it perfectly compatible with their use as the Armed Might of an Imaginary Country: it corresponds to the ‘1st’ (Neil Cogswell’s ‘War of the Bombar Succession’) or ‘2nd’ (The Grand Duchy de Lorraine in ‘The Wargame’) levels of ‘unhistoricity’, with inspirational and respectable precedents.
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Similarly, as soon as your country(ies) has(ve) a name and a little 'character', you can enter the exchange of diplomatic missives on the 'Emperor vs Elector' collective blog (with currently 40 members).
You don't need to have your own blog or site to contribute: send a mail to the blog owner / coordinator and he will give you a blogger IP allowing to post and comment on the blog (and, I guess, to post comments on any blog).
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Personal involvement varies freely from 'lurker' to 'regular poster', with individual contributor but also with time, current main object of interest, mood and pressures from 'The Real World™'. But you are then recorded in the 'links bank', and the blog is a very enjoyable, friendly and stimulating meeting meeting point for Lace Wars Imagi-Nations Rulers. Contributors are pleasant fellows who share their knowledge in the kindest way.With its ‘battles by proxy’, ‘EvE’ offers isolated wargamers an opportunity to break their isolation and have their solo battles a precious part of a common effort.
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The Laws of Physics are relaxed in our Multiverse: Space is elastic, with e.g. already 3 'France'; Time is extensible and Malburian as well as AWI countries and armies coexist there (even a few Napoleonics –feeling so lonely among the ‘hardboiled historical’ Napoleonic Great Vocal Majority).
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Not all the 78 wargamers listed are currently rulers of an ‘active’ Imagi-Nation: some are just starting, other have switched their main field of interest but have a long, inspirational and enjoyable experience to share. A few did not built a whole fictitious army, but ‘spiced’ their ‘historical’ one with colorful imaginary Freicorps. One or two only converted minis into quasi-historical (de Saxe’s ‘daydreamed’ Legion) or historical but mythical-looking (Schaumberg-Lippe Carbiniers) troop types. But *ALL* have done an original work that fully deserves to be published for the ‘education’, inspiration and enjoyement of the community.
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- jan. 14, 2008: -° Cosmos 1745: toyed with a few ideas about Mars and the Earthling presence there by the mid-18th C.; added the resulting elucubrations as comments (6, currently) to the relevant post (and no, it's NOT "Oversea Colonies: one step further" -not yet!).
.-° Fictitious Lace Wars uniforms: added, as comments to corresponding posts, sketchy descriptions of imaginary uniforms (text only -sorry, no drawings yet: I miss know-how, software and mainly energy to use David's templates, presently at least). 9 'armies' are described: 4 annexed to the 'Oversea Colonies' post: 2 Spanish in 'mythical America' (1 for Antiglia, 1 for 'Brazil': posted O1 05), those of the Jacobite Kingdom in Acadia and the New-Irish Country (posted O1 09, with French and British supplements); 5 annexed to the 'Fictitious uniforms' post: 1 for an army developped from a few uniforms in a literary source (posted O1 07), 2 post-Culloden victorious Jacobites (posted O1 12), 2 for a pair of mythical Principalities able to replay the GNW by the mid-18th C. (posted O1 14, with an -unsollicited & unauthorized- Togarasian supplement; armies that can also be used to increase the 'military biodiversity' in North America, maybe even adding a new Country there?).Thus, together with sketchy outlines of the armies of the 4 major North American Imagi-Nations and gathering the imaginary units depicted in the various 'Uniforms'-labelled posts (text &/or comments), the description of the equivalent of 14 (rather large) fictitious Lace Wargame armies has now been posted. Nonetheless, keep periodically 'throwing an eye' (as we say in Monte-Cristo) to the comments attached to these 2 posts and the 'Fictitious Lace Wars armies' one: I still have 10 'mythical' armies and several Poldevian and Ruritanian mixed Legions up my sleeve (I started compiling notes on fictitious 18th C. uniforms some 50 years ago...)!
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2007
2007
- dec. 26 "O7: -° 50! Fifty! No, it’s not *not* my birthday – I know now that I was still *young* when I was only 50!
I just added the 49th ‘Fict:‘ link to the Monte-Cristan blog: with the Presipality itself there are now 50 repertoried websites or blogs partly or totally devoted to a Lace Wars Imagi-Nation (or to a ‘bubble’ of fictitious warring neighbors). 36 of them are contibutors to the ‘Emperor vs Elector’ ‘collective’ web campaign.
I notice that at least 18 of these blogs –often devoted to a ‘theatre of operations’ involving at least 2 fictitious countries– used David’s SYW Uniforms Templates to display the uniforms of their mythical units. Still only a minority, yet an encouraging factor of ‘visual homogeneity’, propitious to the eventual compilation of a ‘Funcken of Lace Wars Imagi-Nations’.I just added the 49th ‘Fict:‘ link to the Monte-Cristan blog: with the Presipality itself there are now 50 repertoried websites or blogs partly or totally devoted to a Lace Wars Imagi-Nation (or to a ‘bubble’ of fictitious warring neighbors). 36 of them are contibutors to the ‘Emperor vs Elector’ ‘collective’ web campaign.
OK, I DID cheat a little: a few blogs are currently rather ‘dormant’ (the pressure of ‘The Real World ™’!), two are provisionally closed – hopefully they, or their content, will reappear one day, or at the very least the Tradgarlander army will eventually include a contingent from Altberg and a mixed force of Togarasian exiles.
But Argoz-Bern, Ardoberg-Holstein and Rubovia are abundantly documented in the folders of the OSW Yahoo group, Saxe-Burlap und Schleswig-Beerstein, The Grand Duchy with No Name and now The Levitzer Rabbinate in those of the SOCDAISY: this more than balances that! And several other Lace Wars Imagi-Nations have at least their army described in the archived messages of these two Groups.
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There is an overflow of information on the web, messages posted on Groups and boards (such as on the TMP) pass by and are forgotten, many interesting references and links with them. Thus, in my small, petty, pet domain –fictitious Lace Wars Armies & Countries, and Lacepunk– I try to act as a specialized archivist. Hopefully the blog may be of some interest for a few newcomers, at least for its bibliography / ‘virtual library’. Then everything (& everybody) decays, videos are removed, links are changed or die. I try to patch this, but feel it’s some kind of hopeless rearguard action against the Dorian Gray syndrome.
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While some skill at blogging came with experience, and while, all posts having been checked and updated, I find the result now bearable, drastic improvements are certainly in order: comments, criticisms and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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There is an overflow of information on the web, messages posted on Groups and boards (such as on the TMP) pass by and are forgotten, many interesting references and links with them. Thus, in my small, petty, pet domain –fictitious Lace Wars Armies & Countries, and Lacepunk– I try to act as a specialized archivist. Hopefully the blog may be of some interest for a few newcomers, at least for its bibliography / ‘virtual library’. Then everything (& everybody) decays, videos are removed, links are changed or die. I try to patch this, but feel it’s some kind of hopeless rearguard action against the Dorian Gray syndrome.
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While some skill at blogging came with experience, and while, all posts having been checked and updated, I find the result now bearable, drastic improvements are certainly in order: comments, criticisms and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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- nov. 17 "07: -° Rainbow Warriors: (mis)used again that unlucky Grassin template, this time to toy with 'colors modifications' utilities; I used the (quasi-psychedelic) result to 'adorn' an old post with (too?) much text but regrettably few pictures! (At the end of the 'Light Troops' § under II- Other Arms
-° Daisyesque?: added to the discussion of de Saxe's ±mythical uniforms a link to an old French musical video; relevancy excessively marginal (to say the least), but I find the images rather funny.
-° Added a § on 'Female Lace Wars Soldiers' 
to the Lace Wars Sci-Fi post, how 'weird' being that very idea!.
-° Go on a Grand Tour of the Presipality: all 38 previous posts have now been checked (horrified by the density of typos!), edited and (hopefully) somewhat 'improved'; many received additions, were expanded in the text and / or by a comment, often more than once -specially the 10 labelled 'Uniforms'. I tend now to treat this blog as a poor man's website, with a 'What's New?' page (this post), and a few 'thematic' pages each scattered along several posts with same 'label'; it began when I posted the 'salvo' of 6 'Lace Wars Sci-Fi' messages backwards, so that they appear in reading order in the archives. Thus every post, regardless of its date of creation, may be updated at any moment -indeed, almost everyday there is a minor correction / addition to a post or another, not reported here. Comments, criticisms and suggestions welcome!
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- nov. 15 "07: 
-° First (clumsy) attempt of a crude sketch of a Monte-Cristan uniform, that of the Carabiniers, (mis)using David's Grassin; added to the 2 relevant posts.
-° First (clumsy) attempt of a crude sketch of a Monte-Cristan uniform, that of the Carabiniers, (mis)using David's Grassin; added to the 2 relevant posts.
-° Three good battle scenes (GNW) from the Russian movie "The Sovereign's Servant" already mentioned on sept. 26 below.
-° Found a better image of an early 19th C. vision of a French invasion using a tunnel under the Channel, to illustrate what the ‘Taupe-Behemoth’ can dig.
-° Found the ‘long’ version of the French SYW-set musical video, but unfortunately cut up in two parts: 9’35 (female agents in action in the last 2.5’) and 8’15 (with most of the battle scene).
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- nov. 03 "07: -° A short description of the Monte-Cristan cult and Sisters of St Jezebel attached as a comment to the most relevant post, and also to both De Saxe, the POPP’s best penpal and MC Mil R&D I-Weapon Systems; to this later post I added, also as a comment, a link to a short extract of The Scarlet Empress.
-° A few links to short videos ± relevant to the 18th C.:
*Four links to short 'battle' extracts of (IIIrd Reich?) B&W movies about Frederick the Great: Der Choral Von Leuthen-1, Der Choral Von Leuthen-2, Der Grosse Koenig – Kunersdorf and Fridericus – Battle: thanks to the TMP!
*Far less 'military': - first Marie-Antoinette (but cut the sound).- Here Munchausen meets Catherine II.- Several scenes from the French movie «Le Pacte des Loups»: in this scene of action, the fighters in tricorn and raised collar could well be Operatifs of the Monte-Cristan BSN; Monica Bellucci gives a good depiction of a Mont-Cristan ‘matrimonial’ agent (indeed she / her character may well have been a major source of inspiration). A good scene of bare hands fighting: the ‘hero’, just as Oumpah-pah, followed a French friend to Europe. This next video is oddly used to illustrate an ‘Old_School’ song. A very modern music as background of these images of the ‘Bête du Gévaudan’. In the last two sequences, the young tricorned amazon with restricted manners could look a little like Lady Pettygree. - Next to the 'Brotherhood' is the Company of Wolves. As a step further in the same direction, I added links to 18th C. werewolves to the post dealing with the possible addition of a little Sci-Fi or Fantasy ‘spice’ to Lace Wars-gaming.
-° A few links to short videos ± relevant to the 18th C.:
*Four links to short 'battle' extracts of (IIIrd Reich?) B&W movies about Frederick the Great: Der Choral Von Leuthen-1, Der Choral Von Leuthen-2, Der Grosse Koenig – Kunersdorf and Fridericus – Battle: thanks to the TMP!
*Far less 'military': - first Marie-Antoinette (but cut the sound).- Here Munchausen meets Catherine II.- Several scenes from the French movie «Le Pacte des Loups»: in this scene of action, the fighters in tricorn and raised collar could well be Operatifs of the Monte-Cristan BSN; Monica Bellucci gives a good depiction of a Mont-Cristan ‘matrimonial’ agent (indeed she / her character may well have been a major source of inspiration). A good scene of bare hands fighting: the ‘hero’, just as Oumpah-pah, followed a French friend to Europe. This next video is oddly used to illustrate an ‘Old_School’ song. A very modern music as background of these images of the ‘Bête du Gévaudan’. In the last two sequences, the young tricorned amazon with restricted manners could look a little like Lady Pettygree. - Next to the 'Brotherhood' is the Company of Wolves. As a step further in the same direction, I added links to 18th C. werewolves to the post dealing with the possible addition of a little Sci-Fi or Fantasy ‘spice’ to Lace Wars-gaming.
-° Some realities cannot be denied eternally, thus the posts describing the Monte-Cristan Policeand
'Foreign Documentation and Action' (Secret) Service both received an illustrated addendum.
- oct. 30 : Unfortunately the sculptor of these great ‘artisanal’ 28mm SYW minis produces them for his personal use only! But it’s good to see that NPI somehow survives – even if for me I’ve been unable to go to this page from the NPI site?
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- oct. 28: New meals become popular in Monte-Cristo - The potato -locally known as 'ground apple'- is now currently offered in the streets in 'squid & fries' ("calamars-frites") as a form of 'fast food', while 
restaurants have added 'brandade' to their menu and housewives 'rapee' to their cooking routine. As for the 'sweet potato', Monte-Cristan confectioners compete in trying to adapt to it their successful recipes of candied rhubarb, marrons glaces or honeyed banana jelly. Rice is imported from far away (cultivation is now attempted in friendly Kamarg) mainly as a source of flour for exotic ravioles. 'Indian corn' (maize) flour is now of common use for quicly cooked creams and sauces. Ah, and among new drinks, cocoa in coconut milk -hot or cooled- is all the rage. Such are the major concerns here in Monte-Cristo, while so many other countries in our Europe know war or expect it.
restaurants have added 'brandade' to their menu and housewives 'rapee' to their cooking routine. As for the 'sweet potato', Monte-Cristan confectioners compete in trying to adapt to it their successful recipes of candied rhubarb, marrons glaces or honeyed banana jelly. Rice is imported from far away (cultivation is now attempted in friendly Kamarg) mainly as a source of flour for exotic ravioles. 'Indian corn' (maize) flour is now of common use for quicly cooked creams and sauces. Ah, and among new drinks, cocoa in coconut milk -hot or cooled- is all the rage. Such are the major concerns here in Monte-Cristo, while so many other countries in our Europe know war or expect it.
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-° Compliments, Wishes and Apologies
We, Louys of Monte-Cristo, offer Our most sincere wishes and compliments to the newly wedded Grafein of Zolms-Braunburg and Graf of Zolms-Braunwald. Let their union be happy and blessed with peace and prosperity.
We present to Our Dear Young Cousins Our deepest regrets for the unjustifiable absence of any special Monte-Cristan Representative of high enough Status at the wonderful Ceremony. Our diplomatic (and other) "Agencies" failed miserably to keep Us informed in due time of the situation in the Furstschaft of Zolms: some heads will roll (figuratively speaking, of course: let no blood spoil this union! And, as any Monte-Cristan, We have
a visceral hatred of any violence - obviously)!
We present to Our Dear Young Cousins Our deepest regrets for the unjustifiable absence of any special Monte-Cristan Representative of high enough Status at the wonderful Ceremony. Our diplomatic (and other) "Agencies" failed miserably to keep Us informed in due time of the situation in the Furstschaft of Zolms: some heads will roll (figuratively speaking, of course: let no blood spoil this union! And, as any Monte-Cristan, We have
a visceral hatred of any violence - obviously)!
A group of young Monte-Cristan ladies, carrying this Letter, will immediatly depart from the Presipality to present the Newly-Weds with pine-seed dragees and other typical Monte-Cristan delicacies, and two richely illustrated old books of appropriate nature from the Presipapal Library.
With all Our Paternal affection,
written by Our Own Hand and signed
With all Our Paternal affection,
written by Our Own Hand and signed
Louys
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-° A premiere thanks to the "Emperor vs Elector" web campaign: to-day oct. 21 a battle is to be fought in British Columbia with Murdock and his ‘Marauders’ acting as ‘proxies' for the rulers of Frankzonia and the Soweiter League, who live in Arkansas and Southern California respectively! More details posted as a comment to my july post From Solo Wargaming to World-Wide Campaigns where I proposed the idea. Oct. 31: Murdock posted a juicy report of this BATTLE OF OFFENBACH, with eye-candy photos as usual. Update on Nov. 03 : following this successful ‘premiere’, another ‘battle by proxy’ –this time a ‘neutral’ solo wargamer controlling the forces from 7 other players scattered across whole North America– will take place near the town of Tippelbruder.
-° The illustrations are better ignored, the orchestration is too 'modern', but this French marching song dates from the 17th C. and was a favorite by Lace Wars times «At the sound of their fifes and drums, Mr de Turenne's fierce dragoons crossed the Rhine, burned down Koblenz and looted the whole Palatinate»... (also: try here, or a sung version here)
-° Want to hear the singing style of the Monte-Cristan Guards? Links to modern interpretations (mostly in French) of a few songs have been added to the corresponding post; actually the Gardes de l’Etrier sang on an even slower, more majestuous and almost funeral rhythm. Also added a few relevant links to YouTube - ignore the visuals, and the modern pace.
- oct. 17: With reference to the previous posts Lace Wars Sci-Fi? and MC Mil R&D IV-Air Mobility: thanks to "Yours in a White Wine Sauce!" : a H&M Sci-Fi dirigible in action: Napoleonic rather than 18th C. -the shakos are far too 'modern' for the Lace Wars, as are the 'jet' propellers for some ‘Cosmos 1745’- but enjoyable and potentially inspirational nonetheless: Cannon Flight (video from 'Final Fantasy', I'm told).
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- oct. 12 "07: Surprising news from Monte-Cristo - The company of Carabiniers attached (officially as firefighters) to the Presipapal Palace had its strenght recently trebbled "following the tradition of the Capitain's Own Troop in the Black Company". Since this company is the only entirely professional outfit of Carabiniers, this represents a substantial increase of the Monte-Cristan 'professional army'. Comments vary, but most Monte-Cristans point out that this decision was taken when the Academy 
of Sciences began building prototypes of advanced weapon systems, who need to be guarded, isolated from indue curiosity and also manned / crewed. This led to more general comments about the true military strenght of Monte-Cristo, its population and area, larger by far than generally believed.
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- oct. 04 "07: -° added (below, in the 09/26 §) a pic of all the the A.A. 'Flintloque' Dark Elves Light Infantry'men': on second thoughts certainly the part of the whole Elvish range most immediatly usable as humans in the army of some 'Tricorn' Imagi-Nation. Could very well pass for 'velites' of de Saxe's daydreamed Legion! Wonder if a handswap with the Eureka100 Grassin bugler could be endvisaged to complete the unit? I just perused the 'Foundry' site: Alternative Armies 'Elves' look as human as many H&M Foundry historicals! Update nov. 14: AA deeply modified their site, links to photos are now 'dead'.
-° "Reality is for those who lack Imagi-Nations!": this very brilliant phrase is from the Grand Duke of Hetzenberg.
-° Another remarkable series of mythical uniforms and flags: on the Duchy of M'Uedail.
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- sept 26 "07: Just (re)discovered the full 'Flintloque' range: their Elves of Armorica (initially known as 'Crystal Elves', long ago) are quite 'realist' and could be used as 'humans' on a tabletop. I'm suggesting, I repeat, *not* to use them as 'Elves' in some 'Castle Falkenstein 1745' setting, but as *HUMANS* in original uniforms, with new types of headgear, adding variety to a fictitious 18°C. army (well, de Saxe did it, a respectable historical precedent!).
Update nov. 14: AA deeply modified their site, links to photos are now 'dead'.
Most cavalry types, being helmeted rather than in shako or bicorn, could fit in the army of a Lace Wars Imagi-Nation: on the L'Esprit Du Garde (left) the helmet already looks more 'de Saxe' than Napoleonic). The 'Gardes Dragoons' (command right) look quite de Saxesque indeed! For the hussars, filing down the peak would turn the shako into an acceptable mirliton / busby with bag. More generally, removing the peak from their helmet gives instantaneously a more ‘mid-18° C.’ look to late 18°-early 19° C. helmeted cavalrymen: try to vizualize it on e.g. the Gardes Dragoons to the left. Too bad they do not offer a sprue of heads (e.g. 2 - 3 types, total = twice the number of minis) with their sets: the 'Polish schapska' is too typed, but their Lanciers Rouge all in fatigue cap would make interesting Lace Wars light cavalry. Among their Dark Elves of Catalucia, the Cabaleros could also be used, once mounted on ‘historical’ hussar horses.
Most cavalry types, being helmeted rather than in shako or bicorn, could fit in the army of a Lace Wars Imagi-Nation: on the L'Esprit Du Garde (left) the helmet already looks more 'de Saxe' than Napoleonic). The 'Gardes Dragoons' (command right) look quite de Saxesque indeed! For the hussars, filing down the peak would turn the shako into an acceptable mirliton / busby with bag. More generally, removing the peak from their helmet gives instantaneously a more ‘mid-18° C.’ look to late 18°-early 19° C. helmeted cavalrymen: try to vizualize it on e.g. the Gardes Dragoons to the left. Too bad they do not offer a sprue of heads (e.g. 2 - 3 types, total = twice the number of minis) with their sets: the 'Polish schapska' is too typed, but their Lanciers Rouge all in fatigue cap would make interesting Lace Wars light cavalry. Among their Dark Elves of Catalucia, the Cabaleros could also be used, once mounted on ‘historical’ hussar horses.Among the infantry, the Grenadiers of the Guard in odd bearskins (shorten the plume!), the Light Infantry Carabiniers with a very peculiar cap, the helmeted Dark Elves light infantry and the Militia in ‘Britton’-looking tricorns –perfect for Marines– are also potentially good Lace Wars humans.
The Dark Elves Light Infantry (above), in 'exotic' and thus less 'chronologically tagged' dress, are probably the most immediatly appropriate to a Lace Wars army; filing down the peak of the helmet (de Saxe's 'original' ones, later so widely copied, had none) would give them a definitively mid-18°C 'look'. Too bad the officer is bare-headed, headswappings don't look easy on these minis.
Note the mountain artillery, which may be interesting as battalion guns, but the range offers also interesting field cannons, howitzers and Siege guns. And you find even a grim field hospital vignette.
Note the mountain artillery, which may be interesting as battalion guns, but the range offers also interesting field cannons, howitzers and Siege guns. And you find even a grim field hospital vignette.
Elves are always the less caricatural, cartoonesque non-human fantasy minis, and generally can pass easily for humans on the tabletop .
At least, the Flintloque Elves are *not* more caricatural / non-human than many Foundry 18° C. minis! But I wonder if their size would make them compatible with a popular SYW range?
At least, the Flintloque Elves are *not* more caricatural / non-human than many Foundry 18° C. minis! But I wonder if their size would make them compatible with a popular SYW range?
-° Thanks to the TMP 18th C. discussion board, 2 videos from «The Sovereign's Servant», a new Russian movie set during the Swedish/Russian War of 1709. A little early for the ‘Tricorn’ period according to my tatse, but certainly deserving a look.
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- sept. 22 "07: Monte-Cristo ready to launch a new type of mercenary outfit on the international market: the 'Frei Corpse'? 
(right, Alternative Armies figurine 55518_b; left, Blackcatbases Skeleton Navy)
See comment to the 'Technological Breakthroughs of Military Interest in Monte-Cristo' post.
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- sept. 12 "07: -° A few illos added to the Fictitious Lace Wars armies can 'look right'. july post -perhaps *not* always what you were expecting?
-°.New illustrated ideas added as a comment to the Lace Wars Sci-Fi?'Cloudships of Mars' post; I managed again to add (only) links to photos in the 'comment' - clumsy, but they work! Too bad I could not insert the photos themselves, this blog lacks pictures (hence that at left!), and one cannot edit comments, afaik.
-° 'The reply of Monte-Cristo to Tradgarland' inserted as a comment to this post.
-°. Links to Parroom Station and ‘Dead Earth’ Bronze Age Minis added to the Lace Wars Sci-Fi? post; also added a pic of the 'Women Warriors' set from the Bronze Age Minis site: I do like female minis - and this blog cruelly lacks photos of minis, anyway. The RAFM 'official' Cosmos 1899 Martians could not be used in a Lace Wars setting without a few modifications -at least filing out or covering the breast pockets- since they look even more WWI than Victorian. Anyway they are bland, unimaginative and the range is limited to privates: you'd have to convert some to create your sergeant, officer, musician, standard bearer...
-°links here-> to 2 musical videos in ± relevant costumes (movie scores... bof...):.
-°.The July "07 post Fictitious Lace Wars armies can 'look right' has been updated with the addition (under II-OTHER ARMS / II-A: Cavalry) of 2 striking photos of Extra-Heavy Cuirassiers in 3/4 armor (with the kind permission of their creator, 'Otto', owner of the Society of Daisy Yahoo group and creator of -inter alia- Saxe-Burlap und Schleswig-Beerstein, the Country of famous Princess Trixie).
-°.The description of a possible fictitious North America by the FIW times in the August post Oversea colonies: one step further' has been updated, and will be again when I know more about Ny Tradgarland and the semi-independant colonies of Maroon (French) and Mind (British) -if their creators agree, of course. Maybe other fictitious settlements in North America will appear on the Web?
A new image just received from Nouvelle France and which -with reference to descriptions from the most reliable source- in all likelihood presents Ny Tradgarlander militiamen in training, has been inserted..
The possibilty to update old post with relevant new matter is IMHO very handy, avoiding to have the information related to a given topic scattered along the Archives. Indeed I'm now inclined to treat this blog, not as a diary, but as a kind of directory with each post the equivalent of a folder devoted to a given subject. Thus I prefer to add a comment to an old post rather than posting on the same topic as a new message -how many people comment on their own blog? I'm progressively adding links between posts, to make the exploration of the blog -and the discovery of Monte-Cristo- easier. Yet I understand this use may be somehow reader-unfriendly, specially toward people using tools such as Google Reader, which checks for new posts.
A new image just received from Nouvelle France and which -with reference to descriptions from the most reliable source- in all likelihood presents Ny Tradgarlander militiamen in training, has been inserted..
The possibilty to update old post with relevant new matter is IMHO very handy, avoiding to have the information related to a given topic scattered along the Archives. Indeed I'm now inclined to treat this blog, not as a diary, but as a kind of directory with each post the equivalent of a folder devoted to a given subject. Thus I prefer to add a comment to an old post rather than posting on the same topic as a new message -how many people comment on their own blog? I'm progressively adding links between posts, to make the exploration of the blog -and the discovery of Monte-Cristo- easier. Yet I understand this use may be somehow reader-unfriendly, specially toward people using tools such as Google Reader, which checks for new posts.
Having a passion, since childhood, for fictitious Lace Wars uniforms and since the mid-seventies for wargaming with such armies, I envoyed for some time to passively watch on the Web the achievement of several ‘active’ players. Then, eager to join the ‘Emperor vs Elector’ web campaign, but without either a Lace Wars army or –at 63– the will to built one, I chose to create a minuscule, totally neutral, Imagi_Nation. More or less a parody of Monaco, with a strong input (the liberal 
constitution, the nudism of the youth, the easy and pleasant life) from Pierre Louys’ ‘Les aventures du Roi Pausole’ (1905), itself set on the Côte d’Azur. Thus from the start Monte-Cristo was not intended to be an active player in the campaign, merely a setting where agents of the Active Countries may, more or less secretly, interact in the preparation 
of either official Peace Meetings at Geneva or some High Treason. The current Prince-President had the Thermal Baths and Casino (a good place to meet 'accidentally', a convenient way for laundering dirty money, an excellent excuse to give huge quantities of gold as "gambling debts".... ) built to provide an excuse to visit the retired Presipality. Besides, being State-owned, their income helps to keep the tax burden on the citizens very light. Of course, the State itself could play the part of a go-between in the diplomatic campaign, would other countries / players wish.The basic idea behind the Monte-Cristan foreign policy is that the i
ndependence and freedom of such a tiny, indefensible Nation can survive only under the tacit, but firm, protection of the International Community. Hence the lucrative ‘warmly friend to anyone’ type of neutrality: the aim is to have Monte-Cristo so useful to most Major Powers that they, collectively, would deter any threat against the Presipality. The famous secrecy of the Presipapal Bank (for Sustainable Developpment and Constantly Increasing Profit) is part of the plan: with People of Power and Influence everywhere in Europe having numbered account(s) here, nobody would tolerate an invasion of Monte-Cristo.
Then I tried to flesh out the country, to add some depth to its character, by playing on the contrast between the blatant and the less obvious. 
At first glance, Monte-Cristans are gentle, kind and welcoming people with a reassuring ‘Peace & Love’ / ‘Flower Power’ ethos: naturists quietly growing their smoking dream-herb and selling candied fruits and perfumes. Yet the submerged part of the iceberg is far darker. Monte-Cristo is fundamentally a shameless leech of continental proportions: its easy / lazy way of life lays on the obscenely exaggerated prices of the exported luxury (i.e. basically useless) goods. Thus the Monte-Cristan welfare comes from the cynical exploitation of people in other countries (not an unique practice, truth to say). 
Presipapal Assassins (fear of the dark!) {with a constitutional duty to overthrow a 'disappointing' Prince-President} fiercely protect the secret recipes of these exported goods. In his obsessive desire to be ahead in the international affairs (due to his paranoid fear to have the independence of his country alienated) the POPP has permanently agents 
by the hundreds across whole Europe, to play vicious diplomatic games, watch, eavesdrop, spy, blackmail and spread rumours. In order to keep the taxes on Monte-Cristan citizens as light as possible, the State diversifies its sources of income by auctionning plans of advanced military technologies. The whole population -female and male alike- is traditionally well trained in individual weapon handling, and ready to fanatically wage a guerilla war against any invader threatening its freedom and 'deviant' way of life. 
The Gardes de l’Etrier, the only –and microscopic– real ‘army’ of the Presipality, look like benevolent and jovial middle-aged men (and a few younger women) in uniform; yet, since more than a century and a half, they keep alive all the grim and gloomy traditions of a bloodied mercenary Free Company from the cruel and maddening 
Wars of Religion. This, during secret ceremonies with
perhaps Neo-Pagan, not to say Luciferian (or Cthulhuesque), overtones. In Monte-Cristo Aug. 15 is dedicated, not to Virgin Mary, but to the dim memory of an Elder Goddess. As for the Monte-Cristan Holy Sisters of St Jezebel… see this comment. Another, more 
recent comment suggests that even by its very *size* the Monte-Cristan population would be very different from the deliberately misleading image spread (thanks to the geographical isolation of the peninsula) in other countries by the Presipapal diplomacy.
These five short videos may, albeit in a very distorted manner, give a glimpse of some aspects of the ambiguous Monte-Cristan atmosphere, at least as perceived through the eyes of a prejudiced stranger.
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Project of an allegoric image of the Presipality
(or "We lead...")
Monte-Cristan allegoric image
(Présipauté is feminine in French as in all Latin tongues)
The perfect equality between Man and Woman in Monte-Cristo is generally resented as *very bad example* almost everywhere.
Ah: in the case it passed unnoticed, I tried (in the Old School tradition?) to spice the whole with a pinch of (too often dirty & purely Batrachiophone?) humor and spoonerisms, here and there!
Monte-Cristo: casual nudity of the youth
Mores and practices
Life in Monte-Cristo is mainly rural
Monte-Cristo: sea, sun...
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Typical activities appreciated by the natives and the foreign students & tourists alike
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