The Rising Sun and the Cresent Moon

I have toyed wit hthe ideas of this world for a long time. It all came together with our Call of Cthulu game. Where I will not go into the RPG aspect of this, I will transcribe this all from a historian's point of view. If anyone of you watched the Discovery Channel production of Byzantium, I see John Romer being the narrator of this epic. Sadly, Byzantium did fall in 1453, but this story starts in 1905. Oh, please excuse any spelling errors.

The Russian Empire had been fought to a standstill by the Imperial Japan. Austrian and American observers of the war note the strange monks who have swayed the Siberian rifle regiments to stay loyal ot the Tzar regardless of Russian defeats. Wit hthe aid of a German Gestapo agent, the observers infiltrate the Russian camps. They discover that an underground cult has taken hold of the Orthodox monks. That aside, they are conspiring with the Japanese. Despite protests, to their governments, they are helpless to act.

Wit the end of the war, mediated by the United States, revolution breaks out in Imperial Russia. It is brutalily put down by the Cossacks and the Guards. Several of the ring leaders of the revolution escape to Serbia and Switzerland. At the end December 1905, the tail end of the revolution, three terrorist bombs go off in Germany, one in Posen and two in Memel when the Kaiser is visiting. He is severely wounded and burnt by the blast. he is only saved by the death of the Prussian interior minister, who dies, shielding the Kaiser. The German Army is put on alert and the borders with Russia are closed. An investigation is held. It is found that Russian Orthodox monks had supplied the bombs to Polish seperatists. The Polish terrorists are rounded up, tried and executed. Tzar Nicholas will not let the monks be extradited to Germany. Tensions are raised by this action.

After six months of opperations and recovery, Kaiser Wilhelm realizes he cannot physically reule the Empire. He calls the other nobility and cabinet together in Berlin and decrees his intent to abdicate, his son Wilhelm will then take the throne. The consensus it that it would be the best move for the Kaiser. The announcement is made on August 1, 1906 that Wilhelm, Konigprinz will be crowned King of Prussia on January 1, 1907 on Konigsburg. On February 18th, the anniversary of the crowning of Wilhelm I as Emperor, Wilhelm will be crowned as Wilhelm III.

Later that month, Konigprinz Wilhelm travels to England to confer with his uncle, King George V. He brings the Gestapo officer with him who witnessed the bizzare occurance in Russia during the Russo-Japanese war. he explains that there is a secret pact between japan and several other nations which could threaten both the German and British empires. Wit hthe evidence, George V summons Winston Churchill from the naval ministry and tasks him to put together an investigative group who will assist the Germans in confirming this information. First, he must travel to the United States and get the American officers who were involved to join them. Churchill would have to get the help of president Roosevelt.

The voyage to America on the royal cruiser Vengance was not without incident. An unknown vessel surfaced from the water near Newfoundland and fired several rockets at the cruiser, damaging it severly. Listing, the crew abandonded ship. Luckly a Sweedish whaleing ship was near and could pick up the survivors. It was estimated that 600 of the crew, including the captain were killed in the attack.

The New York press got a hold of the story and across the nation the word was out that a ship that could travel under the water attacked and sunk a British military vessel. It was by the grace of God that Churchill survived. Upon arrival in Boston harbor President Roosevelt declared that no foriegn ship friendly to the United States would ever be harmed within waters 1000 miles of the American shore. He welcomed Churchill and the two took a secret zepplin ride from Boston to Washington that evening.

The two Officers who had witnessed the incident in Russia were stationed in Texas at this time fighting Mexican bandits. Churchill, with the Gestapo agent, briefed President Roosevelt and the cabinet. Roosevelt , full of fire, proposed an alliance with Germany and Britain to fight Anarchists, Beligerants and Terrorists. he recalled the North African incident wherehe got the nick name, "the Lion", from a pirate prince. The next day he called an emegercy meeting of Congress to be held one week later, April 12, 1907.

At the joint meeting of congress, President Roosevelt introduced his plan to help protect "sovern Christian nations" and their territories. This called for a congress of nations. This congress would be a mutual group of nation wit hthe purpose of protecting their sovernty and their territories. The congress could form a military alliance for mutual protection, but never for territorial gain, unless with the unamious concent of the congress. Each nation would send a select representative from their government wit ha staff who reported directly to the national leader. Intelligence would be shared and police forces and secret services could work otgether to enforce the laws of the sovern nations. Finally, there would be no economic tarrafs on certain products, particulary foodstuffs. The framework would be around the protection of nations, empires and their dependents.

Wit ha standing ovation, congressional leaders promised to hammer out the particularsin "record timing". A draft of the proposal would be sent to the invited nations. At the head of the congress would be a five member panel who would be rotated every five years and the president of the panal every year. That way no one country would have all of the power. Each country had one voice, regardless of land owned or population. All national greviances among member nations would be settled in the congress, not on the battlefield. Member nations were expelled by a 3/4 majority vote.

Within two weeks congress passed the national sovernty act which gave the President the power to form the congress. Roosevelt wasted no time in sending the invitations for the congress to the various embassadors. the nations included

Great Britain
Imperial Germany
Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of the Neatherlands
Kingdom of Belgium
Kingdom of Eathopia
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of Denmark
Austrian-Hungarian Empire
Kingdom of Greece
Republic of France
Republic of Switzerland
Luxemburg
Leichtenstein
Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Spain
Dominion of Canada
Dominion of Australia
Kingdom of Thailand
Kingdom of Rumania
Kingdom of Montenegro
kingdom of Nepal
Imperial Russia

The location of the first meeting was decided to be held in Vienna. the offical date of the firsy meeting of the congress was on October 14, 1907. Switzerland, France and Russia did not send any deligates. The first meeting was an introduction to precedures, rights and responsibilities of member nations. a draft of the constitution was read aloud and the next month would be spent on revisions. Despite heated debates, the final draft was approved by the deligates for return to their nations on the 10th of November of 1907.

the first member nations to sign on, thus being the first board were Germany, USA, Britain, Austria-Hungary and Greece. The next nations to join one week later were Nepal, Leichtenstein, Italy, Neatherlands, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweeden, Luxemburg, Spain and Portugal. The Danish and Montenegroans were the last to sign on. By the 3rd of February of 1908 The congress met again with member national leaders to sign the treaty. it was officiated on the 5th of February 1908. The city of vienna was chosen for the seat of the congress due to its location and the open ports of the Empire.

All during this time a silent border build up had occured on the Russian and German borders. it was anticipated that war would come one day, but neither side knew when it would happen. With the congress in Vienna, it was decided to bring both nations to the table and stop the build up of forces.

A shaky treaty was signed on May 15, 1908 which was the first test of this new congress. It proved that the mamber nations could work together for thr good of the members. The first treaty signed by the congress was the abolition of slavery in all territories. It was ratified by the member nations on August 21, 1908. Part of the treaty outlined sanctions against nations who violated the treaty or neigbor nations who either took slaves from the territories or were involved with slavery themselves.

Within a week of the signing of the treaty, representatives of the Ottoman Empire asked to speak to the congress in protest of the new treaty. Accompaning them were Sudanese sultins, African chiefs, South American digitaries and represenatives of various colonies under member nation control. Each was permitted t ospeak for one hour to the congress.

The Ottomans protested the treaty as invading on their sovernty. They also protested the fact that no Islamic nations were invited to join the congress. the speaker, by the name of Attiturk, suggested that this was a further hegimony of these nations to strangulate these free peoples. While these imperialist nations had gone to the trough like pigs ot eat their slop, The Ottoman Empire had gathered together a group of "enlightened" people who wanted this "falacy" of a congress to progress. After an hour of lecture, the Ottoman representative walked away with the feeling that he accomplished nothing. The congressional members listened, but he could tell they were not concerned by his workd.

Over the next few days representatives from the colonies, territories and protectorates spoke to the congress. All of them were told that conditions for the natives of such held lands would be improved by this congress. in unity, the delagates from the colonies vowed to gain their independence one day. the press called them "paper tigers".

Not one week after the end of the speakers departing, the first incident occured which would start the steps towards a world war...

That is for the next episode.
 
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