"Our Rightful Place under the Stars"
Una nuova stella sorge, e con essa il nostro popolo! 1st of Aries, 1133 ZE Concilium Astrorum
A fortnight ago, Remigius XII died in his sleep at the age of 74 peacefully. After a week of morning for the Grand Prince, the time came for his successor to be elected. The top candidates were Gianmarco Albizzi, a wealthy landowner from Zenta who represents the Azzurri, the old and conservative faction; Franceseco Ezzelini, a noble from Cittadella, represented the Gialli, the mercantile faction that was growing in recent years. These two men were expected to be the primary contenders for the title of Grand Prince, but a dark horse candidate emerged out of nowhere that would soon make his presence felt, Constantino Paleologus.
At merely 28 years old, Constantino had already gained himself quite the reputation as an orator and for his radical proposals for the future of the Grand Principality. At this point, many believed in 20 years he would have solidified himself enough to run for the illustrious position of Grand Prince but when he announced his candidacy, it shocked many and was seen as foolish by outsiders. But to those that knew the state of the nation and the general mood of the Concilium Astrorum, it was hardly shocking for an ambitious and talented young man such as Constantino to try his luck.
The date for the election was on New Year's Day, and before the Concilium Astrorum voted on their next leader, the three candidates were offered the chance to give a speech before the assembly as was tradition. This tradition in recent years was however in the decline and the last 4 elections had no speeches, but everyone knew that Constantino and his golden tongue would take this opportunity to win over the Concilium Astrorum and win the election, so the other candidates also prepared their own speechs. Unfortunately for them, they would have to go after the young buck, and little did anyone know that he was about to deliver forth one of the greatest speeches in the history of the nation.
Striding up to the Podium cooly, Constantino was dressed splendidly in his Army uniform. He stopped at the podium and looked at his audience for around 20 seconds before beginning his now legendary speech.
"Gentleman of the Concilium Astrorum! Friends and Compatriots! Magiestic Lords of this grand land which Suisei has blessed us with! I stand here before you today to not change your mind on whom you should vote for, but rather to use this opportunity to call you to arms in defense of our fatherland! There is a threat that lies before us that is so great, that we must, and I repeat WE MUST ACT. Our enemy... is not a foreign invader, nor a great horde of heathens. Nay, this grand menace that could destroy of way of life, rape the lands that our Goddess blessed up with, and bring much destruction to our people lies deep within ourselves and our nation as a whole!
It is our stagnation within time, which will kill our beloved nation! We must adapt to our current situation to not only survive, but to gain our rightful place under the stars once again!
You may say to yourself now that I am targetting the Azzurri, the great and blueblooded sons which represent the tradition of this nation. That I am advocating for the abandonment of our customs in favour of the way of the Hoomen. It could not be farther from the true, for our future does not lie with the enlightened ways of our neighbors which would call for us to abandon the long-established ways and customs of our people! No, upon these virtues which the Azzurri hold, is the foundation for our rebirth! You may now think I am against the Gialli, for it could be interpreted that they are the ones abandoning our past. This is not true either! Indeed, what I am calling for is beyond both of the factions and shares the same basis as both of them.
The future that I see is one where our nation eclipses all other nations, and our people prosper in both wealth and virtue. It shall be the fusing of the new and the old into a great alloy of strength, purity, and prosperity; that shall be forged by our blood, our virtue and the greatness of our people!
Continues for 15 more minutes describing problems, plans and more flowery language. His speech was so animated that others said it was mesmorizing.
And now, I call on you, the noble men of this assembly to make your choice. Shall you continue on the current path to our certain destruction, or take this new path? I certainly know what path I shall take, and that is the one where our children will obtain their rightful place under the stars once more. Where once more... The whole world shall know that Astronomi lives, and that Astronomi marches on!"
The entirety of the Concilium Astrorum exploded with the applause and cheers from its members. The sound was so great from the building that it could be heard from blocks away, and many rushed outside the building to wonder what was happening. A crowd soon formed of thousands anticipating what on a spiritual level thought was a defining moment in national history.
Indeed, it was. Not only did Constantino win, but both Ezzelini and Albizzi withdrew, giving him an undisputed victory. After his victory was announced, nearly the whole assembly erupted into cheers once more and began to make their way to the Catherdral of Our Lady of the Comet for the crowning ceremony. The scene was electrifing as Constantino left to the sight of perhaps 10,000 cheering men, women and children. Shouts of Ave Constantino filled the air as the brightest star Suisei had given her people in generations made his way along the Grand Avenue towards the Catherdral. He was crowned Constantinus III, and when he emerged, it seemed the whole city of Cometopoli was there to great him. On the steps, he gave another speech and ended it with these legendary words "Una nuova stella sorge, e con essa il nostro popolo!" A new star rises, and with it our people!
These words, as it turned out, would be prophetic. A new age had dawned, and the greatness Constantinus preached of would come to being soon enough...