The Heir Apparent
September 20, 1013

Once, the Republic marched south with fire in its heart and steel in its talons, vowing to rid the continent of kings, emperors, and tyrants. Once, the name Kemerskai meant revolution, sacrifice, and resolve. But that was then.

Today, in a ceremony dripping with pomp and gilded extravagance, President-Marshal Alexander Kemerskai Jr. formally named his successor: his son, Johannes Kemerskai. What should have been a solemn declaration of continuity in crisis instead echoed the coronations of the very monarchs the Republic once vowed to extinguish. No vote. No consultation. No pretense of process. The Republic is a republic in name only.

This selection solidified what some already knew, the title of President-Marshal and all the powers it entails follows dynastic succession. Kermeskai Jr. has assured the republicangriffs that this will only last until such time that the enemies of the Republic have been defeated, and republicanism is secured on the continent. How long this will take is unknown. The Griffon Republic has not made any indications that it will declare war on the Griffon Empire in years.

Even now, the Kingdmo of Aquileia, having consolidated the territories around it, is invading the Griffon Empire. And still the Republic does not invade from the north. Some wonder whether the President-Marshal purposely is holding back the Republic Army to continue his own reign.

What began as a crusade against monarchism has turned into a slow death of republicanism into a form of monarchy itself.