Museum of the Empire, Eveari, Ananto

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IV.5 and IV.6
ANANTO-GADURI 5 and ANANTO-GADURI 6
Emperor William I Ananto and Empress Katherine I Ananto


Emperor William I Ananto (5247-5299) and Empress Rivière I Ananto (5253-5299)

Emperor William I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.5
Emperor William I Ananto, born William Ananto-Flores, of Kaliburg-Port Davon, Ananto in 5220 was named Crown Prince following the refusal of his father, the previous Crown Prince David Ananto-Walters to serve. The young Prince had no formal training or role in the National Government and had in fact been a teen film actor. He was well known and well liked, and was known for his charisma, sense of humor and charm. He studied political science at University and then joined the NSP, establishing the long standing tradition of royals continuing to do National Service. His reign was largely overshadowed by long periods of Institutional Party weakness, but he did marry a member of Canrillais Royalty, the younger daughter of the Queen of Lourenne, with whom he produced four children, the future Crown Prince William David Ananto-Orleans, who would have been William II Ananto, Countess Marcia Ann Ananto-Orleans of Nevaras, Countess Yvette Fleur Ananto-Orleans of Jah, and Count Geoffrey Morris Ananto-Orleans of Funk. His reign ended abruptly when the Empire was temporarily abolished through legislative revolution when Socialists took over and abolished all royal titles, except the courtesy title Emperor/Empress.

Empress Rivière I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.6
Empress Rivière I Ananto, born Rivière Orléans-Vassee-DeChambeau of Eroncourt Lourenne in 5224 was named Empress upon her marriage to Emperor William I Ananto in 5253. Empress Rivière I Ananto was famous for being the first non-Vrassan Speaking Empress in more than 3400 years. She was beloved by the people, like her husband, and this care was shown following the abolition of the Empire, the Anantos had built such good will that they were allowed to retain their Courtesy Title until their death, despite the regime now being controlled by left-wing anti-monarchist Socialists. Empress Rivière I Ananto was the last Kalistani Royal until the Empire was restored in 5457 and the Empress Nicolette I Ananto was formally Crowned in February 5458.

Like the Reigns of David I Ananto and Katherine I Ananto, the reigns of Emperor William I Ananto and Empress Rivière I Ananto were largely ceremonial and unimportant. They served the normal functions of head of state, opening the National Assembly, naming Ambassadors and appearing where a formal representative of the Empire was required. The role of the Emperor began to be questioned by a resurgent Socialist Party by 5286 as a new generation of social leftists reorganized the Party, and the Institutional Party had largely taken on a caretaker role in the National Assembly. When the Empire was formally abolished in 5299, all titles, including Grand Duke of Ananto and Grand Duke were formally vacated, though William and Rivière were permitted to retain the courtesy titles Emperor and Empress until their deaths, as well as the Ananto Estate in Eveari as personal property, as well as the sizeable fortune that the Anantos had amassed since the founding of the Empire. The assets were formally managed by House Ananto, which became a privately held business enterprise designed to allow descendants of William and Rivière a generous pension from a foundation set up to generate interest in perpetuity. William dies in 5316 during the Republican Interregnum, and Rivière followed him eight years later at the age of 100.

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IV.7 - IV.12
ANANTO-GADURI 7 through ANANTO-GADURI 12
Anantos during the Interregnum


Michael Ananto-Thomas (IV.11) in the Eveari Redwood Grove in 5398 before being elected President of the Republic

Following the creation of the Third Republic in 5299, the remaining Anantos retired to private life on Ananto Estate in Eveari. The Former Empress served in some ceremonial roles in rare occasions, such as during the visit of Lourenne in 5320, but for the most part, they remained private citizens who lived in Eveari, and who were generally forgotten about. They did, however, spend the next 107 years turning their incredible personal fortune into an even larger amount, working shrewdly into business and finance across the Socialist Republic. Lingering reverence for the family opened a lot of doors for the members of the family.

Interregnum Anantos in the Private Sector
Below is a list of Pretenders who went title-less after 5299 between the deposed Crown Prince and the rise of Michael Ananto, who rose to the office of the Presidency of the Republic in 5406.

• HH William David Ananto-Orleans, IV.7, last Crown Prince before the Republic, deposed in 5299, married Lady Katherine Mae Southern
  
• Moris Robert Ananto-Southern, IV.8, Businessman and entrepreneur in Eveari, major investor in the National MagLev Rail System in Kalistan, married Lupita Dominguez Vasquez
  
• Carin Angela Ananto-Vasquez, IV.9, Teacher in Eveari, Investor, Financed MoCo expansion in Addisjah, Vrassa, married Ansel Fredrick Bjorksdattir.
  
• William Marcus Ananto-Bjorksdattir, IV.10, Money Manager from Kaliburg, nearly doubled family fortune when he shorted several sectors of the Kalistani market ahead of the return of Conservative Government in 5399, riding out the Crisis of 5401-5405, married Diana Marie Thomas
  

Michael Ananto, and the Institutional Party Return
In 5406, the Socialist Party, which had suffered a major defeat in the 5400 elections to the Conservative Party (who dissolved before the 5406 Elections after passing major anti-Kalistani reforms through the National Assembly, and then again in 5406 to yet another ephemeral party called the Arsonist Apotheosis Party who dissolved 5 days after winning a legislative majority, held a special election to fill empty seats and nominated Michael Ananto-Thomas (IV.11) to run for President of the Republic. Michael Ananto was a devout Brethrenist and an academic and philosopher in Eveari, and ran unopposed. He was the first in the family to not engage in significant business matters, leaving family business operations to his father. He was explicitly an Ethical Socialist and follower of Bennots, and therefore also an Institutionalist, and the Socialists saw him as a person who could rejuvenate the Party. His Presidency was heavily supported by the Institutionalist faction in the Socialist Party--a step that inspired protests from more internationalist, leftist Socialists who feared the return of the Empire under Michael Ananto. Ananto married Melissa Renee Laurent of Dulnerstaad.

A 5408 internal document from the Institutional Caucus called for re-institution of House Ananto, and automatic re-election of Michael Ananto unless he failed a vote of confidence by the National Assembly. Ananto did not immediately denounce the document and the Institutionalist wing of the Party faced immediately backlash from republican elements of the Socialist Party who were rapidly becoming a minority position in the SPoK. By August, the Institutionalist Majority sacked the predominantly Internationalist Government and named their own slate to Government. The move was followed by riots across the nation which left hundreds injured and 5 dead. The tensions continued to simmer through 5411, when the Institutionalists kicked the minority Internationalists out of the Party and locked them out of the National Assembly. Orthodox Socialists launched a Nation-wide General Strike in protest. Much of the violence was instigated by Orthodox faction leader Chris MacInnis, who was assassinated in 5412 by an Institutionalist partisan named Margaret Downs, and the violence sparked a brief but bloody insurrection by ousted Orthodox socialists.

Following the violence, the Institutionalist wing of the Party, meeting now as the only Socialist Deputies in the National Assembly, declared the Socialist Party dissolved in 5612, and reformed as the Institutional Party of Kalistan. The Party was dissolved following the release of a poll that said that 60% of Kalistani voters wanted political stability and an end to the Ephemeral Parties and do-nothing government. The new Institutionalist Assembly then held special elections to fill the seats of the 27 Deputies who had been kicked out of office in association with the riots of the previous year. The new elections settled the exhausted nation down, and Michael Ananto continued in the role of President of the Republic for the next twenty three years. Most importantly, during his reign, the MagLev in Ananto was built.

President of the Republic Catherine Ananto-Laurent (IV.12) meets with Institutional Deputies in 5342

Catherine Ananto-Laurent brings the Republic to a close
Michael Ananto retired in 5435, and another ephemeral Party, known as the Kalistani Red Bloc, seized control of the National Assembly though electoral means, and lasted all of 22 months before they disbanded. The people of Kalistan had tolerated this sort of impudent behavior by opposition groups for far too long and no longer trusted democratic elections to provide meaningful political stability in the nation, and became entirely divorced from politics in Kalistan.

The Institutional Party too was tired of being ousted temporarily from power by ephemeral parties following meaningless elections, and called for new elections for April 5439, aiming to elect Michael Ananto's daughter, Catherine Ananto-Laurent (IV.12) who Michael Robert Knepp of Kaliburg, Ananto. This would be the last general elections in Kalistani History though the Institutional Party was at this point uncontested. Catherine, an established author, agreed to serve in a caretaker role, specifically to oust the remnants of the Red Bloc out of office. During her tenure, she and Premier Michael Johnson passed the law which ensured that only a member of House Ananto could serve in the role of President of the Republic. Premier Johnson further moved to institutionalize the family at the center of Kalistani politics, selecting the 25 year old naturalist and Philosophy Doctorate daughter Nicolette Ananto-Knepp to replace Catherine in the next regular election. Catherine then returned to Eveari to live her life as a successful romance author.

The Third Republic had been an utter disaster filled with ephemeral Parties just aiming to seize control of the state from the ineffectual Socialists, riots, political and economic chaos, and whiplash level oscillation in the nation's policies. The Nation was exhausted and the Republic was moribund, being actively undermined by monarchists within the government and abandoned by the populace outside of the government. The Stage was finally set for the restoration of the Monarchy.

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IV.13
ANANTO-GADURI 13
Empress Nicolette I Ananto, The Great


President Nicolette Ananto-Knepp in 5457 and then Crowned Empress in 5458

Her Imperial Majesty, Nicolette I Ananto, known upon retirement as "The Great," had one of the most important reigns of all Anantos to date. It was during her time in office that most of the institutions associated with the modern monarchy were established, including the reimagining of the very office of monarch itself. Under Nicolette I Ananto's reign, the Empress not only moved to the center of Kalistani politics, but became the sole arbiter of it.

Nicolette as last Republican President
Nicolette Ananto was elected, or rather selected as President following her mother's departure from the office. During Catherine Ananto's Administration, the Institutional Party had passed a law to ensure that only a member of House Ananto may be named President of the Empire. Of the last four Presidents, three had been Anantos, beginning with Michael Ananto, and then after a short time, Catherine Ananto and finally Nicolette Ananto. The Institutional Party may have envisioned a return of the largely ceremonial Monarch of the first part of the 4th Dynasty, but both the Premier and the President had other plans.

The goal was simple: Ensure that no ephemeral Parties could ever abolish vital Kalistani institutions following a random outcome of an election. The move to cement Kalistani institution's into place led to the authors of the Enactment Articles dramatically increasing the authority and power of the future monarch. The new monarch would not be a disinterested businessman, entertainer, or instructor, but would instead be clothed in unlimited and unchecked political authority.

The first Enactment laws of 5456 restored the nobility, including House Ananto, to privileged status. The Republican Constitution was formally abolished in 5457. The same bill re-established the hereditary Title of Emperor, and conferred it in perpetuity upon House Ananto. These new acts were intended to maintain political power within the National Assembly, while guaranteeing the veto to the Empress. Johnson noted how important it was that the relationship maintain democratic characteristics, including the ability to freely vacate the title of Emperor, all the while designing a system where the Assembly would take its direction from the Empress. The democratic nature of the initial restoration Articles was soon swept away. Another Enactment Article re-established Duchies and Counties, making their members nominative, and reinstated the office of Grand Duke of Kalistan. These Articles were meant to protect the nominal independence of the National Assembly and the subnational Governments, but instead, hamstrung the National Assembly to act independently from the fiat of the Empress. The measures passed the Assembly with a clear majority and took effect on Dec. 1, 5457.

Nicolette I Ananto as Empress
Empress Nicolette I Ananto began, from her first words as Empress following her formal coronation on February 1, 5458, to establish new institutions that last in the Empire to this day. She is the first to begin using first person plural pronouns to refer to herself, a practice which is now one of the few laws that fully apply to the Monarch and the monarch alone. She immediately began working on Poverty and affordable housing on the Mainland, and championed the stalled Ananto MagLev program. She also started reaching out to Kalistan's neighbors and old friends to try to build new relationships across the Globe.

Her reign was greeted with friendship and support, both abroad and at home. She welcomed new members to the Non Aligned Movement as much of the rest of the world descended into conflict of what became known as the Hubris War. She loudly condemned the moves of the Lourennais Legislature to remove their Queen from office and declared neutrality in the Lourenne-Beiteynu conflict, eventually closing the Ananto Strait to use by foreign nations for transit from the Mad Dog to the west coast of Seleya. She then sent Kalistan as an observer to the treaty negotiaions known as Altatapec in Gaduridos. Kalistan remained entirely outside of this war, and consequently, did not suffer many of the negative effects that its participants did. In 5474, she married Victor Martin of Dahriel, and began building her family. Her first child, thew Future Nicolette II Ananto was born on October 1, 5475, and her second, Victor Joseph Ananto-Martin, was both on February 1, 5478.

The Empress also began work on developing a Terran Monetary Unit, or an extranational monetary regime against which to base national currencies to finally develop a single unified exchange rate in Terra. That discussion ultimately failed, as other nations lacked vision and refused to abandon currency pegs for political and ideological reasons rather than reason or logic. The Later part of her reign saw tensions rising between Kalistan and Luthori over Luthori's efforts to reassert its political and cultural influence in Seleya.

Nicolette I Ananto oversaw the end of petroleum production in Kalistan and the beginning of a shift to a green, sustainable economy, which continues to this day, siting eight locations for highdam construction that would see a dramatic and rapid shift to hydroelectric energy generation. She deepened relations with Lourenne and Hutori, and laid the political and diplomatic foundations for the incorporation of both Lodamun and Gaduridos into the later Anantonese Empire. She formally abdicated in favor of her daughter, Nicolette II Ananto on 5501, having served for 42 years. Nicolette I Ananto lost Prince Consort Victor before leaving office and she herself died in early August 5518.

Nicolette as a Person
Nicolette's official legacy is one of a monumental and important woman of the moment. She was known for her cynical and sharp outlook on the world. She was considered a woman of deep and abiding privilege, with a real sense of entitlement and an imperious character. She was also known for her care for the environment and for the poor. She was very cold, but she was universally loved in the Empire, because she used her power to help the least in the society lift themselves up. She was an uncompromising Kalistani Nationalist, a hardlined conservative Institutionalist, an unapologetic monarchist, and a relentless pursuer of her goals. Yet, she made efforts to appear to be more in touch with the people and get out among them, something future monarchs would neither be interested in or able to do, especially as imperial protocol began to firm up and coalesce into the House Laws, the Lese Majestie, and the Land Laws.

Her aloof nature was based in not only the institutions which protected her from people who demanded her time, but also from her genuine introversion that allowed her to share her innermost thoughts with only a few family members and close friends. One of her deepest friendships was with her Foreign Minister, Lady Diane Smith, with whom it was rumored that she maintained a far more intimate relationship (a far more open secret was that the Prince Consort was also a philanderer and had numerous affairs outside of the marriage).

She was also believed to have lived a decadent, hedonistic private life before being called to National Service as President of the Republic. There are no official confirmations of these stories but many contemporaneous "secret" accounts were written of her scandalous sexual proclivities and her obscene opulence. Nearly all of those lurid accounts were initially dismissed as pornographic, and have been suppressed by House Ananto through a number of means over the decades that followed her appointment as President, though some still exist in underground sources, and they paint the beloved Empress in a less than morally flattering light.

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IV.14 and IV.14a
ANANTO-GADURI 14
Empress Nicolette II Ananto and Prince Regent Bjorn Nordholm


Empress Nicolette II Ananto at Coronation and Empress Nicolette II Ananto with Prince Consort Bjorn Nordholm in 5525

Nicolette II Ananto, Imperium Personified
Empress Nicolette II Ananto spent her time in the National Service Program learning about how dams worked, while helping to construct a major high dam during the switch away from petro carbons. When she was crowned in 5501, dam building, and alternative energy for Kalistan became her major pet project. During the previous reign, KPO had informed the nation that the Anantonese Formation had about 25 years of profitably exploitable oil left, and KPO began aggressively moving into wind, hydro and geothermal and solar power generation across the nation. This effort was supported with major state support under Nicolette II Ananto and became one of the signature infrastructure programs of her reign.

Empress Nicolette II Ananto was less populist minded than her mother, and early adopted an imperious, domineering personality that she used to strengthen the Imperial fiat from a suggestion to a formal expectation. She had no problem sacking popularly elected Deputies and replacing them with those more amendable to her will. They served as an example for other Deputies who might attempt to exercise independence. But this sort of heavy handed treatment of Institutional Party deputies found a lot of favor among Kalistanis who, by now expected their Empress to be obeyed by legislators.

She paired this domination of the legislature with a generous nature, care for the poor, including direct participation in humanitarian charities while she was Empress through volunteerism, enforcing strict economic nationalism on industry and the currency to prevent inflation, and in working to eliminate need through national policy. A defiant conservative much like her mother, Nicolette II Ananto embodied the paternalistic State which traded material security for depoliticization of the nation. This was offset by her belief in full employment and her socially progressive policies which emphasized social liberty over economic and political liberty. In doing so, she strengthened the Institution of the Monarchy, and all but obliterated whatever was left of democratic institutions outside of the Free Cities. She married Prince Consort Bjorn in April of 5509 and continued to reign as the sole monarch, and they toured the globe in 5511.

In 5518, Kalistan began its deep involvement in Gaduridos which would eventually lead that nation into the Empire as it stood with the nation against a rightist movement there that threatened the peace of the region. In 5519, Empress Nicolette II Ananto took a step to restore the Empire's ancient titles to it. In signing the Crown Lands Act, she reclaimed Athosia, the Kingdom of Vintalli (modern day Gaduridos,) the Kingdom of Andalay (3/5 of modern day Lodamun). The Bill was controversial in the region and in the world, as people took umbrage at Her Imperial Majesty's claims over what was hers by right and stripped of the nation before the founding of the Republic.

The Regency
In 5528, as Empress Nicolette II Ananto and Prince Bjorn (IV.14a) were travelling from Kaliburg to their home in Eveari, a catastrophic earthquake struck the Green Mountains east of Kaliburg. The earthquake broke the MagLev line, causing the high speed train to derail. The crash killed the Empress and severely wounded Prince Bjorn. Duke Victor Ananto-Martin served as an interim Head of State but was never confirmed as Regent for the Minor Crown Prince Fredrick Ananto-Nordholm (born in 5516). When the Prince Consort Bjorn Nordholm recovered to the point where he could be discharged from the hospital, he was made Regent for the Minor Crown Prince.

Prince Bjorn's primary function was to keep the Government balanced until the Minor Crown Prince could reach his majority and be crowned Emperor. The Prince Regent worked with the Institutional Government, now back in power following the dissolution of yet another ephemeral liberal Party called ReNew Kalistan that had manipulated the election mechanic to achieve a legislative majority, and passed some controversial laws and then dissolved by 5528, to calm investors. The Kalistani Government chartered the Foreign Investment Bank andpulled Kalistan out of a number of treaties with nations who were no longer friendly toward Kalistan during the regency. Major investment into Gaduridos continued through the remainder of the Regency, aiming to tie Gaduridos closer to Kalistan.

In 5535, the Prince Regent purchased the Wilson House property on Wilson Hill in Southwest Kaliburg, moving the Royal Family out of the City. During the Reign of Empress Nicolette II Ananto, the family had relocated from Eveari to Kaliburg, keeping the Estate in Eveari as a retreat and a place to host foreign dignitaries. Rather than returning to Eveari, Bjorn opted to remain in Kaliburg, and the Wilson House was a massive classic mansion in the parkland called Wilson Hill. He also ultimately purchased the entire Hill as personal property, demolishing the housing found there and turning the area into a publicly accessible park. He said he was following the wishes of his lost spouse, the former Empress. During this time, Duke Victor Ananto, brother of Empress Nicolette II Ananto, purchased the Vespiano property on Marlingantos, beginning a 175 year Ananto/Alvarez presence on the Island.

The most important policy passed during the Regency was the abolition of the last vestiges of democracy in Ananto and Kalistan outside of the Free Cities. Bjorn required the Chancellor to pass the Single Party and Eliminating Fascism Act in 5536, which outlawed all Parties, made it a crime to attempt to organize a fascist or anti-monarchist Party and established the Institutional Party as the only legal political Party in Kalistan. Civil Society Organizations which could advocate for policy positions were permitted to remain, but could not advocate for parties outside of the Institutional Party, or advocate for Constitutional Change. Competitive, non-partisan democratic elections were permitted in free cities only. Most people in the nation, when asked, were either for the Single Party Legislation or did not care to express an opinion. Only a tiny minority of the population expressed any opposition at all. The institution of democracy in Kalistan as a basis for government legitimacy, which had existed in some form or another since 1907 CE was now a thing of the past.

5538 saw both a major yacht race around the world begin in Kalistan, as well as the informal rules of Imperial Protocol being first written down and published. These Protocols would lead in short order to the Lese Majestie Laws which made it a crime to insult the Emperor or Empress and finally the House Law which governed formal interactions between Kalistani citizens, the nobility and the Royal Family. The Regency formally ended on August 1, 5539, when the new Emperor was crowned.

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IV.15 and IV.16
ANANTO-GADURI 15 AND HULANEVEK 1
Emperor Fredrick II Ananto and Empress Pavlina I Ananto


Emperor Fredrick II Ananto and Empress Pavlina I Ananto, the future Black Empress, at coronation

Fredrick II Ananto's early reign
Emperor Fredrick's reign was the last of the direct line of Anantos stretching back to Fredrick Guerra. His reign initially focused on strengthening his mother's recent reassertion of claims to Crown Lands. Lacking any political opposition during the early part of his reign which had plagued his predecessors, most were quick to call the realm settled. The Emperor himself had little inclination to reign at first: He was thrust into the role of Emperor unprepared due to the early death of his mother, and the relatively lengthy caretaker regency of his foreign born father. He oversaw deeper Kalistani integration in Gaduridos, and began a close, if brief friendship with both Kazulia and Kundrati, the latter as part of an overall reaction to increased Luthorian incursion into Seleya.

In 5550, while discussing Northern Seleyan economic integration in Likatonia, the Emperor was introduced to Pavlina Hulanevek, the scion of the Hulanevek political family of Kundrati. She was in Likatonia consulting on a separate matter. The two quickly fell in love and were married two years later. The engagement of the Emperor to a foreigner, especially an Artanian was very controversial in Kalistan and the Government faced immense backlash by nationalist groups that, it turned out, were being stoked by foreign agents who were using nationalist anger to attempt to undermine the Imperial regime. Violent demonstrations against the foreign born Consort broke out and eventually overwhelmed the Police. Numerous threats were made on the Consort's life, and ultimately, in 5553, the Government was ordered to pass Kalistan's Lese Majestie law to make it illegal for Kalistanis to harm or threaten members of the royal family, including royal spouses and children. The goal was to protect the Princess Consort and her adopted daughter, the Minor Princess Carolina Hulanevek.

The nation was shocked in 5554 when the Duchess of Odufaray was murdered in Eshar by anti-government radicals ostensibly demanding democracy. Just as Kalistan was poised to emerge as the sole hegemonic power in the entire Anantonese Basin, following the dissolution of Lourenne, they were wracked with civil disorder at home. Following the acquittal of fourteen defendants who had threatened the Princess Consort in Lese Majestie's first legal test on grounds that the law only covered Royal family members, not spouses or unadopted children that were brought into the family from outside, the Emperor ordered that his wife Pavlina be crowned Empress and Co-Sovereign of Ananto and Kalistan. He then formally adopted the minor princess Carolina Hulanevek and named her Crown Princess, to bring her into the Lese Majestie law as well.

The Co-Monarchy
The Reign of Fredrick II Ananto and Pavlina I Ananto was short, lasting only twenty one months. Most of the time, the Empire experienced massive civil disorder, as pro-democracy forces, being stoked by foreign agents hostile to Kalistan's monarchy, continued to battle the police. Democracy forums began popping up and the Empress opted to attend several of them with the aim of trying to understand the people's grievances. She felt that she could understand it better because she had grown up in a liberal democratic society, and was not automatically hostile to democracy. Her efforts were for naught. New rounds of violence broke out on the mainland in December and lasted through January of 5557. The Emperor and Chancellor of the Empire, Dame Lindsay Ontiveros, themselves decided to attend a Democracy Forum in Nevaras City on the night of January 30 5557. There he listened to an out of control crowd, and even announced that some concessions to the pro-democracy movement were being considered. But the crowd, whipped up once more by outside agitation, chased him and the Chancellor from the forum.

As the two entered the car, the vehicle was ambushed and was riddled with bullets. The Chancellor was critically wounded, but survived. The Emperor did not, assassinated by radicals in Eshar. The Emperor was declared dead at 4:23 am on January 31. Dame Ontiveros would never return to public service, and her rehabilitation took nearly a year. Meanwhile the nation exploded into civil war.

The Black Empress
Left as sole Monarch, IBSI and the Government, being tended by the Foreign Minister, Dame Jacqueline DuMont, became convinced that the Empress had been the real target of the assassination and reported to Wilson House in Kaliburg to rush the Empress and the still juvenile Princess Carolina into hiding. They turned up at the home of Duke Mark Ananto in Vespiano Gaduridos, where it was believed that they would be safe from the violence in Kalistan. A brief and bloody civil war was fought between foreign backed nominally pro-democracy elements being used by profascist actors seeking to remove the last institutional hurdles to fascism in Kalistan on one side and Kalistani Regulars, militia, and foreign agents sent to Kalistan as auxiliary forces, most notably from Kundrati on the other. The rebels were eventually crushed, and the Empress and Crown Princess were called back to Kaliburg.

Pavlina Ananto took time to perform National service in Eshar before returning to Kaliburg. She helped the city clean up from the destructiveness of the civil conflict. She did this first to show she was not afraid to work next to Kalistanis, despite the general bad feelings the Nationalists had shown her since she arrived. She also did it to perform nominal National Service, which is expected of every Kalistani, but which nobody expected of her. Pavlina knew that Kalistanis see National Service as the obligation all Kalistani nationals owe to their nation, and if she was ever not going to be viewed as an outsider, she had to demonstrate her desire to assimilate into Kalistani society. In all she performed voluntary labor in Eshar for five months, earning the good will of the people of the City and of the entire Empire through her work and efforts on direct behalf of the people of Eshar.

Once in Kaliburg and reunited with the Minor Princess Carolina, the Empress, still in deep mourning for the loss of her husband, very quickly earned a reputation for her dark attitude, and earned the moniker "The Black Empress" while she still reigned. She would be referred to as the Black Empress from then on, not only for her mourning (she was almost never seen in public dressed in anything other than black in memory of Emperor Fredrick II Ananto,) but also for her ruthlessness in defending Kalistani's reputation abroad and the Royal Family's privilege and authority at home. Her new government was complementary in this effort, and Kalistan's general hatred of democracy and political pluralism springs from this era.

Under the Black Empress, Kalistan commissioned the 4th Fleet, became emmeshed in Artanian politics (not least because Pavlina herself had come from Kundrati less than 5 years prior) and asserted its influence over the entire Anantonese Basin. She also oversaw the beginning of the Kalistani Space program, presided over an explosion of Kalistani Pop culture, regional financial institutions, and scientific and technological development. Her aborted attempts to form a Northern Seleyan Union to stop Luthorian cultural and political influence into Seleya may have failed at the outset, but laid the foundation for deeper integration between Kalistan, Lodamun and Gaduridos, and ultimately accession of those three nations into the new Anantonese Empire as equal Constituent Nations.

Toward the end of her reign, The Black Empress came into possession of a rare and priceless diamond that her family had held possession of for centuries. The diamond, called in Kalistan the Hulanevek Diamond was a perfect Oval cut diamond weighing 127carats. It was given to Pavlina to pass on to Carolina as a wedding present, but more to keep safe, given that trouble was brewing in Kundrati which would consume the next three Anantos. The diamond itself was rumored to be cursed, but would stay in the possession of the Anantos for over 100 years before being sent to Hutori. The Black Empress herself soon developed dementia, and chose to abdicate in favor of her daughter, the twice adopted foundling, Carolina Hulanevek, who would found the Fifth Ananto dynasty. The Black Empress' abdication formally ended the Fouth Ananto Dynasty.

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V.1
ANANTO-KUNDRATI 1
Empress Carolina I Ananto


Empress Carolina I Ananto at her Coronation, displaying the Hulanevek Diamond

The Foundling becomes Empress
Empress Carolina I Ananto was not born to royalty: She began her life as a foundling in Etxea, Kundrati. Her biological mother died in childbirth and her biological father had long since left the relationship and was never located (It was later held, without any evidence, that he was murdered in the death camps of the Kundrati Legion, and while the death toll of the Legion's reign of terror makes this a distinct possibility, there is simply no way of knowing for sure.)

The nameless infant lived at the hospital for several weeks before a powerful lawyer for the Bank of Kundrati and scion for a powerful politically connected Kundrati family, Pavlina Hulanevek, was informed of the little infant who needed a caring home and a loving mother. The baby was adopted shortly afterward, was named Carolina, and was doted upon by her adoring mother.

Her life and destiny was ever afterward changed when Carolina's adoptive mother married into the Kalistani Royal Family. Carolina Hulanevek, as she now was named, was 6 years old when she moved to Kaliburg and into the home of Emperor Fredrick II Ananto. At first, she was shy and unsure, but she eagerly embraced Kalistan, its language and its customs, and eventually its name-- She eagerly accepted Ananto as a Surname prefix when the Emperor adopted her as his own daughter and named her his sole heir.

Princess Carolina Ananto-Hulanevek lived with The Emperor and her mother soon to be Empress Pavlina I Ananto, for five years before his death by assassination after her 11th Birthday. At this point, her mother fled Kalistan for the family's relatives home in the safety of Marlingantos Gaduridos, where she lived for about a year, getting to know her Ananto Cousins, who would remain her closest associates for the rest of her life. She learned something of the Egelian language in Gaduridos (the Gaduri Anantos, a cadet line which would soon take the name of Carolina's adoptive aunt Margaret Alvarez spoke Vrassan with a Gaduri accent now,) and though she now spoke some Egelian with a Vrassan accent, she would soon lose her native Delic altogether.

Like all Kalistanis, she did National Service, and returned to Kaliburg to take a more active role in government as her mother began to decline due to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. She negotiated peace between Luthori and the Empire in Etxea, at the Ananto vacation home, a home which would be later defiled and destroyed when Kundrati fell to fascism. She secured Gaduri accession first to the AESA, and ultimately oversaw Gaduri incorporation into the new Anantonese Empire. All before she was even formally crowned. This foundling had risen to sit on the most prestigious throne in Terra with two Constituent Nations as part of her Empire, and a half a dozen Crownlands on three separate continents. She had a navy that was unrivaled on the waters: Kalistani Regular Navy patrolled from the Artanian Sea near her homeland in Etxea, to the Gulf of Carina in Dovani, and from Western Keris to Indrala. Kalistani prestige was at its apex when Carolina I Ananto was crowned in Eveari in 5578.

Empress Carolina in Power
The first major policy undertaking of the new Empress was to redesign Kalistan's currency. Numismatists under her direction established for Kalistan a set of beautiful bank notes. Though still called Rubes, the redesign named the currency Imperial Rubles, to acknowledge the state of the currency for the Empire. Soon after her mother's death in 5580, it is believed that the Empress ordered the murder of the King's Rock inmates who had been convicted of murdering Emperor Fredrick II Ananto. There was no formal inquiry tying the Empress to the deaths of the inmates, but only those who had been convicted of the assassination conspiracy had died on the Rock mysteriously, and none of the others there, whether inmates or trustees of the Island claimed to know anything about the death, nor were they injured in any way. The death of the inmates coincided with the birth of her first son and Heir, Fredrick III Ananto-Sandoval, the event which secured for her the title of founder of her Dynasty, the Fifth, or Kundrati Dynasty.

A crisis in Baltusia, which led to refugees pouring into Kalistan from Athosia, was stoked by Carolina, who sought to attract Athosians to Kalistan to help strengthen Kalistan's image in Athosia when the refugees returned home. As part and parcel to the Baltusian crisis, Carolina took a hardline against Communism, a traditional position which continues in Kalistan to this date, first equating communism and fascism as two sides of the same extremist coin. The remarks were directed at Baltusia specifically to undermine the legitimacy of the Baltusian Communist government. Around this time, Carolina has moved firmly into the Nationalist ideological quarter, a faction who had once protested her mother's marriage to the Emperor. Carolina, who considered herself absolutely Kalistani, even eventually disavowed the place of her birth as tensions with the Kundrati Legion would soon reach the boiling point.

The Empire at its height
In Gaduridos, House Ananto embraced the nascent coffee industry, pumping billions of Imperial Rubles into the industry to kick start it and make Gaduri Coffee the premium brand in the world. She also oversaw the incorporation of Lodamun into the Empire, a cool relationship which would last for 60 uneasy years. The Incorporation of Lodamun was fraught from the beginning: Soon after accession, a base issue with Mordusia occured where Lodamun sought basing for its own national fleet in southern Seleya.

Kaliburg believed that Imperial Fleets should also have access to the bases that one of its constituent nations had access to. Mordusia, a client/puppet state of Kalistan's longtime rival in Luthori, said yes to Lodamun, but no to Ananto. Lodamun, for its part, only reluctantly stood with the Empire in the matter, and ultimately the base deal was cancelled out of resentment. Similarly, Kalistan's embargo against Kundrati was not supported by Lodamun, who soon would make it known that they intended to pursue their own foreign policy independent of Kalistan's, and consequently leased Kalistan a logistics base, but did not participate in any actions against Kundrati. (to be fair, neither did Gaduridos, who declared absolute neutrality in all foreign policy matters.)

As relations continued to deteriorate between Kalistan and Kundrti due to war crimes committed by the Fascists, which were covered up by both Beiteynu and Kundrati ally Likatonia in an attempt to discredit Kalistan's claims, Kalistan stood alone in levying sanctions against the fascist regime, while other nations actively undermined the sanctions and supplied the fascists. Kalistan attempted to provide assistance to the anti-fascist Kundrati Union forces, but failure of other nations to also come to the aid of KU doomed them to be ultimately defeated by the Legion. Carolina took this betrayal of her homeland by the world very personally, but Kalistan possessed neither the capacity or the political will to intervene in a country on the other side of the globe that only Carolina had ties to.

The best that the Empress could get from the Nationalists was a strengthening of sanctions against Kundrati, but Kalistan alone bore the costs of maintaining the sanctions, while the rest of the world turned a blind eye to Kundrati Legionary atrocities and many helped them commit them by actively trading with the fascists in contravention of the sanctions regime. After a year of sanctions, the Kalistani economy was notably suffering, and the Empress lifted sanctions against nations who traded with Kundrati, and recalled the privateers from the line in the Mad Dog Ocean.

The Empress took the opportunity to reform the peerage and to resolve outstanding differences with Luthori. The 5590s were generally peaceful for the Empire. That peace allowed the Empress to focus once more at home and in Seleya. That peace was shattered when Beiteynu inexplicably deployed a nuclear weapon against Xsampa. Though this did begin the century long friendship between Kalistan and the communists in Xsampa, it also stirred things more locally, dragging Kalistan once more into Artania. Things abroad developed slowly over the next decade, and the Empress prepared to retire.

The Artanian Campaign begins
But six months before her abdication date was set, the Crown Prince requested that she deploy the 4th Imperial Navy west to the edge of the Artanian Sea: Kundrati had acquired new capital ships, along with a fleet of submarines, entirely in secret, and had launched an attack against Xsampa. Kalistan was the only nation who was interested in responding. And given Kalistan's imperial partners' unwillingness to assist the Empire, and Likatonia's backsliding back into the Kundrati orbit, Kalistan could not trust that those weapons would not turn against Kalistan next.

Carolina's reign, which began in peace and abundance, ended with her holding an Empire that began to resent Ananto together by sheer will, in a state of perpetual low level conflict. The seeds of Kalistan's retreat from international affairs, and the shift in the world's attitude toward Kalistan, were laid down during this period. The reign of Empress Carolina I Ananto is now largely judged to be a failure (which is why she was never given her own moniker), due to her inability to muster the world's forces to kill Kundrati fascism in its cradle. Out of fairness to Carolina, Her son would also not have that ability either and it would consume his entire reign--That task would eventually be only partially accomplished by her granddaughter nearly 40 years later. But Kalistan could not be considered the hegemon it was under much of Carolina's reign if it couldn't even get its own constituent nations to help it.

And since that day, the world has spent considerable time and resources undermining, negating, and erasing the legacy that Carolina inherited from the 4th Dynasty Emperors and Empresses. As Kalsitan's influence and power extended to its farthest extent in its entire history, the retrenchment was already underway.

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V.2 and V.2a
ANANTO-KUNDRATI 2
Emperor Fredrick III Ananto and Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval


Emperor Fredrick III Ananto on his Coronation, and Princess Regent Michelle Ananto-Sandoval, 5631

Emperor Fredrick III Ananto took power in 5610. The Emperor, who suffered a congenital auditory disorder, had almost completely lost his hearing by the time he was crowned Emperor: He had almost no aural sensation during his entire reign. Nevertheless, he had an irrepressible sense of humor, and played many practical jokes in his youth. But he was quite serious as well, and inherited a war which he prosecuted with utter ruthlessness and brutality, until his nation, standing almost completely alone in its opposition to fascism, was utterly exhausted.

The Artanian Campaign
Emperor Fredrick III Ananto was a took the throne as tensions with Kundrati had reached their heights. Following Kundrati's strikes on Xsampa, Kalistan was on full alert and deployed its navy into the Mad Dog Ocean to provide forward monitoring of Kundrati fleet activities. A plan for a strike aimed at crippling Kundrati's offensive naval capabilities was hastily drawn up that involved deployment of Kalistani's First and Fourth Imperial Fleets to the Artanian Sea with the aim to search and destroy whatever Kundrati Navy was located. Tentative support was obtained from Luthori, who had grown concerned about Kundrati's growing menace at long last, and in 5611, formal war was declared upon Kundrati by Kalistan. Likatonia was added later that month, due to its alliance with Kundrati. Kalistan had hoped to have the support of its imperial ally in Lodamun, which had significant naval capacity in the area, as well as Luthori, which also had a strong naval presence as well as air capacity which could have made the difference.

The war did not go as planned. When it became clear that other nations had no intention to send help, the Fourth Imperial Fleet engaged the Kundratis alone. Intervention on Kalistan's part by foreign allies would have supplied a different outcome, but Lodamun was MIA and Luthori remained in port for the campaign, and no other nation made any attempt to come to Kalistan's aid. Instead, The entire 4th Fleet was utterly destroyed, after seriously, but not critically damaging the Kundrati fleet. By the time the 1st Imperial Fleet arrived on what was supposed to be a mop up exercise, they were ambushed and suffered significant casualties as well. And the Kundrati Air Craft Carrier survived the battle to be refitted later. The 1st Fleet shelled Kundrati's southern coast, actually destroying about 60% of its naval building capacity on the southern coast, so it was a strategic victory for Kalistan, but the cost was deemed catastrophic, and the 1st Fleet retreated from the Artanian Sea unable to follow up against the Kundratis.

Following the disaster, Luthori finally joined the battle and helped take over Etxea. But Kalsitan had already departed the Artanian Sea. A year later, in the early morning hours of August 10, 5612, Kundrati partisans, working in collaboration with the pro-Kundrati Likatonian Government, launched at least four missiles from Likatonia at Kalistani population centers. The missiles had warheads containing deadly a deadly mixture of chlorine, blistering agent and white phosphorous, and were meant to murder Kalsitani civilians wholesale. The weapons had horrific effect against the sleeping civilians of Kaliburg, Eshar and Port Swedes, murdering more than 30,000 Kalistanis and burning significant portions of all three cities. The damage was by far the most extensive in Kaliburg. No nations in the world, even Kalistan's so called allies, condemned Kundrati for their atrocities.

The Likatonian Campaign
Soon Lodamun, who had been building up its own forces along the Likatonian border, agreed to attack Likatonia with Kalistan. Lodamun had intended a conventional campaign, and had operational leadership over the invasion, but Kalistan had other plans. As Lodamun and Kalistan crossed the border, Kalistani regulars were given the green light by Military High Command to employ unconventional tactics, including killing unarmed prisoners of war, destroying vital civilian infrastructure, and burning cities it had captured.

The fighting between Likatonian and Lodamese forces was intense, but Kalistani Partisans, having suffered isolation and having carried the entire effort to contain Kundrati on its shoulders for decades, were particularly vicious in taking their revenge for the destruction of Kalistani cities out on Likatonia. Ultimately, the violence was so horrific that Lodamun quickly agreed to a peace deal of the Status Quo ex ante. Emperor Fredrick III Ananto, who had grown up while the Empire was in a low intensity war with Kundrati was later found to have ok'd the atrocities against Likatonia, and Kalistan ended up agreeing to pay a war indemnification to Likatonia.

Fredrick III Ananto in Post War years
Following settlement of the Likatonian conflict, Kalistan left the Mad Dog Ocean all together. Other nations were found to be excessively unreliable and mercurial, and not even Kalistan's so called allies could be trusted to come to Kalistan's aid at need. Kalistan was exhausted from the war it had prosecuted for more than three decades, mostly alone by that point, and the people craved peace. A new Orthodox government swept into power in 5614 on the promise of peace and a more regional focus to Kalistan's politics, as opposed to the more nationalist policies of the past years.

Seven years after the royal family evacuated Wilson House due to extensive destruction of the Kundrati attack, they purchased another large home on the other side of Wilson Hill, and dubbed the home Cliff House. Emperor Fredrick III Ananto was thus able to return to Kaliburg from his sojourn in Eveari. Ten years after hostilities in Kaliburg were settled, the Orthodox Chancellor, Sir David Levine launched a Truth commission to hold those responsible for atrocities in Likatonia accountable. The Commission, which was extremely unpopular in Kalistan, nonetheless found hundreds guilty of ordering and carrying out war crimes against the people of Likatonia, though there was no charges of crimes against Kundrati partisans who were stationed in Likatonia.

Under Orthodox leadership, Kalistan enjoyed its first extended peace in generations, and the nation began to focus on matters of peace. The Emperor's sister, Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval became very active in supporting the cause of aquatic wildlife, and Fredrick's daughter Mary, always an introvert and generally desirous of solitude in Kalistan's few remaining Redwood Forests, took up the cause of tree planting, which would stay with her for the rest of her life. As things looked up, the peace was shattered by a plane accident which killed both Emperor Fredrick III Ananto and Chancellor of the Empire David Levine, requiring Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval to step up and become Regent to Princess Mary who was still in National Service.

The Second Regency
The Princess Regent Michelle Ananto-Sandoval promised a caretaker government. Everyone, including the Princess Regent herself expected the regency to be short. The Crown Princess Mary, who had spent much of her time wandering alone through Kalistan's few remaining redwood groves, had actually completed very little of her formal education or her Imperial Education. She was very ill prepared to rule, but the Princess Regent, herself a marine biologist, was even less so, so it was assumed that Mary would just need to do most of her training on the job following the end of her National Service.

The Princess Regent's short tenure was indeed quiet. A notable visit to Hutori to acquire new frigates was completed, and the Royal Family hired Melvin Reed as the Imperial Jeweler, establishing a relationship that continues to this date. But very little happened during the short two year regency, and Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval was allowed to return to her work and life in Dulnerstaad in 5632, when her niece was crowned Empress Mary I Ananto.

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The Opium Throne and the Formal Audience Hall


The Opium Throne, exemplary of The Glittering Empire

Collection

Part of the Glittering Empire

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Origin

Empress Mary I Ananto, revealed in 5651

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Summary

No project was more ambitious than Empress Mary I Ananto's Opium Throne, which has served as the Imperial Seat since 5651. The Throne itself contains two pieces: The Opium Throne and the Pavilion. It is built into the Formal Audience Hall at the Imperial Seat in Downtown Kaliburg-Port Davon, off the Mall perpendicular from the National Assembly. Like nearly all instruments of Imperial Authority in Kalistan, House Ananto actually owns the Opium Throne and formally provides it to the State for the Monarch's use. All the materials for its construction were provided directly by House Ananto.

The Opium Throne's Pavilion is made of 19.5 metric tons of polished silver, and contains more than 10 thousand gemstones supplied the Imperial Gem Vault, as well as gold, jade and jasper. Most gems are displayed as mosaics set into the Silver and framed with diamonds. A team of more than 4500 individuals worked, including laborers, silversmiths and jewelers from across the nation, for a year to cast the silver, do the scroll work on it, and lay the gems, with Reed Jeweler supplying the master artisanship of the final presentation. In terms of raw materials, nearly 25 million Imperial Pesos worth of silver alone were needed for the construction, while the value of the entire Opium Throne, with craftsmanship and presentation included, has been widely held to be incalculable. It is a truly masterful work of artistic wonder.

The Silver on the Opium Throne is cleaned quarterly to prevent tarnish and it is inspected annually to evaluate any damage to the piece or wear and tear, which will be repaired upon discovery.

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Origin of the Name

The Opium Throne is called this because of the large ruby and gold mosaics on the main platform before the Throne. The mosaics are in the form of red Opium Poppies. Smaller mosaic friezes also adorn the outside of the platform as well. As people look to the Monarch on the throne, before them they see these mosaics, as if the Monarch is sitting upon the throne in a field of poppies. And as the Monarch looks out to the petitioner before them, they see the individuals arranged outside the field of poppies. The mosaics are designed to always frame the interactions between the Monarch and their subjects, to serve as a physical demarkation, but not an immutable one, between Ruler and Subject.

The poppy was selected because it is the national flower of The Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. Poppy motifs are included on the imperial robes of every crowned monarch since Fredrick II Ananto, and the flower has become closely associated with the 5th Dynasty, where monarchs, beginning with The Black Empress Pavlina I Ananto are known to include powdered, standardized opium into the tea they serve during informal audiences. From this, the Opium Throne gets its name.

The Formal Audience Hall
This is the formal Throne Room of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, and is used exclusively for civil ceremonies and Formal Audiences, such as meetings with petitioners, Petitions for Imperial Adjudication, and formal greetings of foreign dignitaries. It is a large room paneled entirely in redwood paneling. It is split in half with the half nearest to the door being filled with seats for guests. The audience chamber can seat up to 100 comfortably. A half wall separates the seating area from the Imperial Seat, which has a lacquer and parquet floor, with rods of 24K gold inlaid between the parquet tiles. The parquet is made of redwood. It is laid across the entire floor beneath the Opium Throne.

The Formal Audience Hall is part of the Tour of the Imperial Seat, which focuses on the institution of the Monarchy in Kalistan. During most times of the year, the Formal Audience Hall is left open to the public, but loitering is not permitted. Visitors are not allowed out of the seating area in the Formal Audience Hall. Formal Audiences are closed to the public, and the only people allowed in the Formal Audience Hall during the Formal Audience are those seeking the audience, the Monarch and the Chancellor, who is required to be present at all formal audiences.

The entire Formal Audience Chamber is lit overhead by a skylight, through which natural light filters. Small windows along the South Wall also bring in some illumination, but the skylight above the dome often provides ample light for the Pavilion, and on sunny days provide a stark contrasting scene as the polished silver scatters light across the other wise dark paneled room.

The Opium Throne, Imperial Seat
The Opium Throne itself is made of solid silver with the seatback made of a cross lattice of rubies and diamonds all individually linked to one another by gold links so it forms a pliable bendable fabric almost. It is reportedly very comfortable, according to House Ananto spokespeople, but the Monarch only sits on the Throne during formal ceremonies and formal audiences. Most of the time, it is part of the tour of the Imperial Seat complex which focuses on the Institution of the Monarchy in Kalistan. Most versions have countless gemstones set into it, but a new throne is constructed for each new Monarch, while the previous throne is deconstructed and recast for a new Monarch, therefore, no monarch sits upon the same physical throne.

The Opium Throne is set onto a platform into an alcove in the wall, which contains a hidden passageway allowing the Monarch to enter and exit through an back room for audiences without having to walk through the Formal Audience Hall. The only time the Monarch will travel through the Audience Hall for an official purpose is during the Coronation ceremony where the Monarch is expected to approach the Throne wearing only a white cotton robe. For all other purposes, the monarch will enter from the back room through the hidden door in the alcove.

The Pavilion
Before the Alcove, where the Opium Throne sits, stands the Pavilion. The Pavilion for the Opium Throne is made of tons of pure silver, cast in Kaliburg and assembled directly in the Formal Audience Hall. It contains a number of pieces which have their own special characteristics, and borrows heavily from Aldegarian decorative motifs, to symbolize a connection with the original Proto-Aldegarian Kemokians who first supplied the name and the royal bloodline of the original Anantan Emperors. Though the Modern Anantos bear no direct relationship to the ancient Ananto rulers, Empress Mary I Ananto sought to offer a nod to the wealth, power and awe-inspiring essence of ancient Anantan heritage in her Opium Throne.

The Roof and Dome
The roof contains thousands of pieces of jade in a mosaic along with the largest ruby, emerald, sapphire and amethyst crystals from the Ananto Gem Vault. Inside the dome, there is extensive gold work, while the dome itself is lined with a mosaic of red-orange jasper. Only the Monarch, Chancellor, the Coronation Helper and the craftsmen and women who built it have ever seen the mosaic on the inside of the dome of the Pavilion, and while there are rumors about what the design could be, all have been sworn to secrecy to never reveal the true design inside the dome. The inside of the dome is kept dark.

The Pillars and the Balustrade
The 8 upright pillars that hold up the dome are composed of quatrefoil mosaics made of white pearl and sapphire in a pattern that is meant to evoke the sky and clouds, and the silver balustrade divider that supports the pillars contains mosaics of emerald, ruby and sapphire made to look like one large flat crystal, and outlined with diamonds, as well as more amethyst.

Set into the back of the pillars are links to attach ceremonial curtains for use during coronations as the new Monarch changes from their simple white robes to their coronation robes. Coronations are the only time another person besides the Monarch and the Chancellor may step onto the Opium Throne--The soon-to-be-crowned Monarch bring along a personal helper, usually a commoner who is specially selected for the task, who helps them get dressed and assists with a ritual bath during the ceremony. Serving as the helper during a coronation bestows instant nobility at the rank of Baronet upon the commoner once the ceremony is complete, and usually the role is offered to someone who is currently enlisted in their first year of National Service and would not otherwise be in line for peerage.

The Platform
In a construction meant to awe and intimated, the most impressive feature of the Opium Throne is the ruby mosaics on the floor of the pavilion before the Throne. These mosaics are of the red opium poppy, and are made of thousands of very fine rubies set into gold and also outlined by ribbons of gold.

The only people allowed to step foot onto the poppies are the Monarch and the Chancellor of the Empire, and since the construction of the Opium Throne, they have both been traditionally, and finally ritually barefoot before rising the short step to the Opium Throne and beginning formal audience. The Chancellor may choose to wear simple linen socks, but the monarch still hears all formal audiences in bare feet. Mary also began the tradition of having her feet washed before stepping upon the poppies on her throne, a tradition which is maintained to this day. Finally the base of the Platform, made of more than a ton of pure silver, is adorned with 40 small poppy mosaics, made of rubies and gold as well.

The red against the white of the Poppies set into the brushed silver is said to represent the Grand Duchy of Kalistan, while the Amethyst in the Pavilion and the jasper in the inside of the Dome is said to represent Ananto, and the House Ananto specifically. Over all, the symbolism itself is as esoteric as it is grand, and it is said that the construction is priceless.

[Doc]

V.3
ANANTO-KUNDRATI 3
Empress Mary I Ananto


Empress Mary I Ananto, on Her Coronation Inaugurates the Glittering Empire

Her Imperial Majesty Mary I Ananto took office as one of the least prepared monarchs in Kalistani history. She spend her teenage years avoiding much contact with most people, and avoiding education, including her Imperial Education. She joined National Service specifically to go into forestry, and while in her second year, learned that her Father, Emperor Fredrick III Ananto had died in a plane crash. She was permitted to complete her national service tour and then returned to Kaliburg, to take a crash course in government, with the expectation that she would complete much of her training on the job. She was crowned in November of 5632, immediately sacked the caretaker government that had been appointed under her father and moved her formal residence to Eveari, taking the locus of political power out of the Capital for the first time in generations.

The Second Kundrati War
While Kalistan was a partner in helping Valruzia move beyond their dictatorship, tensions in Artania grew immediately following the Coronation. Empress Mary I Ananto was soon faced with a new flair up in the war in Kundrati, as the liberated island of Etxea came under fire by Legionary Forces. She faced backlash by a National Assembly that was wary of returning to the conflict, and clashed with Deputies over sending aid to Etxea. But like in all things, eventually the Empress got her way, and she used her speech before the National Assembly to attempt to shame nations of the world into taking a more aggressive stance toward containing the Kundrati Legion. When her initial steps were ignored by nations interested in coddling fascism in Kundrati, she too signaled her willingness to end sanctions begun under Pavlina. When she formally agreed to the lifting of sanctions, the world, who had been free riding on Kalistan's sanctions regime, finally discovered a sense of urgency and began mobilizing to address the Kundrati situation. Many nations, including several of Kalistan's so called allies, referred to the Empress as immature, or mercurial, but in fact, the gambit paid off because other nations finally joined the cause against fascism in Kundrati when Kalistan formally agreed to food for a number of conditions, most of which the Legion ultimately violated.

Within a year of Kalistan agreeing to opening a food for peace agreement, KU leaders from Etxea visited Kalistan to discuss a possible new action against the Legion, in an effort that would ultimately be successful in ousting the Legion once and for all. Kalistan began secret talks with several nations in Artania including Luthori and Hutori, who would lead the effort to finally invade Kundrati and take on the Legion directly. By late 5636, the Chancellor of the Empire mobilized the Militia for volunteer auxiliary service in Kundrati, and more than 115,000 Kalistani Partisans shipped out to Etxea to begin preparations for an invasion of the Artanian Continent. The Militia would form two contingents: One, which was about 2/3rds of the force, would serve as light infantry under Kundrati Union Command, while one third would join up with Hutorian Forces and act as advance columns, performing unconventional actions ahead of the advancing Macon forces.

The Kalistani forces under Kundrati's leadership, which included Luthorian troops and a hand full of other nations, were left as holding forces while KU forces advanced, keeping them mostly out of harm's way, but the Forces under Hutorian Leadership bathed themselves in glory and engaged Legion forces throughout the campaign. Once the capital was captured and Legion leadership was for the most part neutralized, Kalistanis withdrew into southern Kundrati and returned home to a hero's welcome. In this, Kalistan's involvement with Kundrati came to an end.

The Glittering Empire
Mary Ananto's reign began with a rise in long standing institutions of fashion and luxury. The period saw the first supermodels come up and a shift for Del Valle fashion away from consumer fashion to couture. This move opened up more options for new Fashion designers and Fashion Houses, the most notable being Casa Cultura. Kalistan took the lead in world fashion during this period as the old fashion centers in Lourenne were eclipsed by rising fashion designers in Sulari and Yoshimi.

Empress Mary I Ananto adorned herself in as many of her precious jewels as she possibly could at any event. Clothes became far more lavishly embroidered, and 24K Gold Thread became widely used. The Jewelry was one thing. But Empress Mary commissioned Reed to create for her a masterpiece that put all the fine individual adornments to shame. Using only those materials found in the Ananto Gem Vault, she had Reed build for her the masterpiece known as the Opium Throne. The Opium Throne, known for its floor made of ruby opium poppy mosaics set into gold and inlaid into the solid silver floor of a solid silver, gem, jade, jasper, and pearl encrusted pavilion, was built into a remodeled Imperial Seat in Kaliburg. The construction, which is said to be priceless, is a 25 foot tall domed gazebo made of solid pure silver that glitters in the direct sunlight. Inside it sat Mary's gem encrusted throne, and from within she heard her formal audiences. She also ordered the National Assembly remodeled, and expanded to meet the modern needs of an Imperial Government.

Mary also began acquiring new homes for her personal use. She acquired Wood House in the Dragon Hills and then in a deal with the Baltusian Government during a brief moment where Baltusia had a functioning government, she acquired 1000 acres of coastal land in Athosia where she built a beautiful modern home inspired by Gaduri architecture that she called Playa de Paz, or Peace Beach. The Athosian home is jealously held by the Ananto family, and the exclave is thought to be a consolation for Kalistan not being able to take the entire duchy.

Following the Empress' convincement to Brethrenism later in her reign and her separation from her husband with her decision to begin her life with Lady Companion Victoria Jensen, the Empress entered into a holding pattern with aggrandizement of the Glittering Empire. But this was only in terms of the rate of new acquisition--Kalistan was now regularly importing diamonds, rubies and other assorted precious stones from Dovani, as well as production of amethyst in Ananto. The first sumptuary laws requiring amethyst to be surrendered to House Ananto were passed, and House Amethyst stocks rose dramatically, leading to its use for creating clothing for the Empress and later for Empress Jennifer, who composed an entire bustier out of Amethyst.

The Restoration of Kalistan's Redwood Forests
Before 2500 CE, Northern Kalistan was covered in dense redwood evergreen forests. But as Kalistan entered the Republican Period, most of those forests had been utterly clearcut, which produced characteristically bare north facing slopes throughout Vrassa and Ananto. It was believed that the forests would never return, and when reforestation efforts began under the Socialists in the fourth Millenium, the focus was on planting trees with an eye for sustainable forestry. The Redwoods, where they continued to exist, did so in very remote reserves far away from large population centers and industrial areas.

More recently, much of Kalistan is reforested. Certainly most of the mountains are forested, where possible, and sustainable logging and forest maintenance is the norm. The Empress learned a love of the forest while spending time in the redwoods in one such reserve near Ananto Estate in Eveari as a kid. She would spend many house wandering through the forest, which was treated as a public park. When she became Empress and reoccupied Eveari Estate, she purchased the Eveari Grove and added it to the Estate's property. She then hired a staff to maintain it and opened it as a park for the city's residents.

But she became bound and determined to replant redwoods across Northern Kalistan. Beginning with her 1 Million Tree initiative, soon after becoming Empress, she soon expanded it to 10 million trees, which became a goal to reach. The 10 Million Tree planting exercise encouraged citizens to take time off in the summer time to plant trees. A person who planted 10 trees would earn a small stipend. A person who planted 100 would earn money and an award. And etc. Over the decades, multiple generations participated in the program to lay the foundation for Kalistan. As Kalistan approaches the Century mark for the beginning of Empress Mary I Ananto's tree Planting Program, the first trees she planted in the Dragon Hills in Odufaray are reaching 150 feet tall. The ones further north in Vrassa can grow to more than 300 feet tall. The trees were planted and tended using organic methods, using seed starts from the Eveari Grove and some of the other groves still in existence in Kalistan, and toward the end, the new trees were producing their own seeds which hikers and participants would comb the forest each year to find, germinate and start for the next season.

It is estimated that more than 1000 square miles of new forest was planted, about 40 percent in Ananto, 50 percent in Vrassa, and 10 percent in Odufaray. It is believes that Mary's forests are now self sustaining, though each years more than 10,000 new trees continue to be planted annually, and it is largely considered one of the defining activites of a young Kalistani's life.

The Late Reign
Empress Mary I Ananto reigned for just over 40 years, covering the middle part of the 57th century. Later in her reign, she is known for laying the foundation for a lasting friendship with Valruzia and deepening relationship with Hutori, while growing more distant from Egelion. She also drew closer to Xsampa. She visited Luthori at least twice, both times unofficially, as well as Hutori several times. She saw the memorial to her Great Grand Mother and Father's vacation home in Etxea, and was the first Kalistani Monarch to step foot in Athosia since the end of the Anantan Empire. She ended up saying good bye to Lodamun, as that nation had always been unhappy in the Empire, while renewing Kalistani investment interest into Gaduridos to make up for it. She also allowed the Empire to flirt with democratic pluralism at the National Level, before democracy got quite out of hand and ended up in violence and destruction, leading her to clamp back down and restrict ballot choices once more.

When she finally abdicated in favor of her son and daughter-in-law forty years after being crowned, she was a Brethrenist--personally living a more austere, less materialistic life--she was much more comfortable in public, and she had accomplished lasting change in Empire which still stands today as a testament to her rocky but overall even handed rule. Kalistan had been beautified, in multiple ways, and the culture had adopted a sense of refinement and elite chic that still define fashion, architecture, and society to this day. Empress Mary I Ananto was a person who reveled in the finer things in life. It was said that she owned a set of pajamas made of polished and smooth rubies that she would sleep in--that alone, if true, tells you all you need to know about Empress Mary I Ananto and the Glittering Empire.

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V.4 and V.5 and V.5a
ANANTO-KUNDRTI 4 and ANANTO-KUNDRATI 5
Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto, Empress Jennifer I Ananto, and Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins


Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto at Coronation, and Lady Nicolette Ananto-Collins, 5686

Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto
The very conservative oldest child of Mary I Ananto, Fredrick Ananto-Collins grew up taking his role as future Emperor very seriously. As a youngster he was said to be fun loving and was into surfing as other Anantos previous to him were (He would ultimately prove to be a decent, but not excellent surfer and soon gave that up for more serious matters, allowing his sister the chance to prove herself to be the true talent in the family.) He joined National Service and then prepared to take up his birthright as Emperor.

But her married the love of his life, Kalistani supermodel Jennifer Connor, and began a family. When there was six months left in Mary's reign, it was decided that Jennifer, now a Duchess, should be co-empress, because she was thought to be a far more personable and warm person, and could do things for the Monarchy that Fredrick did not believe he could. When the two were crowned in 5672, they were crowned on a jewel encrusted double throne which had been installed into the new Opium Throne. Keeping with the Glittering Empire, Jennifer's entire bustier was made of Amethyst, while Fredrick's tunic was covered in embroidered poppies with gemstones inlaid. The affair was the most lavish throne and coronation to date.

The Kalistani experiment with Internationalism
Immediately following the Coronation, a Nationalist wing of the Institutionalist Party rose, under the young firebrand aristocrat, Lady Erika Donahue, of Vrassa. She represented the reactionary wing of the Party, and seemed to fit the Emperor's and Empress' preferences for chief policy creator. She was erudite, she was arrogant, and she was singleminded on nearly all things. But she was intensely loyal to the Institution of the Monarchy, and was the perfect attack dog for the Emperor and Empress, both within the National Assembly, as well as in the National Press. Despite the Nationalist orientation of the Chancellor, the Emperor and Empress early set Kalistan on a path to seek new international partnerships.

Early policy initiatives included expanding High Speed rail in Nevaras, re-establishing relations with Kundrati, who had finally found some peace after nearly 100 years of misery, poverty and war, and patronization of the arts, music and the Theater. Kalistan sent hurricane relief to Valruzia, further strengthening ties, and developing a Seleyan regional identity.

Five years into the reign, a crisis in Southern Seleya, the occupation of Rildanor by Egelion caught Kalistan unaware. Apparently, a brief revolution in the rump of the Canrillais Empire, or what was left of it, broke out and a neo-fascist power took over. Kalistan, who misunderstood the position of the government, took the side of the Government, and saw the uprising against it as being manipulated by Egelion to spread their Empire. Kalistan's notice arrived too late, and following early statements concerning the illegitimacy of Egelian occupation of Seleyan territory, Kalistan realized that Egelion had created a fait accompli where Kalistan could not address the matter without war, and Kalistan, exhausted from war after nearly a century of trying to contain Kundrati by itself, could not go to war. The result was an Egelian occupation of Rildanor, and the sidestepping of Kalistani interests in the hemisphere. For the first, and certainly not the last-- Over the next half century, nations have gotten into the habit of ignoring Kalistan's legitimate regional interests entirely following this precedent setting fait accompli.

After a decade of being ignored and sidestepped, insulted and publicly attacked in the international press, the Internationalist policy Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto had adopted at the beginning of their reign collapsed. Following the Chancellor's comments about communism and an unhinged personal attack in the Istalian Press against the Empire, its monarchs and Chancellor, The Emperor declared that Kalsitan's policy would henceforth be regionally oriented, and stated that the royal experiment with Internationalism was dead. Kalistan was finished seeing international relationships in the world from nations who demanded concessions from Kalistan without offering anything in return. Kalistan was finished allowing nations to disrespect the sovereignty of the Anantonese Empire or treat Kalistan as anything other than equals. Retrenchment of the Empire was now officially the policy of the Anantonese Empire, Kalistan discovering that the rest of the world wanted nothing to do with Kalistan on Kalistan's terms.

The Kizenian War and Occupation of Luncasi
A dust up with Xsampa following its own occupation of part of Amudim led to decades of tensions with Xsampa, a nation who Kalistan had maintained good relations with. Again--Kalistan was unable to influence events in anyway, and the occupation went ahead as much of the world ignored the implications of the deal. Finally, when a rightist authoritarian government overthrew the legitimate government of Kizenia, Kalistan chose to no longer attempt to persuade with diplomacy, but invaded Kizenia to protect a long standing Kalistani diaspora who lived in and near Luncasi, Kizenia. The Kalistani Regular Forces established a security cordon along the south coast of Kizenia with which it could supply anti-fascist forces in Kizenia.

After the war, Kalsitan protested over Egelion's cynical plots to annex parts of Kizenia to itself, and wrung a treaty out that guaranteed that Luncasi and its sister city Delatbor would remain a free and open cities, despite a puppet monarchy being set up for Kizenia that was oriented toward Egelion. Kalistan remained in Luncasi for thirty years, spawning a vibrant expatriate community, building a new commercial port, and maintaining the Supply base that had been built upon the old port.

Princess Nicolette's Regency
The Emperor and Empress, in a visit to Artania and Kundrati, became the first Kalistani Monarchs to set foot in Mainland Kundrati since the days of the Black Empress. But on their return home, their plane was caught in a storm and was destroyed, killing the Emperor, Empress, Minor Crown Prince William-David and and Minor Prince Mark-Henry. The loss of the Monarchs made the Royal couple's Second child, the often ignored but playful, curious, and enthusiastic Minor Princess Carolina, the Empress, though she could not take her office until she achieved her chronolocal Majority.

The Chancellor, long a personal ally of the Emperor and Empress, approached the Princess Nicolette Ananto-Collins, who had been a professional surfer as a young adult, and had since taken up a life of the exceptionally overqualified surf teacher, and highly competent alcoholic and drug user, the Regency. The Princess, who was used to the life of the idle rich also inherited the 11 year old Carolina who had been orphaned-- Princess Nicolette was her next of kin.

At first the Princess sunk into a deep depression in mourning for her lost brother and sister in law, who had been estranged from her because of her lifestyle. She remained depressed, crying daily, barely able to take care of herself or her Niece for six months. Her husband, the Viscount Andrew Rohrbach attempted to help, but his relationship with the Princess was also strained, and eventually Nicolette's mother, the Princess of the Empire Mary stepped in to help the hurting family, while Lady Ericka Donahue took Carolina under her wing and began keeping her both occupied with school and starting formal administrative training, and also fed on occasion when Nicolette neglected her role as the child's mother.

When Nicolette finally returned to her senses, she decided to clean up, to apologize to those she hurt and to take her role as surrogate mother of the pre-teen Empress and Regent seriously. She leaned heavily upon her mother and the Chancellor, because she herself had never been trained for government. The Regent was helped to see her administration as a caretaker administration, to allow Carolina to learn how to take over and rule effectively. She doubled down on Kalistani Institutionalism, and Lady Donahue moved to the center of Kalistani Politics.

Fortress Kalistan
With Nationalists ascendant, and in charge of both Kalistani domestic and foreign policy, a new doctrine was adopted known as Fortress Kalistan. The strategic Doctrine involved a modification of the old Defense in Depth strategy, and was designed to increase Kalistani military security to the point of dramatically increasing surveillance and early warning capabilities of the Empire stretching across the Northern half of the Anantonese Ocean. The navy formally identified defensive points as gateways to Ananto, and began patrolling those points. The thinking of the strategy was to make attacks against Kalistan so costly for any attacker that any victory would be purely pyrrhic. Kalistan might lose, but would rather burn the entire nation to the ground in house to house fighting than to allow another nation to gain anything from an attack on Kalistan.

Most of the Northern Seleyan states played a role in this system. Relations with Lodamun and Valruzia were improved as part of the strategy, and important cooperation was conducted in conjunction with Kalistan strategic imperatives. A close personal alliance was forged between the Anantos and Valruzian President Urzsula Pawlik, whom the Regent and the Chancellor both liked and admired for her strongly nationalist, conservative views and overall consonance with Kalsitani strategy, while maintaining her national independence. In a lot of ways the three women spoke much the same language in terms of regional interests and goals and there was genuine sympathy between the two states which continues to this date.

Meanwhile, the Regent watched warily as Egelion founded a loose personal union called the Kerisian Empire between itself, Trigunia and Kizenia. While initially concerning, it proved to be nothing worth being concerned over: Trigunia ended up locking up their own monarch not long after that and Kizenia went inert in short order following the establishment of the empire. Meanwhile, Egelion began aiming for global empire, seeking to assert its dominance and deliberately sidelining Kalistan as a potential partner and ally and confirming the Nationalist critique of the northern Kingdom.

The late Regency
In 5689, the Princess Regent, along with the now teenaged Empress in Waiting convinced the Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis to send the Hulanevek Diamond out of the nation. Princess Regent Nicolette, but more so, the Minor Empress in Waiting were convinced that the rumored curse on the diamond had been responsible for the deaths of the Emperor and Empress, as well as the two Minor Princelings, and the Empress wanted to be done with it. It had done nothing, she said, but bring ruin to the Royal Family, and by sending it out of the country, it was her hope that she could help the family. The three women contrived to hand it to the Hutorian Monarch, Queen Arianna, who was married to David Alvarez, a distant cousin of Princess Mary's.

The diamond, however, was not finished with Kalistan. Following the transfer of the Diamond, a corruption scandal broke out concerning money laundering and the Yeudi mafia, with resulted in the death of AYIC leader Jacob Maxwell, and a severe crackdown and short war against the forces of organized crime in Sulari, associated with the Sulari Bookmakers Syndicate and the Bank of Suldanor. After several months of violence, the mafia had been essentially decapitated and neutralized, and both the Bank and the Bookmakers' syndicate were reorganized. The National Government began very heavily regulating and overseeing both institutions and they both emerged clean and transparent, despite the violence that plagued Suldanor.

The Minor Empress also got the opportunity to study languages in Valruzia. She joined National Service, where she worked as an operator at a hydrothermal generation plant in the Green Mountains above Eveari. As the young Empress moved closer to her Coronation, she showed herself to be very much Donahue's protegee and announced that her policy was Nationalism, which she placed as a mid point between communism and internationalist liberalism. The young Empress showed herself to be a very erudite young philosopher who studied political theory obsessively, moving away from her earlier focus in linguistics, and demonstrated a keen theory oriented mind. While she was in National Service, the Future Hutorian King took residence at Cliff House with the Regent, who began his formal training and oversaw it for until the Empress discharged.

Kalistan improved relations with Xsampa and named a communist as Ambassador to Xsampa, over the Chancellor's objections. Other Ministers who Lady Donahue did not particular support or like were maintained in or named to important posts, even earning the moniker "Her Imperial Majesty's Cabinet of weirdos". While the orders came from the Regent, she made it clear that she was acting on the Empress' orders, even though Her Imperial Majesty was still enlisted. The Empress, who had been being prepared to take her throne since soon after the loss of her parents, was ready to begin her reign, and the Regent was more than happy to allow her to do as much as she could from the Barracks in the Green Mountains. The regent was allowed to return to private life in September of 5695, having served as regent for ten years, and maintaining relative peace, prosperity and stability. The Regent was yet another in a long string of competent Anantos, taking over from her Brother on behalf of her niece, and keeping the ship right with no formal or practical training in public administration, but a set of institutions around her that she could absolutely rely upon when things got rough.