09-10-2019, 11:12 AM
Palace of Flowers
Gate of Huitzlampa
September 10, 2019 (atl 10, xatl mazatl, 2019)
9:00 am, Xiomeran time
(Joint RP event with Kvask)
As the morning sun ascended over the plaza in front of the Palace of Flowers, Xiomerans had gathered to honor the Emperor in the wake of his assassination.
Some of them had brought flowers and other gifts of well-wishing to leave at the Palace walls; others were being led in prayers to various Xiomeran deities in the hope that the Emperor would recover swiftly. The assassination attempt was unprecedented in Xiomeran history; none had come this close to ever succeeding, and no one had even tried to kill a Xiomeran ruler since the ill-fated rebellion against Camaxtica in the 1800s. No matter how much the government tried to project an image of strength and continuity, the attack had shocked the entire country. Emperors were supposed to be invulnerable; the entire nation had, by now, seen the images of Topilpopoca wounded and being carried off to a still unknown fate.
Xiomerans, especially those who supported the Imperial system, believed at their heart that their land was blessed and not vulnerable to the same dangers that the rest of the world faced. Xiomera was supposed to be strong. Many Xiomerans, having just seen their Emperor gunned down in front of his own palace, weren't feeling so strong anymore.
It was, in the minds of some, the absolute worst time to hold a protest. In the minds of others, however, it was the perfect time.
---
The groups opposed to the Manauia Island Project had planned a protest in front of the Palace of Flowers, on the date of September 10th, for quite some time before the unexpected assault on the Emperor. Once the assassination occurred, however, there was a major debate. The two Xiomeran reformist groups planning the protest had differing views on whether or not to proceed.
A New Xiomera, the first group, had the goal of reforming the Xiomeran system, rather than ending it in favor of something else. In the wake of the assassination, they suggested that the protest be cancelled - or at least postponed. They warned that the Xiomeran authorities would not tolerate a protest so soon after an attack on the head of state - and certainly not at the Palace of Flowers, where the attack had happened in the first place.
The second group, One Huenya, had much more ambitious goals: the overthrow of the Emperor, the end of the Xiomeran Empire, the institution of direct democracy, and greater rights for the other three tribes of Huenya. They had little tolerance for the "mild" reforms proposed by A New Xiomera, and when the idea of cancelling the protest was raised, they dismissed it outright. One Huenya had recently begun soliciting advice from other groups on how to bring about change in Xiomera, and a group of Kvaskm organizers had helped them plan the protest at the Palace of Flowers. When Cuetzhual, the leader of A New Xiomera, warned his counterpart Xohezi, the leader of One Huenya, that proceeding with the protest would inevitably lead to violence and a harsh government response, Xohezi shrugged. "If violence happens, let it happen. The Xiomeran government has practiced violence upon all of us for too long. I will not hold back our movement just because the leader of that government got shot. If anything, we'll dance on Topilpopoca's grave if he dies," Xohezi said.
In disgust, Cuetzhual declared that A New Xiomera would have no part of the protest. "Any bloodshed will be on your head," he told Xohezi. Xohezi responded by calling him a coward and telling him he could take himself, and his "mild" reformers, and jump off the pier at Huitzitaca while holding cement blocks.
On the day of what was supposed to be just a peaceful protest for the environment, and against the Manauia Island Project, what instead materialized at the walls of the Palace of Flowers was something far more radical and unprecedented. For the first time in Xiomeran history, under the guidance of the Kvaskm organizers, One Huenya unleashed the black bloc protest.
---
When large numbers of black-clad protesters began appearing at the walls of the Palace of Flowers, some of them with faces covered, the Xiomeran Imperial Police guarding the plaza at the Gate of Huitzlampa had frankly no idea how to respond. Protests just didn't happen in Xiomera - especially not ones like this. The crowd was vocal, angry and not about to obey any orders from Imperial cops.
The officer commanding the security detail quickly called for reinforcements, as the protesters began pushing against the lines that had been set up to block off the plaza for the investigation into the assassination attempt on the Emperor. "Step back! This is a secured area! You may not proceed further," the XIP officer shouted, but was drowned out by the shouting of the few hundred or so protesters that had gathered.
As the people who had come to the plaza to pay homage to the Emperor watched in shock and confusion, the protesters began overriding the thin line of Imperial Police that had been blocking off the plaza. Alarms began sounding within the walls of the nearby Palace of Flowers; soon, Imperial Army soldiers and Shorn Ones tasked with protecting the Palace began pouring out of the Palace, forming a defensive line. The XIP officer commanding the police detail quickly ran behind that line, calling urgently for additional police backup, afraid of what the Army and Shorn Ones would do if order wasn't quickly regained.
While the XIP officer called for more help, a Shorn One in full battle armor stepped forward, grabbing a megaphone from another policeman. "Unless you have a permit from the Municipality of Tlālacuetztla, this is an illegal gathering. Present your permit immediately or you will be dispersed," the Shorn One warned, as the soldiers and other Shorn Ones prepared to block any further movement forward by the protesters.
Gate of Huitzlampa
September 10, 2019 (atl 10, xatl mazatl, 2019)
9:00 am, Xiomeran time
(Joint RP event with Kvask)
As the morning sun ascended over the plaza in front of the Palace of Flowers, Xiomerans had gathered to honor the Emperor in the wake of his assassination.
Some of them had brought flowers and other gifts of well-wishing to leave at the Palace walls; others were being led in prayers to various Xiomeran deities in the hope that the Emperor would recover swiftly. The assassination attempt was unprecedented in Xiomeran history; none had come this close to ever succeeding, and no one had even tried to kill a Xiomeran ruler since the ill-fated rebellion against Camaxtica in the 1800s. No matter how much the government tried to project an image of strength and continuity, the attack had shocked the entire country. Emperors were supposed to be invulnerable; the entire nation had, by now, seen the images of Topilpopoca wounded and being carried off to a still unknown fate.
Xiomerans, especially those who supported the Imperial system, believed at their heart that their land was blessed and not vulnerable to the same dangers that the rest of the world faced. Xiomera was supposed to be strong. Many Xiomerans, having just seen their Emperor gunned down in front of his own palace, weren't feeling so strong anymore.
It was, in the minds of some, the absolute worst time to hold a protest. In the minds of others, however, it was the perfect time.
---
The groups opposed to the Manauia Island Project had planned a protest in front of the Palace of Flowers, on the date of September 10th, for quite some time before the unexpected assault on the Emperor. Once the assassination occurred, however, there was a major debate. The two Xiomeran reformist groups planning the protest had differing views on whether or not to proceed.
A New Xiomera, the first group, had the goal of reforming the Xiomeran system, rather than ending it in favor of something else. In the wake of the assassination, they suggested that the protest be cancelled - or at least postponed. They warned that the Xiomeran authorities would not tolerate a protest so soon after an attack on the head of state - and certainly not at the Palace of Flowers, where the attack had happened in the first place.
The second group, One Huenya, had much more ambitious goals: the overthrow of the Emperor, the end of the Xiomeran Empire, the institution of direct democracy, and greater rights for the other three tribes of Huenya. They had little tolerance for the "mild" reforms proposed by A New Xiomera, and when the idea of cancelling the protest was raised, they dismissed it outright. One Huenya had recently begun soliciting advice from other groups on how to bring about change in Xiomera, and a group of Kvaskm organizers had helped them plan the protest at the Palace of Flowers. When Cuetzhual, the leader of A New Xiomera, warned his counterpart Xohezi, the leader of One Huenya, that proceeding with the protest would inevitably lead to violence and a harsh government response, Xohezi shrugged. "If violence happens, let it happen. The Xiomeran government has practiced violence upon all of us for too long. I will not hold back our movement just because the leader of that government got shot. If anything, we'll dance on Topilpopoca's grave if he dies," Xohezi said.
In disgust, Cuetzhual declared that A New Xiomera would have no part of the protest. "Any bloodshed will be on your head," he told Xohezi. Xohezi responded by calling him a coward and telling him he could take himself, and his "mild" reformers, and jump off the pier at Huitzitaca while holding cement blocks.
On the day of what was supposed to be just a peaceful protest for the environment, and against the Manauia Island Project, what instead materialized at the walls of the Palace of Flowers was something far more radical and unprecedented. For the first time in Xiomeran history, under the guidance of the Kvaskm organizers, One Huenya unleashed the black bloc protest.
---
When large numbers of black-clad protesters began appearing at the walls of the Palace of Flowers, some of them with faces covered, the Xiomeran Imperial Police guarding the plaza at the Gate of Huitzlampa had frankly no idea how to respond. Protests just didn't happen in Xiomera - especially not ones like this. The crowd was vocal, angry and not about to obey any orders from Imperial cops.
The officer commanding the security detail quickly called for reinforcements, as the protesters began pushing against the lines that had been set up to block off the plaza for the investigation into the assassination attempt on the Emperor. "Step back! This is a secured area! You may not proceed further," the XIP officer shouted, but was drowned out by the shouting of the few hundred or so protesters that had gathered.
As the people who had come to the plaza to pay homage to the Emperor watched in shock and confusion, the protesters began overriding the thin line of Imperial Police that had been blocking off the plaza. Alarms began sounding within the walls of the nearby Palace of Flowers; soon, Imperial Army soldiers and Shorn Ones tasked with protecting the Palace began pouring out of the Palace, forming a defensive line. The XIP officer commanding the police detail quickly ran behind that line, calling urgently for additional police backup, afraid of what the Army and Shorn Ones would do if order wasn't quickly regained.
While the XIP officer called for more help, a Shorn One in full battle armor stepped forward, grabbing a megaphone from another policeman. "Unless you have a permit from the Municipality of Tlālacuetztla, this is an illegal gathering. Present your permit immediately or you will be dispersed," the Shorn One warned, as the soldiers and other Shorn Ones prepared to block any further movement forward by the protesters.
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