New Gloria

New Gloria is the most prosperous colony of the Empire of Artemis in Western Europe and was formerly known as France. Founded in 2020 following the signing of the 2018 Treaty of Dissolution, New Gloria quickly became the commercial hub for raw-materials and food production for the rest of the Artemite Empire on earth. New Gloria thrived under its strict social-hierarchy and militaristic discipline. Citizens of New Gloria are constantly watched for any attempts of sedition against the government. For the upper class, New Gloria provides them a place to thrive, for the lower class they are happy to still be alive with work.

Pre-War of Extermination
Before the Wars of Extermination, New Gloria was a nation known as France which prospered for centuries due to its highly productive soil and distinct culture. France was one of the victors of the Great War and a signatory on the London Accords. Following the 6 Years War, France rose to unprecedented levels of wealth and influence across the world coming to dominate most of Northern Africa. For 6 decades French policy went undisturbed until the Foundation of Artemis in 1984. The French joined the British and Americans in enlisting the services of Minister of Defense Samuel Elworthy to overthrow Edward Bromswell and Claude Stewart and radically change Artemis foreign-policy towards a pro-Alliance stance. The leaders of France recognized the Golden Age of humanity would be fleeting and believed it best to quickly gain complete influence over Artemis before the Axis Powers. Following Elworthy's capture and subsequent education, the humbled Alliance discontinued covert operations.

In 1989 when the Axis powers began to re-militarize and gather resources against the French border, the French Government decided to restart covert operations on Artemis with the other Alliance members under the name "Project Noir." The project struggled to gain a stronghold in Artemis with its greatest successes being infiltration on corporate boards like Mistros Inc. Following the September Rising conducted by Nazi officials of the Outer Reich, the French government sent a dossier to its agents to go into hiding, fearing they would be exposed Artemis's retaliation. Following Claude Stewart's rise to power in 1991, the French Government began to fear Artemis would cut off trade and diplomatic assistance, as a result it ramped up funding for Project Noir which allowed it to perform more robust actions such as research siphoning, assassinations, and high level infiltration. Project Noir became infamous on Artemis for ruthless execution of its mission. In 1995 The Allies ended the 4 decades long peace in Europe and entered into war with the Axis powers. The war was a costly endeavor killing many. As time went on in the early 2000s, The French began laying the ground-work for a massive coup against the Stewart administration. The French worked with the British to assassinate high level military officials including General Frederickson.

In 2008, The French called a ceasefire to their war with the Axis powers and held negotiations at Versailles to re-negotiate the terms of war. During the negotiations, the French recommended a change of enemy, they argued the danger posed by Artemis was too great to operate independent from the will of humanity. The Great Powers made a plan to divide claims on the moon and overthrow Artemis and use it for their own purposes. Negotiations finalized in 2010 and collectively the powers of the world declared war against Artemis on January 1st, 2010.

The Wars of Extermination
25 days after the Declaration of War, Artemis responded in what became known as the Requiem Circular, a declaration by Artemis to the powers of the World that they had over stepped their bounds and they would pay the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Artemis agents within the governments of the world hijacked broadcasting frequencies across the world to have the message play in each country's native tongue. On January 26th, hellfire rained down upon the capital cities of the Great Powers of the World as Artemis launched a pre-emptive VORTEX attack. In France, the capital Paris was reduced to a crater, no one survived unless they lived in an outlying town. In one fell swoop, 1/4 of the world's population disappeared in the initial attacks. Quickly following the initial attack, Claude Stewart ordered the Imperial Artemis Army to invade the nations of the earth and end the rebellion of the earthly powers kickstarting the Wars of Extermination.

In France, the war began almost instantaneously, a fleet of Artemis Javelins entered French airspace only a few hours after the first Vortex strikes, bringing with them well over a hundred transport ships. Initial estimates put the Artemis fleet at around 100,000 men landed in one day. The Initial Theater Commander: General Bradley led the forces to secure Paris, Orleans and a small section of the Normandy coastline. The French Army was caught in disarray and several lost subsequent battles. Its greatest defeat during this first period of the war was at Arpajon where a young Lt. General Clovis Van Andel led the imperial army in capturing a field army of the French Armed Forces. The subsequent campaign led by Andel became widely known as "March to the Sea," in which Artemis secured most of central and Northern France without very much resistance.

The war looked like it was headed to a swift conclusion by the end of 2011, the French command was still in wide disarray until the battle of Brittany. This battle quickly stunned Artemis hopes of a quick victory. Artemis forces led by General Bradley surrounded the highly defended and strategically located city of Brittany. However, things quickly went south after a flank of the siege was entrapped behind enemy lines which allowed French forces to regroup and take out the main artillery units deployed by Artemis. General Bradley was killed in the resulting chaos resulting in a major chaos within the Artemis ranks. Lt. Gen. Clovis Van Andel quickly called for a retreat to regroup, it was an embarrassing march and several attachments of the Artemis line were either captured or killed in the withdrawal.

Following the initial loss, Clovis re-organized his armies to fit a more tactical line of attack using specialized air-wings of javelins as a key asset in his approach against the French forces. After a month of re-grouping out in the countryside, Clovis called on his forces to move forward back into Brittany, despite low morale, the men continued their trudge back across enemy lines. They were met with fierce resistance as French Forces used a variety of guerrilla tactics to try to slow the advancing Artemis armies, however, it proved futile Clovis used the combined power of the javelin corps and artillery shelling to draw the French resistance into the fields where he cut them down mercilessly. The Artemis Forces finally resumed their position around Brittany and Clovis led a covert charge into the city and disrupted their command structure by disconnecting their main lines of communication between the main strategic HQ and the defensive lines around the city. Following that, Clovis ordered a merciless siege of the city which resulted in countless deaths on both sides. Each street corner was soaked with blood, only the strongest soldiers prevailed in the brutal reality. In the end, Artemis resoundingly won the battle after serious losses and Clovis Van Andel was hailed a hero who avenged Bradley.

Following Brittany, the French resistance and the provisional government splintered apart different factions and insurgencies began to control regional areas. Groups like the Napoleons, Les Frères de libértie, and the French Restoration Army became widespread brokers of fueling resistance and rebellion across the broken country. The Artemis command structure began to understand that the only way to win the war would be to destroy these three factions then the French resistance would collapse on itself, however, Clovis quickly re-organized his ranks to focus his attention towards suppressing small rebellious factions instead of focusing on the larger factions. Clovis understood the large factions were already disintegrating due to the loss of their proxies and the general timing of his strikes. To draw his enemies out he would use whatever means necessary, even calling VORTEX missile strikes on innocent towns. Slowly over the course of several years, the rebellious groups lost financing and died off, Clovis's brutal measures proved effective.

On September 2018, the remnants of the French Provisional Government were captured and brought to Orleans to sign the 2018 Treaty of Dissolution in which France gave all geographical claims to France to Artemis. The result of the War of Extermination were millions in casualties, several cities and towns were simply just removed off the map after a Vortex missile or artillery shelling removed any incentive to live there. Clovis was hailed as the savior of Artemis by the military while several of the occupied French viewed him with disdain. When the territory was re-organized into the Imperial Dominion of New Gloria, Clovis was appointed Viceroy and helped select several of the other Viceroys for the other colonies across Europe.

The Early Years of New Gloria
15 years have passed since the last conflicts in Europe began. Artemis has established several colonies across the landmass that it hopes will bare fruit loyal people to the motherland. In the time that has passed, Emperor Claude Stewart appointed several of his top performing generals as Viceroys, or governors, of the new Colonies. New Gloria, located in what was formerly known as Central France, is a thriving colony that is under the disciplined eye of Viceroy Clovis Van Andel.

The colony has earned itself the reputation as one of the most oppressively run colonies in the Empire with very few political freedoms given to the populace or the upper echelons of New Glorian society. Rumors will easily have people locked in the bowels of the Ministry of Order for months on end before they are put under intense questioning. The Military retains full control over all the colonies vital services with a very weak parliamentary body serving as a board of advisors to the Viceroy.

The New Glorian Government is specifically broken up between the office of the Viceroy, the Council of Generals, and the Council of New Gloria. The Viceroy is the head executive figure overseeing all of New Gloria’s functions whether that is the command of the military, the signing of laws, the designation of authority. The Viceroy holds absolute authority over the overall functions of the state. Next are the Council of Generals who oversee the strategic defense of Artemis and the day to day major functions of state. Each, General oversees a specific Ministry integral to keeping the colony running. Finally, the Council of New Gloria which is a legislative advisory body. The Council has no authority outside its ability to advise the Viceroy on actions he should pursue. The Council is seated with the most influential people across different fields such as scientists, bureaucrats, business executives, artists, and others. The Minister of the State sits on both councils and acts as the lead advisor to the Viceroy and usually appointed based on the personal preference of the Viceroy.

The Viceroy
The current Viceroy of New Gloria is Clovis Van Andel, First General to his Majesty, the Emperor, and envoy of the Crown to New Gloria. Clovis is the first Viceroy of New Gloria after he took power in 2017. The position Viceroy is the central governing figure in the Colony of New Gloria. The Viceroy has the power to manage the armies of New Gloria and give orders to protect the state from threats that are foreign or domestic. He commands complete executive authority over the laws of New Gloria having the authority of suspending certain statutes according to his will. The Viceroy also chairs the Council of Generals and the Council of New Gloria. The Viceroy directs the work of ministries and can remove and appoint ministers at will. The Viceroy holds absolute authority when it comes to legislation, execution of the law, and interpretation of the laws of New Gloria. The Viceroy has the power of prorogation and dissolving the Council of New Gloria for elections or permanently as they are an advisory body.

The Viceroy has a seat on the Colonial Board of Artemis where the different Viceroys discuss regional policy and tactical planning. The Colonial Board also plays an important role in limiting the power of the Viceroys in which the Viceroys can collectively pass colonial directorates which limit certain powers of the Viceroy’s absolutism or their administration. The Colonial Board collectively can request that the Vice-Chancellor of Artemis declare war on a certain territory or nation.

The Minister of State
The Viceroy’s first advisor is the Minister of State, a powerful advisory position that sits on both the Council of Generals and the Council of New Gloria and has access to the highest clearance offered to a private citizen. The Minister of State oftentimes assists in the oversight of the Ministries and ensures the domestic well-being of New Gloria. The Minister of State is usually selected from the Council of New Gloria as the member who received the most votes to attain such a position. The Viceroy can dismiss the Minister of State at any time for any reason.

The Council of Generals
The Council of Generals is New Gloria’s top national security council. They oversee a wide variety of ministries that correlate directly to preserving order. The Council consists of the 5 top brass generals of the New Glorian Imperial armies, The Minister of State, The Minister of Order, the Regional Director of Artemis Eye operations, The Minister of Interior, The Minister of Defense. The Council oversees tactical military plans, covert special operations, the strategic administration of the state, and other related activities. The Council is New Gloria’s primary counsel for administrative affairs in ensuring the proper and successful administration of the state.

The Ministry of Order
To maintain order in New Gloria, the Ministry of Order preserves truth and order. Led by a Lt. General in the Council of Generals, the Ministry of Order enforces sovereign law and acts as a cultural protection force. Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Order is Athena’s Eye, the elite secret police force of Artemis. The Ministry is known for its brutal tactics to get offenders to be “re-educated” to the truth. Only after re-education does the Ministry execute the offenders.

The Ministry of Order focuses its espionage and disciplinary measures on the Upper-class denizens and middle class in order to halt the spread of treasonous ideas at the source. After all, the proles too un-educated to attempt revolt. Middle-class residents will often find their apartments are bugged and have cameras hidden to keep tabs on them. Those who are treasonous will disappear in the midst of the night, never to be seen again.

The Ministry of National Truth
The Ministry of National Truth is New Gloria’s primary propaganda mill, they monitor the censorship of the news and archives as well as work to change public perception of certain people, events, thoughts, and language. The Ministry oversees large museums dedicated to showing exclusively the Artemis point of view towards history and art. The greatest success of the Ministry was subduing the proles into their blissful ignorant way of life. Oftentimes the Ministry will sphere head new holidays as a way of brandishing patriotic sentiments while masking the terrors that lurk beneath the surface of New Gloria.

The Ministry of the Colonial Board
Similar to the Imperial Colonial Board that oversees the different colonies, the Ministry of the Colonial Board oversees different administrative matters related to the state. The Board handles the generation and administration of natural resources, transportation, and other essential resources.

Culture
The culture of New Gloria remains mostly the same compared to that of pre-damcoles Europe with fashion being heavily inspired by the Golden age of the Treaty of London starting from the 1930s which saw prosperity in the scientific as well as artistic fields respectfully. A sense of nostalgia from that era still lingers even from the dying days of the Treaty as European powers became more hostile to one another, with older generations and younger generations still feeling awe and inspired by the once before. Not much has changed in the way people dress and communicate to one another, besides the use of cell-phones (which were discovered in the 2000s) which are exclusively used for the highest circle of Government while regular phone lines are still in operation. Colorized photos for everyone’s identification remains very popular and extremely colourized photos would be seen as a luxury enjoyed by the middle and upper class.

French Culture is still heavily lingers the ambience and social setting of the colony although slowly being squeezed out for the one in Artemis which is an mixture of former cultures into one, much larger Anglo-inspired one with others being secondary. Despite the efforts of the Ministry of National Truth, the French language still runs rampant in most parts of the colony with the Artemis’s English dialect coming next and only being spoken at more formal events such as public ceremonies in the Upper and Middle class regions. Despite the massive French population, most of the Elites in the colony come from Artemis. With this population, a caste system was born similar to the one in the Spanish colonies with Artemists ranking the highest. However, it is still possible to rise among the ranks through diligence and a few connections.

The Architecture of the colony is predominantly French Renaissance style with a few elements of the Artemisist style which is an mixture of art deco, moderne streamline, and the neoclassical architecture style that the Capitol was designed with by Sofia Bromswell and Sebestaian Schmidt. This new style is considered to be called New Glorian.

Geography
New Gloria, the capital city, is located in central France where Orleans used to exist prior to the War of Extermination. The city has been completely re-designed with Central being placed as the geographic center of both the city and the country. The city with its strictly zoned areas, provides for a geometric marvel of Artemite Engineering. Outside the city limits is an area known as “The Ruines” the area is kept as a reminder for the educated classes of what the consequences of revolting against Artemis would look like. Once past the ruins is the New Glorian countryside with several small farms and villages spread out across the colony, these areas mainly produce agricultural products. Nearer to the Swiss Alps and Pyrenees Mountains are several mining villages which specialize in rare metals which are worth a fortune back in the capital city.

New Gloria’s charter dictates that its eastern borders are to go from the Rhine River valley through the Alps and down to Milan and on its western side reach from the Bay of Biscay to the Ebro river.