Faction overview: Gaul
| Faction | Overview | Trivia |
Administration and politics
Imperial court
The Emperor (Empereur) of Gaul is the head of state of Gaul presiding in the imperial palace, and the palace is run by the Nobles of the Robe (Noblesse de Robe) overseeing financial and civil affairs. Despite his absolutism, there is a division of power between the Nobles of the Robe and the Emperor, and oftentimes, many laws must first be agreed among the aristocrats, resulting in conflicts between the two factions. In the reconstruction of Lingones of 833, there was already a dispute in which the Emperor deemed the Nobles to be too conservative due to their opposition over the project.[1] During to the Battle of the Four Emperors, the Emperor and the aristocrats had to unanimously agree on a new law that levy three years' advance standard taxes as a preparation for the Gallo-Leithanian War.
| Summary of a Celaiblason[sic] Nobles' Meeting |
|---|
| The Emperor is actively preparing for [war] with the Leithanians. But the Victorian Army are near to us, and there's been traces of movement. We don't have many options left to us. ... By unanimous accord of all nobles in attendance, we shall immediately levy three years' advance standard taxes. Source: Phantom & Crimson Solitaire Notice Board, Performance Notices, "Plays and Tactical Props" |
Similar with the neighboring Terran heartland nations, Gaul possesses an aristocratic hierarchy for the Nobles of the Robe that separates their political power. These peerages are:
- Duke/Duc
- Marquis
- Count/Comte
- Viscount/Vicomte
- Baron
Military
The Gaulish Grande Armeé[2] is the national military force of Gaul. The Grand Armeé is further divided into two levels: the lower Youth Vanguards (Jeune Avant-Gardes),[3][4] and the upper Vieux Vanguards (Vieux Avant-Gardes), both of which act as the Emperor's imperial guards. To have a Youth Vanguard to become a Vieux Vanguard, one must earn their merits to be promoted. The Vieux Vanguards were notable for fighting for him loyally until their ultimate destruction during the Battle of the Four Emperors.[5] The Gallic armies possessed many superior technologies and military strategies such as using a mirror armor and the phalanx formation among its Legions, though like other Gaulish cultures, they are deemed as backward and are lost to time.
Owing to Gaul's militaristic culture, the military system, especially following Emperor Corsica I's decree of the "Second Economic Reform Act," enables the empire to recruit its armies immediately. Each region has a military supervisor stationed at its Corp camps. On one occasion, the Western Corps ordered all the males of age to be reported in or they would face severe punishment.
| Gaul Recruitment Order |
|---|
| For eyes of military supervisors of each region only. Begin recruitment work immediately on receiving this order. All males of ages are within rights to be enlisted. Estimates say the Celaiblason[sic] region must recruit XXX men. Depart to report at Western Corps camp immediately on conclusion of marshaling. Those who disobey will be strictly punished. (Seal of the Empire of Gaul) Source: Phantom & Crimson Solitaire Notice Board, Performance Notices, "Operator (Recruitment Promotion)" |
Administrative divisions
Gaulish land is divided into administrative regions (régions). Gaul practices a vassalage system in which conquered city-state regions have to obey the order from the imperial capital of Lingones and that every regions' affairs are tied to the capital.[6] Some of these famous city-kingdoms include the kingdom of the legendary "King Charles the Mad King," the mythological forerunner of nomadic cities, in the Lower Gaulish region.[7] This was the result of Gaul's quick expansionism through military subjugations of neighboring city-states, but it eventually corroded Gaulish authority over the region as its hegemony dwindled.
Geography
Gaul can be divided into two regions: The Upper Gaul (Haute-Gaule) in the north with a dry boreal climate and higher topography bordering Leithanien's southwestern mountain ranges,[8] and the Lower Gaul (Basse-Gaule) in the south with a temperate climate as an intermediate region to a much more humid oceanic climate in southern Victoria.[9] The Lower Gaulish region is a much more fertile region where it is also the richest of all. Following the Battle of the Four Emperor, the Lower Gaul was annexed by Victoria which was established as the Kingdom of Basse-Gaule, whereas the Upper Gaul has been scrambled by both Ursus and Leithanien respectively, leading to Victoria's declaration to unify the entire Gaulish region through their legitimacy over the Kingdom of Basse-Gaule.[10]
Demographics
Before its disintegration, Gaul had a total population of around 30,000,000.[11] Gaul is also one of the few classical nations founded and ruled by the Ancient race without an Elder dynasty similar to Iberia and Leithanien with the presiding royal house being Liberi.
After the fall of Gaul, many Gallians become citizens of either Victoria or Leithanien while some of them live as a huge diaspora scattered across Terra where they preside in various Gaulish communities in nomadic cities. These communities are the basis of the fermenting Gaulish restorationist movement who yearn to restore the glorious Gallic Era regardless of races or social ranks.[11] Some of these restorationist settlements even involve religious veneration of Emperor Corsica I in which any savior will be regarded as his incarnation.[12]
Culture
The Gaulish culture is best defined by the era of Belle Époque, the period of economic, social, and political upheavals that led to the glorious Gallic Era for the next century. Such ideology involves imaginations of a lavish, utopian lifestyle where one can free themselves from labor and enjoy their leisure in salons, galleries, and shopping malls, a luxury once only belonging to the nobles. At that time, such topics were romanticized in various novels, paintings, and stage plays.[11]
Gaulish realism and critical theory, on the other hand, are the antitheses of the utopian Belle Époque in Gaulish artistics movements and philosophical schools. They are deeply rooted in social awareness regarding the harsh reality between the luxury of the citizens and nobles and the poverty of the masses. These realistic ideologies are quickly spread across Terra which inspired many artists by later generations.[11]
References
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