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In many ways, France is the true heart of Europe. Though it is probably more true to say that modern European civilisation first arose in Rome, it is in France that many of the institutions that are most familiar to Europeans today arose. The Franconians, beginning with Charlemagne, were the first of the Holy Roman Emperors, and France controlled the Empire for over a hundred years before it passed to the German states. After the decline of the Umayyads in Spain, France became the hub of European learning, at universities and institutes such as the Sorbonne. In modern times, French scholars and scientists have been at the forefront of political and scientific trends, such as the decimalisation of currency, the adoption of the metric system, and scientific approaches to astronomy, physics, and chemistry. France’s military history is no less distinguished, though somewhat more chequered; men like Charlemagne and Napoleon stand with the greatest of humanity’s military minds, and French conquests under them have shaped history, but in the absence of such strong leaders, France has suffered. The endless grind of the Hundred Years War was fought on French soil, and is chiefly remembered for a series of stunning French defeats at the hands of a handful of Avalonians, and, more recently, Bismarck’s German armies have defeated French forces many times in the process of the birthing of their nation. Currently, France’s holdings are extensive worldwide, and its status as the pre-eminent world superpower is still strong. It controls the Low Countries, the Benelux region, as well as large tracts of Spain and areas of North Africa between Egypt and the Umayyad Caliphate. In the Americas, France lays claim to several of the Caribbean islands, as well as extensive colonies in the Canadian area, next to the Avalonians and Scandinavians. French traders and colonials also rule much of South-east Asia, the popularly-named French Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) and wield much influence in India.
Following Roman domination, the old Frankish kingdoms came to the fore with the decline of the old Roman Empire and the rise of Charlemagne, who founded the Holy Roman Empire and reforged Europe in his own image. Centuries of conflict between France and its neighbours, most notably Avalon, saw France slip from the pre-eminent position in both the Empire and Europe, but the Revolution changed that. Last century’s French Revolution was a revolt against both the oppression of the Vatican and the nobles that were seen as the puppets of Rome, and paved the way for the foundation of modern France, even through the atrocities and horror that were perpetrated on its own people. It also saw the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the start of the Napoleonic Wars that saw France conquer virtually all of Europe and the sundering of the Holy Roman Empire. Since those days in the early part of this century, France’s territory has fallen back to its current borders, with the defeats in Russia and North Africa and the rise of Germany, but it still remains the major force in European politics and culture. top
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte himself, spent much of his youth in exile in the United States or Switzerland, an outcast of the French political system following the Napoleonic Wars and the Revolution. In 1851, he finally managed a successful coup, taking the presidency of France, and a year later, a plebiscite overwhelmingly reinstated the monarchy, founding the Second French Empire and beginning his reign as Napoleon III. A complex and skilled ruler, he combines traits of genuine idealism and liberalism with ruthless self-aggrandisement and authoritarianism. Not the leader or Emperor his more famous uncle was, he is nonetheless shrewd enough to capitalise on his famous name, and France under him has seen a resurgence from the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. However, recent conflicts with the Germans under Bismarck have showed up the flaws in Napoleon III, and though none in France will admit it, their Emperor is not a match for the powerful Chancellor of their nearest neighbour. Napoleon III is still sprightly at 52 years of age, and is married to Eugenia-Maria Palafox, a minor noblewoman of Spanish descent. They have one four-year-old boy, Napoleon-Louis. top
With the accession of Napoleon III, the French people chose to return to the days of monarchy and empire, rather than the oft-corrupt Revolutionary Government, hence the name of the Second French Empire. France is now a constitutional monarchy, with an Emperor who rules with the assistance of an extensive Cabinet. The corruption and cruelty of the Revolutionary days are past, but that is not to say that French politics is any less cutthroat or sinister; there are many rumours that various secret societies, headed by people such as Catholic supremacists or even the heirs to the Revolutionary leaders themselves, are the real movers and shakers in Paris. The King, Napoleon III, presides over a Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, a familiar enough form of government in the real world. Political parties do exist, polarised along liberal and conservative lines as one might expect. Many of these political parties are secret or not-so-secret fronts for the aforementioned secret societies. True power still rests with the King, for he has the backing of popular support and the army, but there are always twists and turns in the corridors of French power. top
The divisions between rich and poor in France have always been particularly sharp, with the poor living in abject poverty and the rich leading lives of unimaginable decadence. This is the sort of attitude that led to the Revolution, and modern France has gone a long way towards rectifying that. Serfdom and slavery are concepts of the past, though there is still a large and mostly uneducated underclass. The restoration of the monarchy and the continuation of the knightly orders has seen something of a return to feudalism, with elite warriors once again commanding respect, though not as much as one might expect. Scientists and artists are also prized in France, and these professions are quite prestigious – the recent popularity in German music is seen as quite an affront to French sensibilities. Almost all modern luxuries can be found in France. There is an extensive print media in place, including many glossy magazines and newspapers. Movie houses are in most cities and towns, and data cable connects all centres of learning and government. Many modern ideas, such as airship airline companies and the concept of expeditions for pure scientific interest, have their root in France. Aesthetics and philosophy have precedence over function and efficiency, and the result is that many inefficient designs and practices are retained out of adherence to tradition or even out of pure arrogance. top
It has been a long time since the wars between the Catholics and Huguenots, and France is now far more tolerant than it was in those days. The advent of Empire has seen many forms of religion come and go in France, from Catholic to Protestant to Muslim, and most are well received in various parts. France can no longer be said to be a Catholic nation, as it was in the days of the Holy Roman Empire – Protestant movements are widespread and powerful. In the south of France, the Languedoc, there are almost always whispers of strange and heretical Christian cults – the roots of Hermeticism are here, as was the Albigensian Heresy so ruthlessly put down by Catholic Crusaders. Most notably, the area is known for the Cathars and Templars, who are rumoured to be planning a resurgence now that France and Rome are no longer united. top
The Code of Napoleon has revolutionised French law, transforming it significantly from the antiquated Roman legal system. French law is much as we might expect it to be in today’s real world, with many advanced legal concepts such as patent law and corporation law. Under the Code, a panel of three judges presides over every serious case, and it is they, not the barristers, that call and dismiss witnesses. The focus of the legal system is not innocence until proven guilty, but rather a quest for the facts, and the verdicts are delivered by majority rule among the judiciary panel. Punishments range from imprisonment and fines to the death penalty, but slavery is technically illegal in France. Out in the colonies, however, slavery is alive and well, though disguised under more attractive names. top
French magic is based on Hermeticism, the alchemical principles laid down by Hermes Trismegistus. It is rigidly hierarchical and structured, and based around a Gnostic quasi-religious philosophy. Principles of sacred geometry, the Archimedean Golden Mean, and the perfection of mankind through study and philosophy are central to this belief. Such Gnosticism has been traditionally viewed as heresy by the Vatican, and for much of history the Hermetics have been driven underground to continue their studies. It is rumoured that Leonardo da Vinci was a Parfait, a master of Hermeticism, though all traditional historical accounts do not mention any magical ability. All Hermetic effects greater than a Trivial level of effect require the use of some sort of ritual, generally a pentagram or similar drawn shape, or the use of some sort of sacred relic.
Examples of Hermetic effects include:
France’s armies are still mighty, but they are no longer the scourge of Europe as they were under Napoleon. Nonetheless, they are one of the world’s more modern armed forces, and they maintain a significant presence in all theatres of war. The average French infantryman is well-equipped, but his training and discipline leaves much to be desired. The vast numbers of the Grand Armee allow French commanders a lot of room for error, but the simple truth is that, in general, man for man, the French armies are not the equivalent of most of their neighbours. French officers also tend towards the conservative and unimaginative as a general rule, and are prone to making errors of judgement, stemming from an unfailing belief in French supremacy or an overall lack of information, or both. Against opponents with inferior technology, numbers, or wealth, however, France is a force to be reckoned with. With a great general at their head, they become unstoppable. There are some areas, however, in which the French military is the envy of the world. The French Foreign Legion has a principle of offering any man, no matter how criminal or desperate, a second chance, and one only; accept the discipline of the Foreign Legion or die trying. This attitude, and French wealth, has made the Foreign Legion one of the toughest and best-equipped special forces units in the world. Units of Foreign Legionnaires are trained in all aspects of warfare, from commando-like raids to paratroop drops and manoeuvres in heavy carapace armour, and are very much an army unto themselves, with their own APCs, air and artillery support, and command structure separate from the rest of the Grand Armee. The Colonel of the Foreign Legion reports only to the Marshal of France himself. Similarly, the Musketeers, the honour guard of the King, have remained an elite and much-publicised brotherhood of arms. Musketeers often find themselves acting as independent agents on the King’s business, ranging all over France and Europe on his orders. France’s long noble history, even interrupted by the recent Revolution, has given rise to many orders of chivalry with a bewildering variety of names, such as the Order de l’Etoile, the Order du Saint-Michel, and the Order du Saint-Esprit. Most of these have become little more than civil orders of merit, or empty titles to bestow upon one noble or another as part of some meaningless ceremony. Those few that retain any military worth at all are mostly comprised of second-rate knights in outdated equipment, still better than a simple infantryman with a rifle, but no match for a true modern knight. Through this morass of mediocrity, however, there are still a few names that have jealously protected their place of honour among the elite of the world’s fighting men. The Burgundian Knights of the Golden Fleece, the monastic Order of Saint-Lazare, and the Order de la Genette (founded by Charles Martel after his victory over the Umayyads at Poitiers) stand out as small but powerful Orders of military knighthood, the flower of French chivalry. These are fully-fledged battlearmour knights, mounted on cybernetic destriers and armed with crackling power weapons. They have enjoyed a significant resurgence since the restoration of the monarchy, but remain far weaker than they were before the Revolution. The Order of Saint-Lazare, in particular, was officially disbanded during the Revolution, but was reinstated by Napoleon III. Their original loyalty was to the Pope in Rome, but since their reinstatement, their ranks include a significant number of Huguenots, and they may well be the first true Order of Protestant knighthood. The French Navy is powerful, like its land counterpart, but has again been defeated unexpectedly many times by inferior numbers and superior tactics and command, most recently by the Avalonians under Nelson during Napoleon’s time. France prefers not to use the more modern helicopter and aircraft carriers as the core of its fleets, relying instead on powerful battleships, with smaller destroyers and escort craft carrying a few token helicopters as support. The French Marshal-class destroyers are a simple and popular design, inexpensive enough to be bought by smaller nations lacking the facilities to produce their own warships. The most powerful French warships are the aging Richelieu-class and more modern Bonaparte-class battleships; the most recent one, the Talleyrand, is the first French ship to incorporate a nuclear power plant. top
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