W_L

We need more versatile authors around here to satisfy ceiling-pushers and bottom-dwellers.

Aye, it's been a while since I've made that top list. It's very hard to maintain a top author spot for your stories. After my passion project is over in 26 weeks, I should probably write modern fiction again. Readership in some genres is rarer than others.

No peace can be created without sacrifice as the bloody reign of Mary truly began with the death of Thomas Howard, one of the last tethers to the old guard of Henry VIII’s court. Immediately following Thomas Howard’s death, Mary elevated his “grandson” Thomas to his grandfather’s position as 4th Duke of Norfolk, which was a boon for the young man at only eighteen to gain such a high position. In my history, he would conspire against Elizabeth and be put to death for his role in a coup attempt, s

Chapter 21 Somethings to mull about, England and offshoot cultures like United States have our democratic traditions based on principles established dating back to Magna Carta, at least in principle. In practice rather than theory or rhetoric, democracy can only function if the balance of power within a society can be exercised equally between various factions being represented. Monarchs and hereditary leaders in the past had more power than nobles (who served as bureaucrats and military officers) and commoners (farmers, traders, craftsmen, and soldiers) due to control over certain resources like wealth or individuals with influence or military force. When nobles grouped together had enough power to challenge the monarch, along with nobles loyal to him, to demand rights and protections from monarchs, the basis of English-oriented democratic traditions began. The reason why I gave everyone this history lesson is quite simple: Democracy is based on the exercise of collective power, so if the monarch possesses more power through a personal army or weapons equivalent to nuclear weapons, then there is no such thing as Democracy even if collective power exist below, all it does is create a collective workforce for the monarch. If that sounds familiar to the Soviet Union's policies under Joseph Stalin, then you are correct. In a medieval setting, it's even more easy to create collective workforces when monarchs have absolute advantages in power. People will prefer the "freedom" that is offered under one supreme leader and one order to independent elites throughout society. Rights to communal lands, free care at churches, and expansive holidays (holy days) vacations for the common man make the medieval model, a prototype of the Communist model, very appealing. As for the story mythology, I left a lot of new lore in here. There are 5 factions in total from the future: A western faction, a Chinese faction, a Russian faction, an Indian faction, and a Corporate Consortium Faction. The blue orbs that I mentioned in the short story Merlin's Crystal Cave has a major use among the factions as a piece of technology, it acts as a personal computer system and power source for advanced technologies. I had the idea of doing 5 factions just so we have various power players in the mix. Additionally, Eli's new power is an extension to his ability to work with information. People may think that knowledge is abstract power, but knowledge can also be physical power in itself. I was inspired by @Geron Kees use of hard science in his fantasy story. While Geron focused on classical physics as the basis of magic, I wanted to explore Quantum Entanglement in its physical form, what Einstein called "spooky" physics. You can't destroy matter or energy, but you can delay its appearance within a period in time, essentially entangling it to a future time. Expanding on that concept, I used the concept of "information particles" as the basis for Eli's new ability works, essentially he can delay information to make an object disappear temporarily. It's a power with a lot of issues. Finally, the card game at the end of the chapter. I liked Kakegurui as an anime and manga series. Most of its characters are bisexual, who love the thrill of risk-taking and gambling, so I took a game concept from that show and expanded it into something new. Levina Teerlinc is a real historical figure and the only female artist during that period of Tudor history. She was sent off to Spain by Elizabeth I in history, so I took the idea a bit further and made her an assassin. It's a fun little side-story for folks and Eli at this point is College-age at 22 years old. A lot of people at that age are playing drinking games. This week's law of power, 1st law, "Never Outshine the Master", it's a pretty simple law that a lot of people violate. Thomas Howard was overzealous with his actions and became a scapegoat when Mary needed to vent her anger. Another is Levina Teerlinc attempt to poison Eli, who had far better abilities to detect an use poisons to his advantage in the card game that basically ruined her chances of approaching him. Historical Notes: 1. Yes, in the 16th century, a deck of cards did consist of 58 cards. 14 ranks: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, knave, knight, queen, king with 4 suits and two fools/jokers. It's a little piece of small history that I just added in there to make it more authentic. 2. Levina Teerlinc was hired by Henry VIII as a royal painter, the only female royal painter. She was very closed to Mary I of England, she gave Mary a locket as a gift. As for being one of Henry VIII mistresses, it was a rumor that she was selected by Henry personally from Catherine Parr's group of female painters. 3. Thomas Howard would be put to death in 1572 of our history for his part in the Ridolfi plot to remove Elizabeth I from the throne and put Mary Queen of Scot on it, with the Pope's blessing. He would have been an eighteen year old at this point in time and very headstrong.

I agree, sadly Ryan Murphy as creator of AHS didn't get any awards for that season. He's one of the few mainstream openly gay showrunners in Hollywood, who handles LGBT themes a lot in his work. AHS was great when he was showrunner (Current season without him called Delicate is just too on the nose for my taste), along with his older shoes like Glee (A show that a lot of LGBT American viewers have at least a passing knowledge). Still, I think he was heavy-handed with Jeffrey Dahmer's biopic series (Good if you like true crime and are weary of the random hookup scene).

Mary had gained power with overwhelming force, but her position was not secure. She also had many enemies near and far, the Protestant nobles across the country were unhappy with her religion. Her choice of husband in Reginald Pole had also alienated nobles from various parts of Mary’s realm, especially Wales. Mary and Pole introduced a radical reform to return church lands, held by country nobles created by Henry VIII, and reverse the Wales Acts of 1542 and 1543, which brought Welsh equal legal

Chapter 20 Reputation is very important to leaders, along with a public image. People want to believe in epic struggles, conspiracies, and concepts bigger than themselves. However, there's more complexities in belief than mere idealism. Some bad blood remained despite being a century separated from the War of the Roses, where competing York and Lancastrian lines fought for the throne, only to be won by the Tudor branch, a minor spiinoff of the Lancastrian line. One of the interesting things that Henry VIII did during his reign was establish the loyalists in Wales to equal standing to English with Acts in 1542 and 1543. However, many of the principles behind equality for Welsh were tied in with the new regime and religious system that Henry VIII established, so in history, Mary I never dared to completely reverse all of Henry's reforms. However, in my story, she went one step further having seized power through force and enforcing a stronger Conter-reformantion, similar to those in Europe. By doing this, the Welsh were losing their new rights, so they were susceptible to Eli's propaganda information war against Mary, the Catholic Church, and the Yorkist connection that would still be deeply ingrained. It's an interesting historical What-if situation, when counter-reform affects something that most people nowadays don't even consider as being just an afterthought, but once upon a time the Welsh were 2nd class citizens compared to English, too. Additionally, I brought up 2 famous historical figures in Thomas Crammer and Thomas Howard. Crammer is considered one of the quintessential martyrs of the English Reformation and Marian Purges. However, I wanted to showcase a push by Eli in this novel, a reformation within the reformation by establishing a "secular" martyr, someone willing to die for principles that could be useful for the kind of nation-state Eli would want to build. It's a push to establish check on the authority of monarchs and raise skepticism on the belief of orthodox religious thought. In addition, I also took inspiration for the Tongue reattachment surgery from Parallel World Pharmacy manga as most readers know I am a huge fan of Japanese/Korean/Chinese Anime/Manga/Manhwa, drawing much inspiration for this story based on that. Finally, Thomas Howard is a microcosm of Henry VIII in terms of his own life and choices. I took inspiration from the real historical figure and his complex history with his wife, Lady Stafford who did love Lord Neville, and mistress Bess. In history, Thomas Howard tried to divorce his wife, but was unsuccessful, so he just separated from her. There's no historical evidence for why he did that, but in my story, I just took the idea of the wife committing adultery and ran with it. It's a complex situation, since Thomas Howard's family fortune is tied with illegitimate bastards, he is dyng with a lot of regrets, similar to how Henry VIII was portrayed in The Tudors. For this week's law of power, 5th law, "So much depends on reputation, guard it with your life", if you do not protect you reputation, you may lose everything you possess due to public perception. Conspiracy theories and libellous claims can destroy individuals easily if you do not protect yourself, just as Eli is doing to Mary's cause along with Mary's own actions, alienating various nobles in her court. Notes: 1. Yes, in 1556, Thomas Crammer did attempt to save himself through recanting his Protestant beliefs, but in the end, when Mary wouldn't pardon him, he made a major speech against Catholic Church and English government in protest. He was burned to death immediately after his declaration. 2. Stephen Gardiner was Chancellor to Queen Mary as well as a Catholic Priest during this time, he served dual roles as Bishop and leader of the government during the Marian purges. 3. Interesting bit of surgical knowledge, you can reattach a severed tongue with modern surgery or even create a prosthetic tongue depending on how much damage was done. I took the concept and the abilities of Robert and Eli to create that scenario.

Don't get me wrong though a hot steamy locker room confrontation scene is glorious, with testosterone in the air, naked bodies, and a taste of team spirit along with homoerotic desires to make your opponents submit to you. There's a reason why sports-based gay male stories have worked for three thousand years, you just need to remember the primal urges that make that genre work.

Possibly a TV mini-series treatment would be better, but the ultimate issues that hold it back are the plot narrative and its reliance on the twist. One thing to consider about films like this is that you need a strong buildup and emotional attachment between its leads. I didn't find the relationship between Olive and Eispeth, Felix's mother, or his need to entice Venetia, Felix's sister, realistic emotionally and sexually. I can understand that Oliver may be sexually attracted to both genders, but on the other hand with his homosexuality being obsessive and consuming, his heterosexuality seemed calculating and impersonal. The movie lost me as there was no motivation for Oliver, except the thin class-struggle concept that the film tries to embody. Exploration of what relationships and what psychological drives motivate Oliver would have made it far more rewarding.

That's pretty true, it's hard to do gaslamp/flintlock or even general steampunk historical fiction without fantastical or sci-fi elements. Alt-history is possible of course in the genres, but you have to know your stuff to go down that rabbit hole. Harry Turtledove is my favorite of this genre, followed by authors like William Forstchen (His Rally Cry a part of the Lost Regiment series is a good alt-history story to be a companion to Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory series). For me @ReaderPaul, history fiction is a fun speculative "what-if". I like the background history of various individuals and technological breakthroughs, especially when you realize how dumb luck plays a role in major historical events. People chalk major events to divine intervention, ex. Martin Luther for instance said his decision to become a priest was due to being stuck in a lightning storm, then vowing to God he would become a priest if he survived. However, in context, he wasn't doing well as he was dropping out of law school, was doing poorly in classical studies at the university, and his father had spent a lot of money on his education as the eldest son. Along with the death of two friends around the time of the lightning storm, if you viewed these events in their totality, it was more a matter of someone reaching their mental and emotional limit than spontaneous divine revelation. However, that choice of career created a religious revolution in Europe, costing nearly a hundred million lives over a century and creating modern nation-states. What if he wasn't failing law or classical studies, what if his friends didn't die causing him to have mild depression, or what if he wasn't the eldest son with so much pressure from his father? I didn't add those facts into my story as Luther was long dead by the time Of Pride and Power, but I knew about it. That stuff makes historical fiction in my mind, it's the little details that create the magic of chaotic consequences.

Aye, not every idea is a tasty burger, or even a chili cheese dog Sometimes, you feel like writing something that calls to you as a story plot for various aesthetic reasons. Beneath the surface, I enjoyed the potential within the concept. For my old stories like "0's and 1's", I was drawn to it due to the powerlessness that bullying and social media influences have on our culture in the world. I was writing it, when streaming series like the 1st season of Black Mirror began to probe the same issues, I think it was just a matter that my taste aligned with many others, who saw the potential and issues with the societal changes that were coming. In that regards, some story concepts are following your senses and creating a line for what will be a trendy burger place or hot dog stall. However, one of the issues I encountered here is that the motivation t write it disappeared as the burden to relate increased. One of many reasons why 0's and 1's was abandoned. On the flip side, my current writing is counter-intuitive, taking on subjects that may have social relevance, but they are not presented in a way that appears relevant. "Of Pride and Power" is not a story of a hero seeking to fix things through established rules, but someone seeking to remake the world as needed for survival and growth. This story is less about a trend but satisfying a base instinct like ghost pepper flavors (as human taste buds do not have a sense of spice, rather our brains produce conflicting pain senses and pleasure chemicals upon eating them). As this story is over 100K words now, with short stories set in the universe to expand area I want to highlight, and I am just getting started on the plot, it feels more enjoyable to write as an author despite not capturing the readership my earlier stories had, I am satisfied.

Thanks, I thought introducing the examples of information warfare that were created during the 16th century could illuminate this little-discussed area of strategy. Battlefields are glamorous and make great set pieces for epic novels and blockbuster movies, but silent exchanges of information and the spreading of information/disinformation are even more important. For nations such as the Netherlands, it was thanks to information warfare that independence was won from Spain during the 16th century. However, printing presses would likely be closed down, so I brought in the trusty mimeograph. It's utility as a means to copy documents and portability during wartime made it invaluable during the 20th century before electronic copiers came into play. Analog technologies that to us may seem antiquated are quite advanced to what existed in the 16th century.

Strength isn’t always measured by arms when you have an absolute advantage over others. Weakness and submission are sometimes important tools for good leaders to improve their positions. While her troops and weapons were impressive, they were not invincible. The materials in their weapons, machines, and vehicles were poorer in quality than the materials I produced, meaning her forces lacked the industrial capacity that my knowledge and Robert’s ability offered. Before the Industrial Revolution,

Chapter 19 There are a lot of silent moves behind the scenes and overt moves by Eli in this chapter with his forces. Despite not being in the stronger position with superior firepower or superior technology like Mary had with her allies, Eli had his unique advantages. His focus was directed towards information warfare from the beginning rather than a head-on conflict with Mary and her allies. The mimeograph may be an antiquated technology to many people in modern times, but it represented a quantum leap in printing technology from the era of the large-scale printing presses. Mimeographs were a famous tool used during WWII by the French resistance to create counter-propaganda against Nazi occupiers. In later decades, they were used by Civil Rights movement to organize protests and marches. The mimeograph was also used by Gay publications to produce materials (including some pornographic materials ). Some older members might remember the primitive copying tool. Royal authority and a rising title for Eli is useful to strengthen his hold on territories that he already had nominal control over through trade and local military forces, administratively controlling these territories allows him to reform several things, including more covert industrialization and a new education reform program to improve learning level of the population. In contrast to the trend of the era, where religious education and classical education were focused, Eli is skipping those areas and pushing for practical education based on material creation. In this way, you can see his reforms as an extension of Eli's realist and secular worldview in practice, rather than valuing classical notions of wealth or power. I made hints in my short story Qui Tam, concerning how Eli is treating his territory and what he had his people prepare to do during his absence. In historical terms, I have pushed the marriage of Mary Tudor away from Philip II of Spain, instead she is marrying Reginald Pole, a York descendant with claims to the throne as well and historic Catholic loyalties as a Cardinal. I did this to hasten the marriage alliance of Phillip II to Elizabeth of Valois, a daughter of Catherine de Medici of France, who he would have married in 1560 after Mary's death, unifying France, Spain, and pieces of the Holy Roman Empire (Charles V would no longer be in the picture at that point in history). However, the earlier marriage in 1553 opens up a large amount of possibilities, including bringing the forces of France into the expanding war of religion in Holy Roman Empire (Germany). Suffice to say, the Peace of Augsburg will not happen the way history had entailed. As for the journeys of Francis Walsingham to Navarre, he is supposed to be in Contintental Europe during these years to develop his network of spies and aid protestant causes in Switzerland. However, with the occupation of Switzerland, the best place for him to go would be to the small nation of Navarre. Henry IV of France will need assistance and it is true that historically Francis Walsingham would be present in France and by Henry's side later on, including writing a famous reporting about the Saint Bartholomew massacre to Elizabeth I. This week's law of power is 22nd, “Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power”, is an astute observation about power politics. Most people out of pride will never accept surrender or submission to someone else out of pride. However, real power is not based on strength alone. Weakness can also be used to improve your position, just like Eli having planted the seeds forcing Mary to accept a promotion for him, while he supplicated himself to her. Giving up nominal obedience for absolute position is an overall net gain. ------------------ Some fun historical notes: 1. Yes, the mimeograph was heavily featured in this chapter. It is an interesting anachronistic tool that we in the age of information technology with social media platforms cannot fathom its earlier importance. With these small early copying machines and ink cartridges, major historical battles were won for nation and human dignity. 2. A minor note that few people knew about, France, England, and Dutch Republic formed a "Triple Alliance" in 1596 against the forces of Catholic Europe. It is one of the earliest examples of the alliance that would be preeminent in WWI. Being a fan of history, I thought it was a fun foreign policy goal to recreate a triple alliance earlier in this era against such a dominant Habsburg-Medici Catholic alliance in Europe.

Thanks Chris It's one of those important character details that can't be explained from just the perspective of Eli alone in the main story. The historical Francis Drake was noted as a lover of adventure and fortune, but few historians highlighted his involvement in the slave trade, which even the Spanish authorities considered abhorrent. For Edward like many Englishmen of this era, the concepts of slavery and racism due to superiority views (reinforced by a rising English Protestant zealotry) were very prevalent. What Eli introduced to a young Francis Drake is radically different than the norms of the era, while Edward VI being raised and educated under the new English Protestant value system is far more similar to the views held by most English nobles. Like I said these short stories are meant to be a window into the wider world of Pride and Power. It's a universe with diverse views and different perspectives.

"Qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur" (Who pursues in this action as much for the king as himself) I was not the best fit to be on the throne, but I was the only male heir and traditions said that I must rule. That is how I, Edward Tudor, an unworthy and weak sod, became the King of England, Wales, and Ireland. As a king, what have I accomplished, except setting up a few schools and lining up some noblemen's pockets? I began my reign at the age of ten years,

Thanks @chris191070 and @George Richard In school, when we're taught history, we usually see warfare in 3 (or 4 if you are a kid today) fields: Land, Sea, Air, and sometimes Space (via satellites or long-range missiles/Ballistic missiles). However, another branch of warfare exists that is seldom discussed but can defeat great nations without arms or force. Chapters 19 and 20 will explore that field in domestic conflicts and maybe some of it will seem familiar.

Mary accepted my submission through an intermediary and greeted the nobles of my territory who awaited us outside her tent. “Brave men of the West, I am Princess Mary Tudor. It is with great sadness that I must inform you that John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, has committed treason against your king and my brother Edward VI. His treasonous crime is the crime of corrupting the laws of the land to enrich him and his allies, corrupting the integrity of our people by accepting Moors as a

Chapter 18 I've returned to worldbuilding and massive elements in this storyline. I am blending in real historical information such the Royal Houses of Holy Roman Empire (Germany))/Spain under Habsburg family of Austria and Medici families default control over the throne of France through Catherine de Medici, along with control over Italy via Papacy. In history, these two powerful families and their forces would align briefly during Elizabeth I reign, posing a dangerous threat to England, so I am just upping the ante a bit more. Additionally, the nature of military levies and militia mustering was introduced, just so folks understand how standard armies were raised. England in history at this time had very poorly trained armies and a lackluster command structure, the concept of militia armies via citizens would continue for centuries with varying levels of discipline. As to secret communications, most readers know I am disabled and I have been exposed to numerous forms of communication that most able-bodied human beings may not have seen, heard, or felt before. Tactile sign language is a specialized field of communication between two individuals, which can be innocuous and the hang gestures using one hand over another via transmission-receiver concept is not widely known. However, if intelligence agents and others were to communicate using such a measure, it would look indistinct from hand-holding or public displays of affection. It's a cool secret language that is distinct from more mainstream spy communications like Morse code, which can be easily learned and taught. I hope the use of this language in my story will be fun for readers. Though, I think most people are going to be focused on the "Sky Fortress", Surprise! It is a historical fantasy and science fiction genre for a reason. If you had the ability to transfer consciousness across time and there were individuals with strange abilities like Robert and Eli, then I would argue the power source for such miracles or actions would be epic as well. In reality, creating a flying Heliocarrier like Marvel's SHIELD is possible, but power source to maintain its propulsion systems would be beyond even the most advanced nuclear reactors. In addition, if you could have a power source that is outputting Sun-levels of watts, then a railgun would be a superior weapon compared to standard artillery since you're just using magnetic power to fire a shell at high velocities to generate kinetic damage. F=MA still holds true. I was inspired by The Expanse for this particular aspect in my story, it's a subplot at the moment, but I may expand it into something far bigger down the line. Winston Churchill, being a former First Lord of the Admiralty, requested a focus on air power before World War II, understanding that it was far more important to the future of warfare than armies or navies going forward. I thought the quote was apt and can be seen in this chapter on wide display with a decapitation strike by a foe that possesses air superiority against a foe without any countermeasure via bombardment alone. The Sky Fortress/ power display was not fully utilized, a shell could easily display kiloton levels of destructive potential similar to nuclear weapons. The 17th law of Power from Robert Greene, "Keep others in suspended terror, cultivate an air of unpredictability," this principle is attempted by Mary I, she isn't operating under medieval rules, especially against English Protestants, who wronged her. Her use of brutality and force is a failed application of this rule as naked terror is used to repress and suppress her subjects. This rule has a connection to Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince written within this period in history and the application of cruelty and fear to gain power. ------------- Notes: 1. Yes Scotland was allied to Medici-controlled France via the marriage of Mary of Scots, heir of Scottish throne, to Francis II, heir of French throne. In history, France/Italy and the Holy Roman Empire (Germany)/Spain under the Habsburg were enemies, but in my universe, they are allied and technological partners. However, some technology was limited, like Sky Fortress for example, being used only sparingly by the Papacy to demonstrate their destructive potential. 2. Armored cars were one of the earliest motorized vehicles, since they could be built far easier than tanks and had greater mobility with the low-grade combustion engines. The separation between tanks vs armored cars came about in World War I and interwar years, when tracked vehicles gained the tank description versus the armored car designation using wheels of various types. 3. Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was the father of Jane Grey and co-conspirator during Wyatt's rebellion in 1554. His part in the rebellion was a quixotic effort of a failed uprising, then he and his older brother hid in a house for a few weeks until Queen Mary found them and he was beheaded. My story took a much darker turn for Henry Grey as neither he nor his family were spared. A foreshadowing of what will come from the reign of Bloody Mary.

So what do you think this all means?

Merlin's Crystal Cave Some folks will be wondering, W_L why isn't this a chapter in your main story? My answer is simply, it doesn't fit among the displays of power. The main characters are on a side quest investigating one of those early threads I mentioned in my story about the connection to Merlin and King Arthur. I also needed to set up some interesting storylines down the road and make sure you guys know Eli and Robert have met a certain twelve-year-old wannabe highwayman Francis Drake was born between 1539 and 1540 and his family moved to the Devonshire area. As for the history of Cornwall, I tried my best to use Cornish, paying homage to the traditional etiquette of Cornish culture, and showcasing some of the real issues with England's cultural and linguistic unity. Cornish nearly died out as a language by the late 18th century as English became the primary language of the land and traditional freedoms and independence were reduced. Eli's ideal of allowing cultural independence is going to be hard to maintain in light of real problems that occur in history. Finally, the reason why this is important for readers of Pride and Power, the blue crystal ball is a very important piece of technology, something that should not exist in this or any period in history, along with 28,656 others similar to it.

"You're a Wizard" is basically what I was told a few months ago from my reincarnated non-binary lover who is supposed to be this timeline's version of Elizabeth I, it's like Harry Potter, Time-Travelers Wife, and Slaughterhouse-Five had decided to form a cinematic universe. Essentially, I can manipulate the essence of matter, like I could create steel from iron by introducing carbon, create fire by manipulating oxygen molecules, or rearrange atoms and molecules for varying densities. I wish I ha

History is fun, when you spice it up a little

Two years of preparation were not wasted, whether it was the fifteen thousand troops that we had trained and marshaled across western England or the stockpiles of weapons and munitions manufactured at Cadbury Hill. However, nothing could have prepared everyone for the events that led to July 6th, 1553. That was the historical date of Edward VI’s death, the start of a short nine-day reign of Jane Grey as Queen of England with John Dudley serving as her regent before Mary would rally her forces to

Chapter 17 The war for the throne has begun. Two years have passed, there's a lot to unpack in this chapter. Without modern shipping and industrial capacity, it took Mary that long to build up her forces to launch a multi-front offensive. Scotland is still in the hands of the Catholic faction led by Queen Regent Mary of Guise, who is the mother the future Mary Queen of Scots, currently living in French Court controlled by Catherine de Medici, the de-facto leader of France during the mid-16th century. Mary Queen of Scots also has a claim to the throne of England as I mentioned earlier in the novel and Medici's are in control of a much more powerful Papal State that has unified italy three hundred years before it was done. Mary of Guise has gained support and weapons from her French allies, so the Scottish armies are heading south. This action was not just a matter of support for another Catholic ally, but also a show of power. However, the mechanized forces embedded in the forces were Spanish in origin, meaning they're being observed by Mary's ally and future husband, Philip II, and his father Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Netherlands, Burgundy, and Spain. Interesting note about the use of Rubber, Spain would have access to natural rubber from Latin America, which has had a history of rubber use and harvesting since the Olmec civilization around 1600 BCE. After 40 years of farming crops in their Latin American territories, they should have enough rubber to make adequate tires for vehicles with modern knowledge embedded in. Technically, these tanks would be classified as armored vehicles due to lack of tracks, but medieval forces would not be able to deal much damage against them without high caliber artillery. As for what's going on in London, there's a lot to unpack here that is beyond Eli's knowledge at the moment. I suggest folks read my supplemental short stories on this. Edward's illness and activity will be featured there. Tuberculosis was a fatal disease during this era, but the powerful antibiotic Streptomycin can be used to treat it over a six-month period. This week's law of power is the 26th law of power, "Keep your hands clean", Mary Tudor has divided her enemies' forces through the use of intermediaries without even bringing her main forces to bear. Additionally, this rule applies to the concept of using "Cat's paw" or agents that act on your behalf to carry out dangerous tasks, Jane Dudley is a great example of this. Historically speaking, she's a complex person with noticeable loyalties to the Catholic cause and was welcomed in Mary's court, so I extended this concept and made her devotions far more insidious and her betrayal of her husband far more impressive. Being betrayed by your spouse in your home territories, while you are away is a famous historical note from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when the warlord Cao Cao manipulated Cai Mao, the spouse of Liu Biao to betray her husband and assist in the occupation Jing Province, nominally for her son's safety and family's power base. Noble women in media are usually portrayed as weak and subservient to their husbands under modern views, but in reality, they are human beings and can plot just as well as men especially in chaotic times like these. Notes: 1. Eli's selection of nobles in his entourage was a necessity. Bringing them and having them join Mary's side will make a transition to a modern nation-state much easier than what happened in history when noble landowners were divided by the Catholic and Protestant factions for the next hundred years. However, real power isn't based on land or castles in reality anymore, they're based on resources, which Eli has already secured through an elaborate arrangement with private/public networks. 2. Historically, Scotland and France had a marriage alliance at this point in history, which would have posed a major issue to the rival Habsbourg Dynasty led by Charles V, Emperor of Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Netherlands, and Burgundy. In history, the Italian Medici, Austrian Habsbourg, and French Valois families were at each other's throats and played counter-balancing acts supporting or fighting Tudor-era England during this time in history. However, with the unification of Italy under the Medici and the control of France as well under regent Catherine, two of the three great families are intertwined by blood in history at this point (They will all be intertwined in history by 1560, creating a united front against Elizabeth I at one point in history). The Habsbourg family patriarch, Charles V, was an ambitious man, one who understood the power of marriage and alliances to further his ambitions.