Excerpts From Nonexistent Books

The Kingdom of Esper, also known as Hesper or Hesperia depending on the language used, had become a world power under the Catholic Dynasty of its founders but by the time of the Empire of Valois had fallen on difficult times, defeated in multiple wars and had long periods of unrest, child kings under regencies, and general disorder. Its flag still flew across half the world, with the yellow and murrey (purple) of Esper’s predecessor kingdoms along with the Pink Lion of the Catholic Dynasty on a pure white shield, but it no longer commanded the respect it once had.

It was this unreliability, along with the persistent fear from its ally Valois that Esper would defect, that led to its eventual invasion and virtual annexation under the Emperor’s brother as King of Esper, overthrowing the young King Amadeo XXII and his regent Queen Joanna IV. Young King Amadeo eventually became infamous as “the basest king in Esper history: cowardly, selfish, grasping, suspicious, and vengeful, incapable of any perception of the commonweal, thinking only in terms of his power and security, unmoved by the enormous sacrifices of his people to retain their independence and preserve his throne.” But his youth and inexperience, compared with the despotic incompetence of the Valois-installed regime, led his standard to be raised again and again in revolt against the occupiers.

Valois modified the flag of Esper during its occupation in what one contemporary called a “base mockery,” modifying their Scierie-Soleil flag with the gold-and-murrey colors of Esper and making the center of the sun the same shade as the Pink Lion. Intensely unpopular, this flag was repeatedly hauled down in an act of vandalism and at one time nearly one eighth of cloth shipped from Valois to Esper was for replacement banners. When the Emperor’s brother fled the country for the third and final time, the remaining flags were widely burned in streets.

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