The WCRB Files

A 1983 Doomsday Record through the Nation's Eyes

**File 05 - Duché d'Orléans/Duchy of Orléans - Jeanne Puchelle**

House Orléans are the ruling line in the Duchy bearing their name, in ways like their forefathers before them from House Bourbon and the ancient Capetian Dynasty. Their history goes back many generations, beyond the storied Republic into the Ancien Régime: the age of kings. And as with the city, they played their rightful role, at times ruling the land, enduring revolutions and even outliving the upstart Bonapartes. A constant if not always visible presence in what had been known as France. Like myself once upon a time.

But the France of old is no more. In the Year of Our Lord 1983, two great powers – one a young, free if foolish land from the New World, the other a once-great realm under faithless tyrants – went to war with weapons of unimaginable power. Fire and chaos swept the world, shatering the old country in blashphemously deadly glow. Orléans however escaped the deluge. Some say that the it was a miracle from the Almighty Himself that spared us from the darkness. Others hold that we simply did not count as a so-called target for those mighty houses. That any survivors or refugees fled elsewhere out of desperation. Personally, I am inclined to believe the former, though all have truth in them. Then again, I was never a believer in simple luck or circumstance.

It was not until the return of the current Duke and Prince from distant Monaco that a renewed sense of hope swept among the people. It would have been enough that he went on to lead us against the decadent warlords hounding us, amidst the poisonous radiation that still continues to haunt us all. In fact, up until then, we had barely managed to hold the line. One could say, unlikely as it may sound, that we had no need for kings in this day and age. Yet his arrival was proof that the outside world was not entirely consumed by darkness. And a reminder that a rightful monarch can make all the difference where the Republic's leaders failed. By the time the Duchy was proclaimed in 1993, it was but a formality if that much.

Of all the so-called Survivor-Nations in old France, it should come as no surprise that we have the most claim to that title. Degenerate warbands, the ashes of Paris to the north, and the ever-present sickness should have purged us a long time ago. Yet here we are. An oasis of calm to which we may as well dedicate to God. But like House Orléans, we are more than survivors. Our farmers and wine-makers are known to many of our civilized neighbors even to the faraway Alpine Confederation. But is that all we are? Non, we are a bridge between the old ways and new. A symbol of civilization to those who dare to crush it. Perhaps one day the realm may lead our scattered countrymen in reuniting, reviving this land. Even if just for that goal I shall do my part. Though I no longer refer to myself as such in these times, I was their Maid once after all.

The Fleur-de-lis can be found on our flag and House standard. These flowerse symbolize the monarchy's return, our ancient heritage and the endurance of our people. Still, we retain the tricolore of the old Republic, if only for the words they are associated with. Values that we too cherish:

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.

I am sure Francis would understand.

As for some trivia:

The Duchy of Orléans is an OC for the AU as well as a Survivor-Nation in the 1983: Doomsday material.

The Ancien Régime is a reference to the days, or rather several centuries before the French Revolution, when the country was a kingdom.

The Prince/Duke in question is Prince Jacques Jean Jaroslaw Marie of Orléans (1941- ), a real-life claimant to the French throne.

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité is the national motto of France, associated with both the Republic and the French Revolution.

...and as for the hints to her true identity, I'll leave it to you as to whether she's a reborn Jeanne d'Arc or someone who really like to emulate her.

Apologies as well for the last-minute editing.