A clipping from an article in the December 3rd, 303 Edition of KC Weekly by Maurice Agrimeau: "With the Kingdom looking forward to the second anniversary of its independence next month, it is hard to gauge its success. Though the duchy-government that came to power had ruled under the Empire of Merite, the royals therein had really never been much more than figureheads. It was not necessary since the Meritean government had been fairly centralised and only nominal power was doled out to the descendents of once powerful regional rulers such as dukes and counts. With this fragile new government testing the waters and experimenting to find that form of government which would work best for the people, agitation and dissension grew. People were taken in by various far-left and far-right political groups who believed the government then in power was ineffective. These groups gained such influence that, although they were small in number, their adherents were zealous and committed to inciting revolution and fomenting dissension. The first party to take such a drastic step was that of Hesablo Castronovo, leader of the Cimeran Communist Revolutionaries, a violent breakaway faction of the Cimeran Communist Party which had not been permitted to take part in the new government. This group bombed the Althinghouse, then the seat of the legislative branch of the government and attempted with limited success to take over the southermost "shire" of Cimera. Shires existed briefly under the Grand Duchy government. With the aid of the Pataki People's Republic, the Castronovo's followers were able to set up a communist nation in the southern region of the Grand Duchy. The reasons, it seems, that the Cimeran government did not go to any great lengths to defeat these communists are twofold. The primary reason was that the government was far too weak at the time and feared that if it called on the nation's militias that they might not cease with overcoming the communists insurgents but use the war as an excuse to attempt to seize power, setting up a facsist regime. The second reason is that the area comprising the southern shire of Cimera was never part of the previous "Duchy of Cimera." It was markedly different from the rest of the nation in its ethnic, religious, and political characteristics-something which had already caused rumblings in the government. Ulnofshire, a region of Ulanovans and Hismorcans (mostly Mounist descendents of Fenizic and Spaneesh traders who had settled the area) had never been ruled by Meritean aristocracy and was directly subject to the Emperor. However, the Cimera government's worst fears were realised when a group of militias banded together to retake Castronovia and overthrow the government which it deemed impotent-unable to properly govern the nation. It was decided also, probably to the detriment of the volatile situation, that the young Grand Duke would go ahead with his previously arranged plans to study abroad. This merely added fuel to the fire but, miraculously, it seems, loyalist forces with the support of forces from the Listonian Free State, Portocapital, and Wesmerite, overcame these militias. Ironically there were reports of the Cimeran government working with Castronovo's "red army" along their common border to overcome the Republican forces. This cooperation may have contributed to Cimera's rather timely recognition of Castronovia's independence. After the Republican forces were subdued, the government recognised the need for further restructuring and organised itself as a kingdom with the support of the majority of Cimerans. The Grand Duke was crowned king and the shire system was done away with. Counties arose in their stead allowing for more effective governments. Since then the government has been working on improving foreign relations, especially with states comprising the former Meritean Empire. It is uncertain how Cimera will fare in the future, but as of now, things seem to have settled and the young nation appears to have stabilised."