Princess Antonia of Tauroggen-Fiebus the New Ruler of Zichenau

Krankenstadt, The Grand Duchy of Stollen -- The Electorat of Zichenau woke yesterday morning to find that it had a new ruler: Princess Antonia of Tauroggen-Fiebus, mother of the deceased Ruprecht VII. Prince Ruprecht VII was found dead in his chambers Sunday morning with a bowl of half-eaten figs nearby. Royal doctors have not confirmed that he was poisoned, but foul play has not been ruled out. The whereabouts of Princess Valerie of Pillau-Zerbst, Ruprecht's common-law wife of the last year, are unknown.

Prince Ruprecht VII had only just returned from a year in exile in the city of Boston in the Amaercian colony of Massachusetts, to claim his rightful place as the prince elector of Zichenau. He and Princess Valerie eloped last year in late-May, in the face of her approaching marriage to the French mercenary General Philip de Latté, currently in the employ of the Electorate of Zichenau. It is not clear whether de Latté had anything to do with the death of Ruprecht, but the General's missing status is suspicious.

In the vaccuum left by Ruprecth VII, his mother, Antonia of Tauroggen-Fiebus, has declared herself Princess of Zichenau. By Sunday afternoon, she dispatched several regiments of infantry and cavalry to secure important points in the capital Hissig, ease civil unrest in several larger towns within the Electorate, and quell one small bread riot near the frontier with Stollen. No further news has come from Zichenau’s capital in the 24 hours since.

How the death of Ruprecht VII will affect the situation between Stollen and Zichenau, or other territories in the region, remains to be seen. No statement has been forthcoming from Krankenstadt Palace in reaction to the news of Ruprecht’s death. When informed yesterday of the new situation in neighboring Zichenau, Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II is said to have replied, “Yes, yes. . . Very sad that. I don’t think I will take any fruit salad with my midday meal this afternoon.” He then adjusted the olive branch wreath on his head, smoothed his Roman senator's toga, and returned to work on the latest chapter of his forthcoming history of the Etruscans.