Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia

Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia Vincenzo Barozzo di Toconoprach
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Dux of La Rossa
In office 7-2 49 PC – X-X 56 PC
Preceded by	Leo Minestrici di Mineria
Succeeded by	Bartolomeo Marone
Personal details
Born	7-8 6 PC Tolia
Died	30-12 71 PC Lorma
Cause of death	Homicide in self-defense by Dux Bartolomeo Marone
Nationality	Rossan
Parent(s)	Vincenzo Lucio Barozzo di Tolia (father) Carolina Buonestrotti di Buglio (mother)

Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia (born 7-8 6 PC) was a former Dux of La Rossa. He was a member of the Barozzo family of Tolia. An industry leader without direct political experience prior to taking office, Barozzo was a Tolian business magnate that greatly benefited from the Rossan Opening. Elected by Mare as the party's leader, he was also considered the torch carrier of the island's internationalist movement. Following a large corruption scandal involving the bureaucracy of his and his predecessor's internationalist governments, he would face a sharp drop in approval ratings in 54 PC. Though he would lose the following vote, his opponent, Antonio Morobaldi, would die from a stroke on election day, a fact which Barozzo would use as an excuse to hold onto power and declare martial law. He would be ousted in 56 PC in a coup by Modhes Militaria. He would spend the rest of his life in exile, briefly returning to La Rossa only at the end of his life. Suffering from major delusions, he would attempt to murder Dux Bartolomeo Marone, only to die in the altercation. Aside from this, his reign was marked by the expansion of the House of Light, the forming of relations with nations emerging from the Storm, as well as La Rossa's involvement in the War in Niueyjar, and the increased militarization and austerity that followed.

Early Life

Tolian Magnate

Barozzo construction company

In late 48 PC, following months of dropping approval ratings for Leo Minestrici di Mineria and his announcement that he would not run for a sixth term, Vincenzo Barozzo would soon rise to become one of the top candidates to replace him. The main leader of the opposition, Antonio Morobaldi, had a united campaign behind him, and the internationalist coalition would decide to hold a primary election in order to select a single nominee who could run against him, in order to avoid splitting the vote. Running against Giancarlo Buonestrotti, an established Advisor, and Massimo Cavalieri, a young entrepreneur, Barozzo would ultimately emerge on top by embodying qualities of both, having institutional backing and a charismatic personality. At the Mare conference, held in mid-48 PC, Barozzo would be elected with 42.7% of the vote to lead the coalition.

Dux

Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia was sworn in as Dux on 7-2 49 PC, after a wide-margin victory against his isolationist opponent, Antonio Morobaldi. In his first few years, he would continue walking the path of his predecessor. He would announce further investment into manufacturing industries on the east coast of the island, the creation of a radiovision system, and would oversee the admission of Kalam and Utlia to the House of Light (formed only a few years prior). Vincenzo Barozzo would also establish relations with Tokšahalna, on the recently Calmed island of Hapšâw. In cooperation with the Six Families, La Rossa would invest into a power plant on the island's east coast, and would work to arm the copper age island with gunpowder weaponry. He would also attend a meeting with the Grand Magisters of T'vaqi, whose island had similarly Calmed nearby. Due to a storm, he was several hours late, and allegedly arrived sopping wet.

On 16-5 49 PC, the Mare party would officially be formed. He was appointed to be the party's leader. Mere months before, its chief opponent - Isola - was established. With Barozzo's election, Isola's leader Antonio Morobaldi would lose his seat as the Advisor from Tolia (Advisors can only represent city-provinces the Dux is not from). Regardless, it would quickly gain representation on the Advisory Council, as previously elected Denunzian politicians would join Isola in support of Morobaldi. Similarly to his predecessor, Leo Minestrici di Mineria, relations with the Denunzian caucus would be frosty, though a favorable electoral map would prevent the opposition from gaining a majority during most of his term. He would also begin to clash with Bartolomeo Marone, then a politician of Mare, soon becoming an independent, over allegations of corruption and favoritism. During his reign, Barozzo would oppose and strike down a number of provincial actions made by Isolan politicians, such as restricting social housing to Rossan natives (as was announced in Salino), in opposition to Denunzian economics and to support the international relationships Minestrici had built.

War in Niueyjar

Libel Slandrason's genocide of the Dvergur would provoke an international response. The Dvergur, who were secretly signatories of the HoL mutual defense agreement, would call upon their protectors to intervene. Deysachin would lead an invasion of the island, with allies bolstering the assault. Despite posturing and a rise in military spending, La Rossa would have a small to negligible impact on the course of the war. Conflicts with the Kelpies were seen as a major failure, as the Rossan Armed Forces were unable to repel them following a brash assault on Sjolurjar. Following the deaths of several Rossan soldiers, the Kelpies would begin to convert the corpses into becoming ones of their own. Depending on the source, three or four soldiers were turned into Kelpies by the time an order was given to bombard and destroy the other corpses, which were for this reason never recovered. The Rossan involvement was largely seen as an embarrassment domestically and abroad. Exemplary to this is Enrico Minestrici, the nephew of former Dux Leo Minestrici di Mineria and La Rossa's diplomatic envoy to Niueyjar, was seen as an idiot and a fool by Puengtifekh Owdrws. Though Chuckster Lagrange would make no such explicit comments, he would allegedly attempt to avoid working with Minestrici when possible. A complete withdrawal of troops would be made in 54 PC, in order to aid with the deteriorating situation at home. While the military campaign itself was largely seen as a catastrophe, the war would also lead to allowing foreign soldiers to join the Rossan Armed Forces in exchange for salaried benefits, a staple of the island's military today.

Corruption and Coup

Concurrently with the War in Niueyjar, the Government of La Rossa under the Barozzo Administration would be embroiled in a large corruption scandal encompassing a wide range of government services and projects. Following the murder of a hospital administrator after a smaller investigation into individual corruption, similar incidents would begin to crop up around the country. Under secret orders from Barozzo, state-run newspapers (all newspapers required approval from the government to publish) would cease to report on the case. Nonetheless, an investigation by the Giornale Economico, a rare newspaper given editorial independence, would uncover a large scheme going on in the background of government bureaucracy. Spanning back to the election of Leo Minestrici, independent investigation had found that a significant amount of nepotism, embezzlement and bribery had taken place with approval or negligence from the national government. Bartolomeo Marone, an Advisor for Mare, would officially leave the party the same year, and go into full opposition to the Dux.

The scandal brought a great level of unpopularity to the Dux, leading to the mounting of a pressure campaign against him. The new rise of Antonio Morobaldi, a resident of the same city, would be followed by major protests, leading to Barozzo having to temporarily relocate to Lorma (where he was invited by the Morelio Family) until the situation calmed. As would be revealed many years later, Barozzo would allegedly receive a visit from Giulio Moretti, a former Dux, who had urged him to drop out and let himself run instead, in order to avoid Morobaldi becoming Dux. In order to mitigate the damage, he would announce an independent commission would investigate the situation, to be led by an unbiased party. The party in question was anything but, as Cuscorrado Papregoli of Modhes Temple in La Rossa was hired to conduct the inquiry following a covert deal with Deysachin. Unknown to Barozzo, however, Modhes Temple would begin plans to betray him.

On 6-2 55 PC, the most contested election in La Rossa's history would occur. While the results were not close, with Morobaldi solidly winning with 54.7% of the vote, the elderly candidate would experience a cerebral stroke on the night of the election, as a result of excitement and stress. He would pass away the same evening, before what would have been his coronation. On the morning of 7-2, Vincenzo Barozzo would announce that he would remain in office, a deeply controversial decision that provoked a new wave of protests against him. Barozzo would declare martial law until the domestic situation stabilized, preventing access to the Duxal palace, expanding arrests and cracking down on protesters as an internal threat. By 7-3 55 PC, an opposition group had quickly formed in order to oppose Barozzo, leading to the election of four Isola Advisors capable of vetoing Barozzo's decisions. Among them, Giulio Moretti, a mild-mannered former Dux, was chosen as the movement's leader. While legally capable of blocking a Dux's decision, they would not materialize, as Barozzo had ordered the military directly to ignore vetoes while martial law remained in effect.

Barozzo would become increasingly paranoid as it went on, turning against former allies in the Six Families. As protests and violence continued throughout the country, Barozzo would call upon King Ĥakanarêy of Tokšahalna for aid. He would send 800 men from Hapšâw to La Rossa, a significant portion of Tokšahalna's warriors. They were outfitted with Rossan uniforms and given weapons. Their presence would play a critical role in the harshest crackdowns. Using a military vessel, Barozzo would place the city of Padeno under siege, threatening sustained bombardment unless Giulio Moretti were apprehended. Moretti would surrender, an opportunity that Barozzo would take to stage a photo-op with the Tokšahalnan troops. Other Advisors would similarly be made prisoners, as would Cuscorrado Papregoli, who had become a significant opposition figure to the Dux. In an effort to display power, Barozzo would execute Advisor Silvia Benetto by firing squad. This would only worsen the situation, especially as a strong implication was that the death of Giulio Moretti was imminent. Bartolomeo Marone would temporarily flee to Deysachin.

In 56 PC, Vincenzo Barozzo was ousted in a nighttime military operation by Modhes Militaria, which would successfully coup his government and appoint Bartolomeo Marone as the new Dux of La Rossa, to take role as an interim leader.

Flee to Hapšâw

Death

Electoral History

48 PC

48 PC Mare Primary Election

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Internationalist	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	6,188	42.7%
	Internationalist	Giancarlo Buonestrotti di Buglio	5,260	36.3%
	Internationalist	Massimo Cavalieri	3,044	21.0%
Total Votes			14,492	100%

49 PC

49 PC Election for Dux

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Internationalist	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	1,764,676	53.6%
	Denunzian	Antonio Morbaldi	1,418,983	43.1%
	Modhes	Cuscorrado Papregoli	88,892	2.7%
	Independent	Esterino Blasi	19,755	0.6%
Total Votes			3,292,306	100%

51 PC

51 PC Election for Dux

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Mare	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	1,311,575	67.3%
	Independent	Giac Borre	637,273	32.7%
Total Votes			1,948,848	100%

53 PC

53 PC Election for Dux

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Mare	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	1,299,766	64.8%
	Independent	Errazzo Uilita	423,226	21.1%
	Independent	Barto Guanda	273,820	14.1%
Total Votes			2,005,812	100%

55 PC

55 PC Election for Dux

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Isola	Antonio Morobaldi	1,818,675	54.7%
	Mare	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	1,506,142	45.3%
Total Votes			3,324,817	100%

Vincenzo Barozzo di Toconoprach (stranded X-X 62 PC), also known as the Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso by the Mzun, is a Dux who came from the Ocean after his ship crashed on the island of Txoschnlp Raax. In command of 30 loyal men, he has promised the Mzun an escape from the island as well as all of the riches from the island of La Rossa, which he claims to be the ruler of, in exchange for restoring his vessel. To this goal, the Mzun have lended him the use of their enslaved Grgs and Chifs, some of whom have died during the repairs. As the ship has been recently repaired, he has taken around a hundred Mzun away from the island, as well as a handful of Grgs to row the ship, and sailed to west. He is believed to be the bringer of Locusts, after he unleashed a swarm of insects mere weeks before leaving.

Toconoprach

Vincenzo Barozzo's ship crashed on the island of Toconoprach in the year 62 PC, according to a man tasked with keeping count, alongside a cohort of 30 warriors that have called themselves the Rossans. Going out to explore the island, one of the men was briefly captured by the Mzun, with the others chased to shore. Carrying rifles, they came to a short confrontation with the Mzun, during which the Xhootldra Nucrchchenln was killed. The Sxallache Sxouraoll and Vincenzo Barozzo, however, would quickly defuse the situation, enacting a blood ritual between them that made Vincenzo the Grgtotmleip of the Bxenschnzo

The Rossans would begin living alongside the Mzun, as the Dux promised them an escape from the island, which required the repair of the ship the men came with, which was left stranded after crashing into the rocks beneath the water. Initially, supplies from the ship were salvaged and shared with the Mzun, while the state of the ship was assessed. Edoardo Puglio, one of the Rossans, would state the engine was flooded and leaked out its fuel. In spring of the following year, Edoardo would order the ship to be brought to shore. The emptied ship was refloated and jammed out from the rocks using cut tree logs taken from the local foliage, which were maneuvered by enslaved Grgs controlled by the Mzun on smaller boats. Several Grgs would drown and be eaten. The Mzun would come into conflict with the Rossans over the incident, but they would let them continue their work.

After the ship was brought to shore, the water from it was siphoned out through long tubes, using the power of Grg lungs to help inhale the liquid. Following several weeks of draining the vessel, the Dux would hold a speech targeted at the Mzun, promising them luxury and opportunity by displaying the mold-infested quarters he used to sleep in. The Mzun remained unconvinced of the luxury he presented them, but were glad to finally see progress. During the repairs of the ship over the following months and years, the death of a handful of slaves would lead to some animosity between the Rossans and the Mzun. The ship would finally be set to sail in 66 PC, according to the guy set to keep track of the calendar, with about a hundred Mzun being brought on board. Although Edoardo claimed the ship can be engine-propelled, the repaired ship is powered by rowing Grgs.

Elections

The Rossans participated in a ritual called elections, which occured once every two years, either in late winter or in early spring. When the ritual was ready to commence, all of the Dux's followers gathered around him, as a trusted Advisor asked the attendees who they wish to nominate for Dux. The Dux, eagerly, nominated himself, with no one else replying. The Advisor then asked the audience who they wish to vote for Dux. If they wish to vote for the current Dux, they are asked to raise their hands. The ceremony proceeds as all of the men gathered around him do a hand raise. After a brief count of all of the members gathered, the Advisor announced that the Dux has been elected, and he was ceremonially caped. The Dux then made a short speech, which ended with him naming five Advisors from the audience. The ceremony then concluded, and everyone returned to work. The Mzun were allowed to participate in the ceremony.

Syenter

Electoral History

57 PC Tokšahalna Hotel & Resort Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Republic of La Rossa	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	31	100%
Total Votes			31	100%

59 PC Tokšahalna Hotel & Resort Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Republic of La Rossa	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	31	100%
Total Votes			31	100%

61 PC Open East Ocean Waters Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Republic of La Rossa	Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia	31	100%
Total Votes			31	100%

63 PC Mul Mag Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Bxenschnzo Grgtot	Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso di Txoschnlp Raax	31	100%
Total Votes			31	100%

65 PC Mul Mag Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Bxenschnzo Grgtot	Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso di Txoschnlp Raax	124[1]	100%
Total Votes			124	100%

67 PC Raft Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Bxenschnzo Grgtot	Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso di Txoschnlp Raax	128	100%
Total Votes			128	100%

69 PC Syenter's Ship Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Bxenschnzo Grgtot	Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso di Txoschnlp Raax	154	100%
Total Votes			154	100%

71 PC Syenter's Ship Elections

Alignment		Candidate	Votes	Votes (%)
	Bxenschnzo Grgtot	Bxenschnzo Baarxotstso di Txoschnlp Raax	152[2]	100%
Total Votes			152	100%

• [1] Following recount. One Mzun would raise his hand after having rifles pointed at him.
• [2] One voter fell overboard, and another died of scurvy.