Title: American Caesar: Bolivar's Revolution
Opening Brief
It is the year 1825. The Spanish Empire has been broken across much of the New World, and the fires of revolution have consumed a continent. In the wake of decades of war, Simón Bolívar now stands as the unchallenged Liberator of the Andes, the architect of a continent's freedom—and the man upon whose shoulders the fate of Gran Colombia now rests.
Gran Colombia—the fragile union of Venezuela, New Granada (Colombia), Ecuador, and Panama—exists more in Bolívar's vision than in its own cohesion. Fractures are beginning to show. Caudillos in Venezuela resist centralized rule. Indigenous and Afro-descended populations question whether this liberty includes them. Intellectuals call for a federalist republic, while others whisper of monarchy. Bolívar himself seems torn between stepping away in peace or seizing full authority to protect the dream he bled for.
Meanwhile, external pressures mount. Spanish loyalists plot their return. European monarchies watch nervously. British merchants press for influence in the newborn markets. From Quito to Caracas, from Bogotá to Lima, the revolution is not yet over. It has merely changed form.
The Congress of Gran Colombia is now convened. But behind the speeches and motions, something darker stirs. Secret alliances are forming. Regiments wait on uncertain orders. The line between republic and dictatorship is growing thin.
Will Bolívar become the American Caesar—a savior-turned-sovereign? Will the republic splinter? Will the dream of a united South America live or die?
The delegates must decide.
Timeframe: 1825, during the waning height of Bolívar's authority.
Setting: The Congress of Gran Colombia, interspersed with military garrisons, provincial capitals, and foreign embassies.
Core Themes: Unity vs. fragmentation, liberty vs. order, civilian vs. military rule, republicanism vs. monarchy, indigenous and racial inclusion, revolutionary fatigue.
Let the crisis begin.
Delegate List:
Simon Bolivar
Francisco de Paula Santandar
Jose Antonio Paez
Thomas Jefferson
Antonio Jose de Sucre
Jose Maria Cordoba
Jose Prudencio Padilla
Juan Jose Flores
Jose Joaquin de Olmedo
Pedro Gual
James Henderson
Louis de Courtois
Commodore Thomas Cochrane
Jose de San Martin
Brigida Zaldivar
Father Jose Cortes Madariaga
Luisa Caceres de Arismendi
General Rafael Urdaneta
Mariano Montilla
Captain Ramon Nonato Perez
Cipriano Mendoza