Tarquin Soll

―*Tarquin Soll*

Portrait of Tarquin Soll

Colonel **Tarquin Soll** MOH is a Sordish military officer and statesman who served as the second president of Sordland from 1929 to 1950 and commander of the 6th Army. He is widely regarded among many Sords as the founder of the Republic of Sordland due to his decisive victory in the Battle of Holsord, ending the Sordish Civil War. However, under his two-decade-long presidency, the country was effectively a one-party-state ruled by the United Sordland Party. In the summer of 1946, Soll was defeated in the USP Congress by Ewald Alphonso. His ideas, philosophies, and policies are known as Sollism while his economic policies are collectively known as Sollonomics.

## Appearance

In his youth, Soll has well-groomed brown hair, a long sharp nose, a sharp jawline and a well-defined chin. His famous mustache is also present. Soll was of a lean build due to his military training. In this portrait, he wore a green military blazer emblazoned with his rank slide, a white shirt, and red tie. Soll in this portrait is estimated to be in his mid-40s.

At present, Soll's hair has completely turned white, with only a few specks of brown left. His face is rounder, the skin around his neck has become flabby, his cheeks have turned inwards. His mustache has also turned white, but still remains. He is described by Anton as being frailer than the last time he saw him. He wears a brown blazer, white shirt, and a maroon tie. Soll in this portrait is estimated to be in his mid-70s.

## Biography

### Military Career

Born in the late 19th century in the Kingdom of Sordland in the city of Anrica, Tarquin Soll initially served as a member of the King's Army. Eventually, he attained the rank of Colonel and became the commander of the 6th Army, which was stationed in Conriat.

On May 22, 1927, General Eduard Luderin and his 3rd and 4th Armies, staged a coup d'état against Artor S. Wisci and his government. Soll and his army did not participate in this coup. Luderin's government remained unopposed for a year until he began executing perceived threats to his power. In response, General Iannick Rikard and the 7th Army intervened against Luderin and his forces, beginning the Sordish Civil War on June 2, 1928.

During the Battle of Holsord, Soll and the 6th Army captured the western districts of Holsord. Initially, Soll and Luderin cooperated together against Rikard's forces. However, disagreements between the two leaders eventually led to infighting amongst themselves. Later, the 4th Army, led by Valken Kruger, defected to the Sollist faction. Meanwhile, Rikard launched an attack against Luderin, resulting in Luderin's imprisonment by Soll. Then, Soll launched his own counteroffensive against the 7th Army which resulted in Rikard's death. The Sordish Civil War had come to an end.

### President of Sordland

After establishing a temporary military government, one of Soll's first acts was the writing of a new constitution. Next, Luderin and his top commanders were tried and sentenced to death, excluding the defecting 4th Army. His government worked to restore stability, in doing so becoming a savior in the people's eyes. Later, Soll restored the Republic of Sordland and formed the United Sordland Party. In the first democratic elections in Sordish history (single-party elections), the United Sordland Party was elected in a landslide victory. This elevated Tarquin Soll into the presidency.

Soll's first term would remain as a military government, but it announced that it would transition into a civilian government over the course of four years. Soll's government gave amnesty to the remaining factions and chose de-escalation and appeasement. Many landmark policies such as the State Educators Corps and the National Autarky Plan were also implemented around this time, which aimed to reinvigorate the Sordish economy, promote the values of Sollism and also to protect Sordland from foreign influence. In the first multi-party elections, the United Sordland Party was once again elected.

In 1933, the Soll Dam project was envisioned as a long-term solution to Bergia and Sordland's energy problems. The site chosen was directly in the vicinity of a Bludish village known as Izzam. For 10 days, the locals protested this decision, and on the tenth they were forcibly expelled by military forces. This led to the killing of a man named Watani Aschraf. Following this, riots and protests broke out in Bergia, which led to the controversial decision to persecute thousands of Bludish people and the banning of the Bludish Freedom Party. A militant Bludish separatist movement, first known as the Followers of Aschraf, now known as the Bludish Freedom Front, began its war against the government, leading various terrorist acts against Sordish state and police buildings. In 1935, the Special Zone of Bergia was formed as a result of the ongoing unrest.

Soll would go on to win the 1937 and 1941 elections. At that point, a cult of personality had formed around Soll, bolstered by a Sordish deep state which supported his presidency by any means necessary. Later, his government focused on further economic development, riding on an economic boom that began in the 1930s. Around this time, political and racial tensions in Sordland also increased. The political opposition against Soll's government grew larger, with Soll barely securing a victory against the opposition in 1945. Over the next years, discontent amongst the Sordish people began to grow, due to the decreasing living standards and the blatant corruption. Protests within the USP, headed by an increasingly influential reformist wing, also occurred. Calls for a USP Congress grew louder as a leadership struggle formed between Soll and Ewald Alphonso, a business magnate who had become the leader of the reformist wing.

In the summer of 1946, the congress resulted in an upset victory Ewald Alphonso's favor, with only a small margin between his and Soll's votes. After this, Soll announced that he would retire from politics after his presidential term was over. He appointed Alphonso as his vice-president and began implementing a few reforms within the USP, courtesy of Alphonso. This included the end of the SSC Bills and the reducd influence of the State Educators Corps.

One of Soll's last acts as president was the formation of a title: The Member of Honor. This title gave the holder an indefinite right to partake in the Grand National Assembly and total immunity. This title was awarded solely to Tarquin Soll.

### Post-Presidency

Soll retired after Alphonso's election as the third president of Sordland. Currently, he lives in an estate on Duru Island. He has not been seen leaving the island since his retirement.

## Role

Soll is the shadow leader of the Old Guard. Soll's grasp on the Sordish government during the game is evident as seen from his connections to the Supreme Court and members of the presidential cabinet who are die-hard Sollists.

His first in-person appearance (excluding the prologue) is during the Assembly vote on constitutional reforms. After that, he is guaranteed to meet the player in the bathroom of the movie theater where he and Anton may argue on the current state of the government.

If the player takes the autocrat route, it will be revealed that Soll directed the Supreme Court to offer Anton emergency powers so that reforms would not be passed. After the amendment update, it is also possible to simply tell Soll to go to the emergency meeting in Anrica. Soll would also reveal to the player that the emergency plan was the idea of Chief Justice Orso Hawker rather than his own idea.

It's also possible to imprison Soll by revoking Article 99. He will be taken to trial, and if he is found guilty he will guilt trip the player by claiming that they have taken away his final years of peace.

If reforms on decrees are passed, then President Rayne may enact De-Sollinisation policies. Rayne may also allow for changes the USP's manifesto in to a neo-Sollist one.

## Trivia

* Tarquin Soll was possibly named after Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, better known as Tarquin the Proud, the seventh and final king of the Roman Kingdom. After Tarquin's overthrow, the Roman Republic was formed.
* Soll is a fan of football. His favorite team is FC Anrica.

## Gallery

The Old ColonelThe Young ColonelEvery Vote Matters icon (Soll saluting)No Sordland for Old Men icon (Soll hanging)Soll's Legacy icon (Tarquin Soll's silhouette)End of an Era icon (Soll behind bars)Soll saluting (Prologue)
## References

**Anton Rayne**: "I forgot that you were from Anrica."

**Tarquin Soll**: "It's been some time. If it weren't for my name plastered everywhere in this city, I might have forgotten myself."
2. ↑ **Prologue**: "In the first ever single-party elections... "