Holy See

*“It was a magnificent victory, my friend. It is a shame you were resorted to bringing battle to the Papal States, however.”*

*“General, you cannot blame me for attacking Rome. It is the pope’s fault for starting a fight he was not prepared to fight, yes, you see…” ―Jean-Baptiste Kléber and Napoleon Bonaparte, The Osiris Contract - Chapter 1*

The Holy See is the universally accepted government of the Catholic Church, headed by a pope and his cardinals. The Holy See, in country form, is one of the oldest standing on Earth, having first existed as the Papal States, and later Vatican City. The Holy See plays a significant recurring role throughout the Shrouded Piety series, especially in Order of Yaktosh and The Osiris Contract, where Suri Yaktosh serves as the immortal Papal Godcraft following her days with the Knights Templar. The Holy See plays a lesser significant role in F-Zero: Seppuku, where the people of the Italian Latium state vote for re-annexation back into the pope's hands, thus essentially reviving the Papal States, albeit in a rebranded name of 'New Vatican.'

## History

### Shrouded Piety

*“A knight has severed his oath to the Templar Order over this Suri ordeal and is threatening to embark on a journey to Rome to achieve an audience with Pope Innocent.” ―Thomas Bérard, Order of Yaktosh - Chapter 4*

The Holy See is most prominent in Shrouded Piety in the form of the Papal States. The Papal States does not exist at the start of Order of Yaktosh, as Central Italy remained part of the Roman Empire by the 3rd century CE. While Suri and Selina both were trapped in their respective tombs, the total collapse of the Roman Empire would lead to new players arising in Italy, and amid this chaos, Pope Stephen II and his followers saw an opportunity to establish a theocratic kingdom in Central Italy following a successful war against the Germanic Lombards; this kingdom would be known as the Papal States—a country led by the Catholic Church. Surrounded by friendly Catholic nations, the Papal States typically existed in a state of continuing peace, only occasionally finding itself a participant in wars. At the height of its influence over the Christian world, the Holy See would make its loudest move in 1096 CE with Pope Urban II calling for the First Crusade to seize Jerusalem from the Muslim world. This event would begin the Crusades, and more relevant to Shrouded Piety, the eventual creation of the Knights Templar.

The Papacy plays a much smaller role in The Osiris Contract, primarily referenced through Napoleon's war against it in 1796, which results in several of his peers criticizing his attack on the pope. Beyond this, the Papal States in the story comes into play a few more times unsurprisingly as it relates to Catholicism, but most prominently as Napoleon eventually seeks the pope's presence for his coronation in 1804.

In the original story of Shrouded Piety, Tale of Two Godcrafts, Suri Yaktosh stood as the Vatican Godcraft following a brief stay with the Knights Templar during the crusades. The Holy See mostly makes its presence through Suri in the 'Flashlore' chapters of the story, largely revolving around the plotline of Suri wanting to abandon her allegiance to the Papal States and be with Selina instead. In the 'Modern' chapters, set in the year 2199 CE, it is implied that Vatican City—and by extension the Holy See—was nuked by the Great Consortium of Nations, and that only through Suri does the torch of the Holy See live on after its surviving cardinals were hunted down by Sash Hunters.

### F-Zero: Seppuku

*'New Vatican was originally called Rome, but was renamed at some point to mirror that of the Catholic Church. Though this was still part of Italy, Chiya felt that this city was culturally different than Venice in many ways. The city was very futuristic looking-a race track was towering over the city.'* *―Part 2/3, Lap 59*

The Holy See appears in Part 2/3 of F-Zero: Seppuku for Lap 59 and Lap 60 in the form of 'New Vatican,' the entire city of Rome back in the hand of the Vatican and renamed. In the timeline of F-Zero: Seppuku, when the Earth moves forward to unite under a United Powers, only Korea, Japan, and Vatican City refrain from surrendering their independence. In Italy, the state of Latium held a referendum to be re-annexed by the pope after hundreds of years, and in an unprecedented turnout, the referendum succeeded with Latium returning to the pope while the remainder of Italy joined the United Powers. The city of Rome had already grown to such an extent that the city would cover most of Latium, thus rather than resurrecting the title of 'Papal State,' the Holy See rebranded itself as 'New Vatican' as a way of communicating to the universe that the old Catholic world was prepared to embrace the new future. Over time, New Vatican would become the top pilgrimage site for the Catholic faithful and even boast an impressive yet simple floating race track above the city.

In the story of F-Zero: Seppuku, Chiya Flower and Earl Bendek—two Catholics—travel to New Vatican to meet with Pope Marinus III, convinced that God spared Chiya's life on the condition that she earn the pope's blessing. On this mission, Chiya is challenged by Marinus III to a race, where he pilots a personal F-Zero machine called the *Holy Grail* over New Vatican. The race draws much attention and even offends some viewers, but Chiya saving the pope's life mid-race and proceeding to defeat him in the race earns her his blessing. Pope Marinus III also plays a critical role in foiling Dark Rose's assassination plan on Chiya and Earl, shocking all three persons due to his unexpected willingness to put up a fight.