William Welsbury

"To all Crownslaves of the Ascendancy, a blessing of excellent morning. Ascendancy Broadcasting Corporation brings all Crownslaves an urgent report, the Most Honourable Crownslave William Welsbury, of the 'Resurgence' faction, has triumphed in the National Mistery's elections. His various competitors are, in all probability, kicking themselves for failure. Welsbury, or as his supporters call him 'Wonder Will', promises the Ascendancy a transition from a state of moral decadence, into a state of true prosperity. These Crownslaves shall return in around twenty minutes, with supplementary coverage." - ABC announcer, 1989

William Welsbury (1942 - 2003) was the Essotori Prime Minister between 1989 and 2003, and is infamous both inside and out of the Ascendancy. Welsbury was born in Weltshire to a loving, Conservative family. Due to the contemporary economic changes occuring in Essotori, he was forced to move to the more urbanised, and at the time more liberal city of Radonstinatle, where he grew up disgusted by the corruption of Essotori society. He believed that the fated Gengen times (end times in Essotori mythology) was imminent, as he perceived the Ritella of the country as falling. To this end, Welsbury proposed a great moral crusade, to protect the Nozerod Cult and revive traditional morality. He took over an informal faction in the National Mistery known as the 'Resurgence', and was elected by the National Mistery in 1989 as Prime Minister. From here, he embarked on his mission, becoming a titan in Essotori politics until he was removed from power after the National Mistery led a coalition to oust him, after fourteen years in power.

After his removal, he died mysteriously in 2003. His political supporters continue to be a force in the National Mistery, re-dubbing themselves as Welsburyists. In 2020, after the Jade Restoration, Welsbury's greatest supporter, Robert Cartford was appointed Prime Minister, signalling the return of his politics.

## Biography

### Early Life

William Welsbury started life as a member of the rural middle class, with a loving conservative family. His school years were uneventful, with one of his teachers later remarking that "It was as if Will's existance was hidden from us. He never showed any of the determination in his soul." He had few friends, and his first relationship was with a girl eight years his elder, Anna, whom he later married. Anna never spoke about her husband's private life, though evidently shared his politics. Official school reports are classified, due to Essotori law, though from interviews, most who knew him described him as unremarkable. His mother and father raised him with the plan of sending him to be a carpenter, though he instead gravitated towards history, due to the difficulty of his parent's career choice.

### Weltshire College

Willian had become far more charismatic through his membership of the Suntterland History Society (SHS), where he argued with fellow members, and became something of a legend. In 1981, Weltshire College was visited by the then Duke of Suntterland, Alfred on tour around Essotori on his way to Radonstinatle, where he gave a speech. He and William would discuss Suntterlandish culture, and the Duke would further encourage William to get into politics. He would graduate with a history qualification, though he was summoned to stay in Radonstinatle to shadow a Mistery representative, though he had no intentionship of being an intern for too long.

### Rise of the Controller

The Mistery Representative who William served would be outshined by William himself, and played a large part in William's own political rise. John Leftford represented Caldonshire Mistery for Cultural Expression, one of the most prominent supporters of the Prime Minister Lord James Hetail, the reformist aristocrat. William earned a lifelong hatred of nobility since this time, and founded his own Mistery after being rebuffed by Hetail, the Morality Mistery of Weltshire.