Talbot Roberts

Talbot Roberts was an Ekklesiovskian bishop and statesman. Roberts served as Vicar-General to Pontifex Rokossovsky from 3016 until Rokossovsky's death in 3020. Roberts was appointed bishop of the Xel-Palmas by Pontifex Konstantin IX until retiring on 31 January 3021.

Roberts was a key conspirator together with Yuri Lenkov in the December Crises, which sought to remove Konstantin from power. Roberts successfully deceived the Lancastrian government into providing special operations forces to assist him in taking the Pontifical Palace from the forces of Protector-General Vera Levedeva. He would die in the culminating Battle for Ekklesiovsk at the Pontifical Palace on 22 January 3022, along with Lenkov.

Konstantin IX posthumously stripped Roberts of all of his state and clerical offices, and rendered his acts nullified.

Rising universalist

Roberts was one of few prominent universalist prelates in the Pontifical Church, supporting generally liberal reforms of the Pontifical Government, political freedoms, and most notably expanded missionary work of the Church opposed to traditionalist isolationism policies. Roberts worked closely alongside vocal universalist Aleksandr Rokossovsky, later Pontifex Rokossovsky, during their careers as auxiliary bishops for the Diocese of Ekklesiovsk.

Rokossovsky

Pontificate

Cardinal-Dean

Following Pontifex Rokossovskys election to the pontificate in 3020, Roberts was soon after elected Dean of the College of Cardinals. This is believed to be an acknowledgement of Rokossovsky's already rapidly depleting health, with the Dean being chiefly responsible for carrying out pontifical conclaves. As Dean, Roberts would hold significant sway over the next election that Rokossovsky may have expected would come soon.

Cardinal-Vicar

Originally appointing political moderate Cardinal Don Jordovsky to be the Vicar-General of the Diocese of Ekklesiovsk, citing Jordovsky's own health crises at the time Rokossovsky soon replaced Jordovsky with Roberts. Roberts would serve as acting head of state on several occasions when Rokossovsky underwent serious health episodes, and was primarily responsible for overseeing the ecclesiastical affairs of the diocese.

Evangelinz Universalis

With the promulgation of Pontifex Rokossovsky's bull on expanding church missionary work across the Doggerlands, Roberts served as a chief diplomat of Rokossovsky for the purpose of new parish construction. Roberts would travel to several nations including Arkania, the Neu Corporate Republik (NCR), Novenae, and Marino in the pursuit of church real estate and growing new congregations.

Rokossovsky's Death

Roberts was the only member of government present for Rokossovsky's death at the new Pontifical Palace in 3020. The death of Pontifex Rokossovsky marked the beginning of the end for Roberts political and diplomatic career in Ekklesiovsk.

Conclave

As Dean, Roberts presided over the following conclave and pursued the office for himself. Ultimately Roberts ended up with the second most votes in the early rounds of the conclave, and after eight days, favor soon shifted to give then Secretary of State Cardinal Vychaslav Reshevsky, later Pontifex Konstantin IX, the critical two-thirds majority.

Roberts campaigned heavily for the continuation of Rokossovsky's universalist agenda, however the damages from the NCR-Ekklesiovsk conflict and ongoing NCR federal rule of the Pontifical States swayed the College to favor the traditionalist diplomat Cardinal Reshevsky. Roberts coronated Reshevsky as Pontifex Konstantin IX in the palace square on 18 November 3020.

Konstantin IX

Pontificate

Dismissal and exile

Pontifex Konstantin IX immediately dismissed Roberts as Cardinal-Vicar, with Cardinal Yuri Lenkov, the longtime Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and radical traditionalist, succeeding him. Roberts would soon also lose his seat as Cardinal-Dean, with Konstantin's protégé Secretary of State Cardinal Czeslav Musial taking his place.

Roberts was eventually dismissed from the pontifical government entirely, being installed as the bishop of Puerto Xel-Palma as a soft political exile, then the diocese of Cardinal Don Jordovsky.

Xel-Palma's conspiracy

During his tenure on the islands, Roberts and Vicar-General Lenkov formed a plan to remove Konstantin from power. Citing Konstantin's purge of church officials from cabinet and government positions, and alleged illicit relationship with his personal secretary Vera Levedeva, the bishops agreed on a course of action to abduct the pontifex on his return from an international visit to Lancastria, Dalkai, and BlackCon.

Body snatcher

As a last act before commencing the plot to remove Konstantin, Roberts secretly returned to Ekklesiovsk and removed the body of Pontifex Rokossovsky from his sarcophagus at the Archbasilica of Christ the Savior. Roberts reportedly flew Rokossovsky's body to the site of the new church administration site he and Rokossovsky had planned in Cyrene, but the body has never been rediscovered.

December Crises

Removing Konstantin

Konstantin was successfully abducted and removed from power on 28 September 3021, and imprisoned in secret for several months in a bathroom in Yuri Lenkov's estate. The conspirators told the public that the pontifex undertook a serious illness, and could not appear in public or fulfill the duties of the pontificate.

The following period marks the December Crises, a series of coups and various factions making plays for control of the Pontifical States in the absence of the pontifex. Talbot Roberts initially worked alongside Yuri Lenkov, who took over as acting Head of State, but the two conspirators were soon at odds with each other over Lenkov's extreme traditionalist policies and growing civil unrest.

Death

When the forces of proclaimed "Protector-General" Vera Levedeva took control of the pontifical palace on 6 November 3021, charging both Lenkov and Roberts with high treason and murder. Lenkov and Roberts fled separately to form coalitions of their own to retake power. Roberts established contact with the Lancastrian Government claiming legitimacy to call for a new conclave as the Cardinal-Dean. Prime Minister Logan Pawlowski would send Lancastrian Special Operations Forces to assist him in taking control of the palace from the Levedeva Government during the Battle for Ekklesiovsk. Roberts and Lenkov both died on 22 January 3022 in the palace from injuries sustained during the battle.

Roberts was posthumously stripped of all of his ecclesiastical ranks and his government acts rendered nullified by Pontifex Konstantin IX upon being restored to power. He was buried unceremoniously at sea along Lenkov, and Levedeva.