Arcaea/Dining Hall/Ipsosez Conference/I
Letter from Ciann Fraoch (3 days, 12 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (19 recipients)
MiLords,
I am honoured to be in the presence of such esteemed Lords and Ladies of the Far East, many of you have heard of the troubles in the Northlands and if you have questions I shall endevour to answer them as best I can. Shortly the Most Holy Guardian of the Faith shall be arriving but I wish you all to know that I place myself at your disposal and look forward to this great crafting.
For those of you whom are unaware of our titles, I am the Geire Suil of Arcachon, which is what many lands would call a judge (there is a theological difference but I believe we will progress further if we avoid theological discussions in public).
Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of this undertaking,
Ciann Fraoch
Geire Suil of Arcachon
Letter from Edara Kindon (3 days, 9 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (19 recipients)
Lady Ciann!
I'm so pleased to see that you are here! I didn't know who would be coming, but I'm glad to see that there are so many friends here even besides those who came from home. I know that it's quite a long journey for you; you should have broken your journey in Talex and visited us there. We don't have a huge castle, but it does have plenty of room for guests. I hope that you'll consider stopping off on your way back home. You can take back some of our special things. Well, everyone can, actually, because I brought things for all the conference attendees, special Talexian things. I think Jenred or somebody might have some other Arcaean things, but I have Talexian truffles (which look and taste like mushrooms to me, but people get all whimpery over them), some lovely smoked hams and bacon (because we raise all those lovely pigs), and foxberry jam, which actually goes quite nicely with the ham. It goes with other things as well, of course. I guess all I brought was food, but Talex doesn't have any gold or jewels or anything that people get excited about. We do a lot of things with wood, though, which are a lot more useful. We do have a lot of wood, so I guess it's natural that we would have woodcrafts. And the mushroom things.
Best,
Lady Edara Kindon
Duchess of Talex
Letter from Caim Haerthorne (3 days, 9 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (19 recipients)
Lady Edara,
I do have a taste for mushrooms, personally.
It is good to see both Your Grace and your compatriots here. There are many names I recognise, but admittedly some I do not through no fault of their own. Welcome.
Sir Caim Haerthorne
Captain General of Greater Aenilia, Baron of Ahael
Letter from Guy du Bas-Tyra (3 days, 1 hour ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (19 recipients)
Honored Lords,
Ipsosez is a veritable who's who of the Far East, right now. It is truly an honor to be having all of you in Greater Aenilia's lands.
Guy du Bas-Tyra
Count of Erahol, Ambassador of Greater Aenilia
Roleplay from Henri de Bardt (3 days ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (20 recipients)
Returning the greeting of his old friend Virish, Henri gestured for his stalwart companions to secure a table and victuals at a nearby tavern.
Sir Henri de Bardt
Royal Treasurer of Cathay, Duke of Colasan, Marshal of the Royal Engineering Corps
Letter from Jenred Bedwyr (2 days, 22 hours ago)
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Duke Rekhyt,
Thank you once again for hosting this gathering, and I hope you enjoy the small sampler of various wines, ales, brandies, and more esoteric drinks from across Arcaea that is presented with this letter.
We now have at least one representative from every realm on the Far East present here in Ipsosez. While, of course, our main purpose here is to discuss and draw up a charter for the proposed Feudal League of the Far East, I hope to see many of you socially as well.
Unless there are any objections, I would suggest that we convene the first meeting shortly after dawn, and I will lay out my view of how the League would function to begin the debates.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr
King of Arcaea
Letter from Ciann Fraoch (2 days, 19 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (20 recipients)
MiLords, I am in agreement with King Jenred, especially for those of us who have come from a great distance, there is much to be discussed and time away from our lands is dear. Upon the morn let us convene, I look forward to such proposals.
Ciann Fraoch
Geire Suil of Arcachon
Roleplay from Jenred Bedwyr (2 days, 13 hours ago)
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Jenred slowly made his way to the back of the hall where the representatives of the Far East had gathered. Slowly, because he personally knew most of the nobles attending the conference, and took the time to share a smile and brief conversation with the majority of those. Eventually, however, he arrived at the head of the long table Duke Rekhyt had made available for their use. In times of war, when the stronghold of Ipsosez was a bastion against all comers, this table would be covered with maps, charts, figures, and as many Marshals and other commanders as could spare a moment to confer with the rest before marching out to battle once again.
He looked out at the hall for a time, as the background chatter slowly fell quiet. He was...Nervous. Not for the first time in his life, by any means, and a lifetime of battlefield command meant that not a trace of his anxiety was visible, but...
This was the culmination of a decade of quiet work: Treaties, personal friendships, private appeals, old favours, and at least three wars had been needed to bring the entire continent to this hall, and even by the scale he reckoned matters on, that was a huge investment.
He knew how fragile it was. How divisions had already begun, how some were skeptical about his motives, how more did not see the point...
But he also knew that this more than any number of regions flying the Arcaean flag would be a legacy worth leaving for his children. And, if his darkest fears proved justified, this might be the finger that tipped the balance in favour of humanity over the unnatural Invaders that were devastating Beluaterra.
By now, the room was silent, as all the nobles watched him. A host of scribes waited to pen every word spoken in this hall so that the rest of the island could learn of it. Even the lesser servants were quiet as they waited in the wings.
Jenred breathed deeply: In...Out.
It was time.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr
King of Arcaea
Roleplay from Jenred Bedwyr (2 days, 13 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (20 recipients)
"Nobles of the Far East."
"We are gathered here today at my request, and it is only fair that I lay out how I envisioned this League would be formed. But before I begin, I would like to strongly emphasize that aside from the basic tenets of which you have all been informed, none of the rest is set in stone. I have one vision of how we might accomplish these goals, but so long as those goals are accomplished, then I care little how they come to pass. Even the name is merely provisional, and I encourage all of you to provide suggestions and constructive criticism. I do insist that it be constructive, however, as this could very easily devolve into veiled insults otherwise."
"Now. There are several points to be addressed, and I will start with the behavior I think the League should stand against. Rape should be forbidden, of course, but in general I believe that our guiding principle should be to prevent abuses against those who cannot defend themselves. Those who carry weapons have chosen their path, and that should be respected. But there is no honour in slaying unarmed peasants in their homes, or in setting fire to crops to doom them all to starvation later."
"Few if any of us can claim that we have not participated in or acquiesced to others performing such deeds. I am no exception. But I would not have us point fingers over past misdeeds. The point of this is to agree that there are some things that should not be tolerated even in war. Given this, I suggest that the League forbid looting which kills unarmed peasants as its purpose, and forbid the destruction of food stores. There will inevitably be those who try to fight the destruction of a recruitment center or the like, but since they have chosen to fight, that is not to fall under this. The stealing of food should also not be forbidden, as the food is merely taken to feed others in need of it. I am open to other suggestions regarding what should be forbidden, but I request that all suggestions be concrete and easily defined."
"Regarding military cooperation, I suggest that all League members agree to join together in the event of an island-wide threat, such as a resurgent Chaos Requiem, another Tony, or an Invasion if Beluaterra is overrun; and to move against those who violate League strictures. Given our experiences with the war against Soliferum, such a military cooperation must have a single, undisputed leader, or the entire point becomes moot as every realm pulls in a different direction. I propose that an election be held for the post of Executor of the League, with each realm receiving a number of votes equal to the number of duchies under their control. Once this Executor is elected, the Executor would have the power to declare that a violation of League strictures had taken place or that some threat qualified as island-wide, and call upon League forces to move against it. The Executor could be overruled at any time by a majority vote of the League, to prevent abuses. The Executor could also be removed at any time by a supermajority of two thirds of the League, triggering a new election for Executor, or could be replaced by a simple majority if another candidate can be agreed upon."
"Again, aside from preventing the worst excesses of war and providing a military hierarchy in the case of island-wide events, all of this can easily be changed. This is merely an opening suggestion, and I look forward to having the idea improved upon by the best and brightest minds on the continent."
Jenred smiled, bowed slightly, and moved to return to his seat next to his wife and the rest of the Arcaean contingent. For a wonder, his daughter Ashkeyana had managed to keep silent for the entire speech. He had tried to impress upon his nearly-six-year-old girl that it was important to keep quiet for the time being, but you never knew with children that young.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr
King of Arcaea
Roleplay from Caim Haerthorne (2 days, 12 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (21 recipients)
After parting with a few words of good luck to King Jenred before his speech, Caim cast his eyes nervously about the room. Whilst there were many delegates from each realm, the highest nobility of the land, his own liege was not yet present. The pomp and pride of the Lightstar family was absent amongst all the other banners.
As King Jenred came to the end of his speech the Captain-General paced about the room behind the first ranks of the crowd and found one of his scribes taking notes. In no mood for wasting time with being pleasant and accustomed to being obeyed, Caim bent down behind the scraggly form and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. The robes shook for half a second as the scribe stifled a yelp, so occupied was he in finishing off the notes.
"Is that done?", Caim whispered.
"Y-y-yesm'lord."
"Good.
Caim grabbed the transcript and scanned the words briefly. It would do. He grabbed a nearby messenger before going back to the business at hand. There were murmurs in the crowd as King Jenred allowed his words to sink in. Now it was a question of how well recieved it was...
Sir Caim Haerthorne
Captain General of Greater Aenilia, Baron of Ahael
Roleplay from Virish Arrassum (2 days, 9 hours ago)
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Ambassador Virish was dressed in his robes that showed him as an Ambassador of Kindara and being that he had served as a General and Military commander for many years of his life he had no issue with saying the first words after Jenred. The Ambassador rose in his dark robes and began to speak to the great men and woman who surrounded.
"King Jenred I agree with you on all points and offer up two things for consideration. Firstly I would like to have pillaging and plundering to remain considered moral in this treaty if it is done in the context of a Brutal Takeover. Second I would like to see to it that some sort of consequence be laid out in specifics if any realm breaks this treaty."
Virish bowed as the great King had before him and then took his seat once more.
Sir Virish Arrassum
Ambassador of Kindara
Roleplay from Virish Arrassum (2 days, 9 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (20 recipients)
Ambassador Virish was dressed in his robes that showed him as an Ambassador of Kindara and being that he had served as a General and Military commander for many years of his life he had no issue with saying the first words after Jenred. The Ambassador rose in his dark robes and began to speak to the great men and woman who surrounded.
"King Jenred I agree with you on all points and offer up two things for consideration. Firstly I would like to have pillaging and plundering to remain considered moral in this treaty if it is done in the context of a Brutal Takeover. Second I would like to see to it that some sort of consequence be laid out in specifics if any realm breaks this treaty."
Virish bowed as the great King had before him and then took his seat once more.
Sir Virish Arrassum
Ambassador of Kindara
Roleplay from Caim Haerthorne (2 days, 9 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (20 recipients)
"A fine point, Ambassador", said Caim. "We must not forget that sometimes the peasantry will, in the course of a prolonged war, take up arms themselves and actively resist the armies marching across their lands. The use of force and the use of diplomacy must be weighed out in this course and is of paramount importance when considering how light or heavy the hand must be in the code of warfare."
Sir Caim Haerthorne
Captain General of Greater Aenilia, Baron of Ahael
Roleplay from Galiard Scarlett (2 days, 5 hours ago)
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Dressed more plainly than nearly all of the dignitaries, wearing only the scarlet chevrons of his house rather than the Golden Lion of Cathay, Galiard Scarlett sat in what passed for a middling place of honor in the type of conference that drove heralds mad trying to determine relative standing between Dukes and Ministers, Ambassadors and Generals. He had no retinue save for the bulky, salt-and-pepper-haired form of Ulwitt Dodd, whose weatherbeaten face, straight hair, and handlebar moustache echo a style some twenty years past, though of course it's possible that nobody has told the giant man that.
Galiard cleared his throat and held up a hand to cut off the herald from announcing him. "Good my lords," he began in a tone and fashion accustomed to such speech, "If you will indulge an old man's experience rather than any standing to be among you today, I should like to impart what little I know that can be disguised as wisdom, for you to digest or disregard as you will; I am here today not by invitation due my rank, which is nil, but rather because the King Jenred and King James were too polite to deny me entry. I speak only for myself."
"For those of you who do not know me," Galiard continued, only to a murmur of "...lucky you..." from Dodd, and a couple scattered chortles from some of the Cathayan and even a couple of the older Ohnar-ian dignitaries, "My name is Galiard Scarlett, and I hail originally from Ossaet; I have fought with or against most of the realms of the Far East, served Adghar in my youth and the Aenil ever since, sat in judgment of Lasanar's High Court and ruled both it and the child of my life, the Crown of the Cathay, now born by a finer man whose bones creak less than mine," he said with a sidelong smile at King James. "The Gods have favored me in allowing my life to last long enough to see the end of Conan and Mad Tony, whom if I were to declare what must be had for breakfast would oppose it with every design they had, and have done so in every great endeavor I have attempted. To those of you here who had a part in that destruction, I am in your debt."
Galiard looked over to King Jenred. "It pleases me to see such a reversal these past many years as Arcaea, for one cannot imagine more an opposite of the base and vulgar Arcaea of my generation than the likes of King Jenred and his court, or such a noble purpose as what draws us here today. To the spirit of his proposal I lend my aged support, though I must add to the most recent conflict with Soliferum my own tale of a many-bannered war with Antoza, and a caution. I labored greatly in bringing together Lasanar, Ethiala, Sartania, Arcachon, Greater Aenilia, Nighthelm, and Zonasa in our conflict against the Mad King Corey of Antoza, and in many respects the existence of the Feudal League would have made my life easier; but alliances such as what we had in those days, and the life of a super-Alliance such as what King Jenred proposes, will always be utterly dependent on the honor and courage of those of you here today and your successors, no matter how you word the provisions. Such a far-reaching agreement as this must not lull even your lowliest knights into complacency, for one need look no further than Arcaea or my own home of Lasanar to know that a realm great and honorable on Tuesday can by Friday become great and terrible."
"As to the notion of an Executor," Galiard shook his head, "I must advise against the creation of such an arbitrary authority on both a legal as well as a practical basis. I agree with His Majesty that a military authority must exist in times of need whose orders in matters martial carry the weight of law. This is little different from how many of our Generals and Marshals work today; though few, if any of our knights owe fealty to the General or the Marshal, that figure is imbued, temporarily, with the oath of fealty owed by each knight and made manifest by their liege's assigning them under the Marshal's command. In this manner is the fundamental fabric of our society, that of fealty, kept sacred."
Sir Galiard Scarlett (Royal)
Roleplay from Galiard Scarlett (2 days, 5 hours ago)
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Galiard continued, not with a fiery voice of oratorical persuasion, but the matter-of-fact tone of an old man telling a story with no motive but its own sake. "But the Executor would by necessity be outside this chain of fealty for all save one of the realms involved. With power such as has been suggested the Executor wield, even with the wise checks and balances imposed on him, he might me seen as above Kings, the creation of another, higher branch of the feudal tree, with the right to dictate to Kings. Even if this must practically be the truth in times of great need, I council against the formal symbol of it. Instead place a provision allowing any one Sovereign to invoke the power of the Feudal League, and have every realm in it have a single vote on whether to acede to the need for a war -- not a vote based on the number of Duchies, with all due respect, King Jenred-of-
Many-Duchies; and then let them likewise vote on a realm, and not a person, to lead the League in that operation, with the duties and responsibilities of leadership falling to the Sovereign of the designated realm to delegate as he or she sees fit."
"For the need here is martial, not judicial," Galiard concluded. "A single source of marching orders in war: aye, that is reason enough to suspend the loud and sometimes fruitless debates of our estate. But a single source of judgment of all participant realms, who is in violation of stricture? This would be a Sovereign of Sovereigns, a most dangerous power, and one likely to stir more resentment than resolution."
Unconciously, Ulwitt Dodd had adopted the tired, 'blah blah blah' face into which he often relaxed when Galiard was being Galiard, glancing periodically in vain around the chamber for anything in need of smashing or crushing. He relaxed into his seat, keeping to himself his curiosity of why Galiard felt it necessary that he had to attend.
Galiard inclined his head with respect. "I thank you for listening to an old man, my great and noble lords."
Sir Galiard Scarlett (Royal)
Roleplay from Borna Stublic (2 days, 4 hours ago)
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Borna was standing at the corner of meeting hall, away from main table.
He was able to see the most prominent nobles on the continent only when they stand up to speak, yet he was impressed.
"Ah, spending so many years among human faces that are mostly distorted by utmost fear caused by presentation of inhuman powers and rage... Yes, I did seehear stories that such solemn gatherings exist", he thought, "but I hardly expected to ever see one."
His attention was particularly drawn by some old, tall noble, who was holding massive helmet in his hand, helmet not only e by r herald, but also by row of different-coloured feathers, feathers long that Borna could not imagine what godly or godless creature they were taken from.
"Who he might be? I see him standing all the time, but not talking."
He took a look at his own shiny necklace, that looked as ordinary pearl necklace, but with oddly shaped pearls. "Will anybody notice it is made of monsters' teeth..."
Sir Borna Stublic (Knight of Ipsosez)
Roleplay from Erandi Marques Torres de los Reyes (2 days, 2 hours ago)
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Regent Erandi Marques was present in the room, but not a central figure. His greetings with the rulers and official delegates were cordial, friendly, and pleasant, but not overly long or drawn out. He asked no questions of families or the like, simply expressing his humility of being surrounded by such an honorable and noble host.
As King Jenred made his way around the table, Erandi greeted the King with the proper formalities and respects due one of such stature, however the look of skepticism on his face hardly went unnoticed. Yet, he had traveled to the stronghold to listen and hear out the cause. The Regent took his seat and cleared his mind.
As King Jenred gave his speech, a trusted scribe made note of major proposals for Zonasa's council. Zonasa's culture of peace and inclusion did not promote quick decisions and would certainly sponsor twice as much debate within the Principality's council than in all of Ipsosez in the coming days. The report was quickly sent out.
Much of King Jenred's speech, concerning the behavior of nobles, was already law in Zonasa and championed by the local guild "Guardians of the Flame" whose membership had included the great Zonasan Regents of the past, as well as foreign dignitaries, including Sir Tharion de Ravenal, former High King of Aenilia, amongst others. Erandi was also under the impression there existed a similar guild in Cathay, Aenilia and Arcaea, with a title of "Phoenix" something or other, but these were just rumblings he had heard over the past few years and had no true knowledge of this organization.
Hearing Sir Galiard Scarlett speak was most interesting indeed, and Erandi found his concerns echoed many of the elder statesman's musings. The Regent felt it prudent to still his tongue for a time yet and eagerly awaiting the thoughts of the other rulers, particularly those of the Aenilian and Cathayan officials.
Erandi Marques Torres de los Reyes
Regent and General of Principality of Zonasa
Letter from Dormondt Lankmere (2 days, 2 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in the region Ipsosez (21 recipients)
Dormondt walked the crowded streets, his robes of office and cloak garnering quite a few looks of curiosity, if not wariness from the locals.
Roland, send word to the Geire Suil, and let her know that I have arived.
Dormondt Lankmere (Priest of Adgharhinism)
Roleplay from Virish Arrassum (2 days ago)
Message sent to all nobles in the region Ipsosez (21 recipients)
Virish had listened to everyone very carefully and then decided to stand and say.
"I wish to extend Kindara's full support to Royal Sir Galiard in regards to having one realm lead the League and that each realms receives one vote instead of one vote per duchy."
Sir Virish Arrassum
Ambassador of Kindara
Roleplay from Guy du Bas-Tyra (1 day, 22 hours ago)
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Guy stood, and waited for attention to come to him, "I am Guy du Bas-Tyra, Count of Erahol, and Ambassador of Greater Aenilia. I have one major concern about this League, that Sir Galiard brushed upon. Whoever we vote Executor would hold more power in his hands than any king, and, if he was convincing enough, would be able to turn the entirety of its force against an individual nation, any that dares not join it.
The League would hold too much power, how can we say that, in the interests of stability, that it will not cause stagnation? I agree that rules should be established for warfare, but the League will either act tyrannically in its power or be destroyed from the inside by those who would follow their own interests over that of the League. I am not saying this out of spite, but because power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Know this, whoever becomes Executor would hold more power in his hands than any single man or woman in history, and our struggles to stop another powerplay against the continent would result in us freely giving power to one person."
With these words, Guy sat back down.
Guy du Bas-Tyra
Count of Erahol, Ambassador of Greater Aenilia
