Eternity RPC Board
The wait for the arrival of the foreign delegations did not last long, to the appreciation of the Lord Protector. As soon as he was informed by one of his servants that the Arrenlanders had set foot in his sprawling residence, he immediately made the effort to stand and greet them personally. Mostly because he wanted to obtain a moment away from Halnish, who was bent on interrogating him nonchalantly regarding the job given to him by Her Majesty. That man is a tool, the Lord Protector thought to himself as he made his way to the foyer.
The sight of Eadinga greeted him, and he went on over to him with an easy expression and a firm hand to shake. He engaged the Arrenlander in light conversation, albeit making sure to circumvent the more serious matters of state this meeting was called to discuss.
Of the three invited to today's affair, the Arrenlanders were perhaps the most eager for the supposed carving up of areas of control. Their people had a long and proud history of empire, although notably theirs was more of a maritime nature compared to Adwest. It was nonetheless a time to look back to - and for the new leaders of Arrenland, an age to bring back. Dunstan's election couldn't have been more fitting; his desire to revive the glory of his country made him liable to support Gore-Culross' ploy and become a reliable ally against those who could possibly stand in the way of imperial restoration.
Whereas the Lord Protector counted on the similar interests Arrenland held and was sure of their support, that was more than what could be said of the next delegation that arrived. Aeriland, a conservative popular republic, once held the title of being Adwest's closest ally at home at a time when it was most needed; it publicly and militarily supported Adwestene interference in Kolhar, and mitigated the dangers of isolation for Adwest for many years. In turn, Adwest bankrolled those people who sought positions of power and granted Aeriland a favorable trade agreement alongside loans and other forms of aid.
But that was the problem of democratic states. Even with a bit of tampering, their temperament still changed depending on who were in power. Aeriland's last few elections saw the imposition of distance between two previously close neighbors. But despite the different priorities of the new government in their foreign dealings, they dared still not to meddle with Adwestene expansionism - because they themselves had their own designs for the region, territorial or otherwise. This Gore-Culross had been advised by his Foreign Minister.
Still, the Lord Protector offered his greetings to Senator Landacre and Lt. Col. Hall in the same manner he did the first ones to arrive. He had one of his servants immediately lead them to the guest hall however; he knew enough that they came here for business, and not necessarily to give their country's seal of approval to the partition.
And then came the delegation from Taeunas. Those people, ever since their violent uprising centuries ago and secession from Adwest, had always juxtaposed itself to everything the Grand Kingdom stood for - honor, tradition, order. Although they had been pretty much lax with regards to Adwest's campaigns, it was moreso because they had no proper justification to intervene and halt the efforts of the fatherland at reunification. If they had a chance to be a thorn, they would not only take it; they would pounce.
It was for this fact alone that the Lord Protector had been counselled by many names in the court not to involve them. But the Lord Protector knew better than such names to ignore them.
They were a country with their own interests, and they were merely biding time in wait of the perfect opportunity. They would chance upon any opening that would increase their own national power, despite the fondness for unproductive rhetoric their leaders and diplomats possessed. Their mere presence in Kalstad today verified that fact to the Lord Protector. Better to deal with their unpleasantness through the table than through the battlefield if it could be realized.
Gore-Culross immediately identified their delegation as they disembarked from their vehicle, clicking his tongue as he saw them. That woman, Conolly, perhaps the only sane career officer in Taeunas' Foreign Service Corps and thus the only one they send, retained a notorious profile in Adwestene diplomatic circles as the public face of the southern mob state. She would be difficult to deal with no doubt, but not impossible.
He greeted the two and led them to the guest hall. On any given day, the wide space would be lined up with a number of luxury sofas for informal merrymaking between Gore-Culross and any guests he had invited to his favorite summer residence in the country. If not a shared drink with his favorite iced whiskey, then his guests would have the leisure to admire a portion of the man's collection of busts and paintings at two sides of the hall. This particular hall held pieces from Marzanna.
Today was different however. In the center of the hall were four lengthy tables facing each other, made of oak in an ebony shade. Each had two chairs with rests and a plaque containing the delegation it was assigned to. Further behind each table were five seats allotted for the adjutants of the delegates, but nothing more. The rest would have to stand up. The Lord Protector had no interest seeing the hall being crowded after all.
At the northern wall, at a spot where a life size portrait of a Severyan Czar previously hung, lay a projector screen displaying a political map of Kvaenna. It lay behind the table where Halnish and Gore-Culross were supposed to sit, for easy reference by the three foreign delegations.
Once introductions were done, everyone was seated and refreshments were served, the Lord Protector began. It was thirty three minutes past one.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. As I'm sure the correspondence between our governments have kept you informed on what is to be done today, I will spare you and myself the spiel I prepared. Needless to say, this is a historical opportunity that could very well benefit all of us."
The Lord Protector took a second, his weary eyes scanning the men and women, trying to detect any hint of rejection to his words.
"We will divide this meeting into two segments. First, we will discuss the nature of our countries' understanding in recent months in order to understand what is at stake and what we all could possibly gain, to clarify any misunderstandings or assumptions, and perhaps the most important, to affirm your respective government's support for this undoubtedly.....notable endeavor."
The quadripartite entente between the four months was clear; there would be a division that would take place, and initially there was support for this. But the lack of further dissection on what that meant and how it could be achieved remained a dilemma that would either be hashed out today or would wind up as a source of tension. The delegation from Taeunas, and to a lesser extent from Aeriland, could prove to be troublesome if they disliked the method of division or backtrack their positions.
Their affirmation would be absolutely critical if this meeting were to go anywhere. If such support was lacking, then they would have to be expelled and plans diverted elsewhere before they could get a hold of what the Lord Protector had in mind.
"When we come to a clearer understanding, we will then proceed with how we will go about this matter. We will ponder plans that are forwarded by each delegation and we will decide what course of action is best to take. ."
The Lord Protector hobbled over to the map, a device controlling the projector on his right hand.
"Are there any questions? would anyone like to jump right in ahead of me? We are in an obviously enclosed place, so I invite all of you to speak freely."
The sight of Eadinga greeted him, and he went on over to him with an easy expression and a firm hand to shake. He engaged the Arrenlander in light conversation, albeit making sure to circumvent the more serious matters of state this meeting was called to discuss.
Of the three invited to today's affair, the Arrenlanders were perhaps the most eager for the supposed carving up of areas of control. Their people had a long and proud history of empire, although notably theirs was more of a maritime nature compared to Adwest. It was nonetheless a time to look back to - and for the new leaders of Arrenland, an age to bring back. Dunstan's election couldn't have been more fitting; his desire to revive the glory of his country made him liable to support Gore-Culross' ploy and become a reliable ally against those who could possibly stand in the way of imperial restoration.
Whereas the Lord Protector counted on the similar interests Arrenland held and was sure of their support, that was more than what could be said of the next delegation that arrived. Aeriland, a conservative popular republic, once held the title of being Adwest's closest ally at home at a time when it was most needed; it publicly and militarily supported Adwestene interference in Kolhar, and mitigated the dangers of isolation for Adwest for many years. In turn, Adwest bankrolled those people who sought positions of power and granted Aeriland a favorable trade agreement alongside loans and other forms of aid.
But that was the problem of democratic states. Even with a bit of tampering, their temperament still changed depending on who were in power. Aeriland's last few elections saw the imposition of distance between two previously close neighbors. But despite the different priorities of the new government in their foreign dealings, they dared still not to meddle with Adwestene expansionism - because they themselves had their own designs for the region, territorial or otherwise. This Gore-Culross had been advised by his Foreign Minister.
Still, the Lord Protector offered his greetings to Senator Landacre and Lt. Col. Hall in the same manner he did the first ones to arrive. He had one of his servants immediately lead them to the guest hall however; he knew enough that they came here for business, and not necessarily to give their country's seal of approval to the partition.
And then came the delegation from Taeunas. Those people, ever since their violent uprising centuries ago and secession from Adwest, had always juxtaposed itself to everything the Grand Kingdom stood for - honor, tradition, order. Although they had been pretty much lax with regards to Adwest's campaigns, it was moreso because they had no proper justification to intervene and halt the efforts of the fatherland at reunification. If they had a chance to be a thorn, they would not only take it; they would pounce.
It was for this fact alone that the Lord Protector had been counselled by many names in the court not to involve them. But the Lord Protector knew better than such names to ignore them.
They were a country with their own interests, and they were merely biding time in wait of the perfect opportunity. They would chance upon any opening that would increase their own national power, despite the fondness for unproductive rhetoric their leaders and diplomats possessed. Their mere presence in Kalstad today verified that fact to the Lord Protector. Better to deal with their unpleasantness through the table than through the battlefield if it could be realized.
Gore-Culross immediately identified their delegation as they disembarked from their vehicle, clicking his tongue as he saw them. That woman, Conolly, perhaps the only sane career officer in Taeunas' Foreign Service Corps and thus the only one they send, retained a notorious profile in Adwestene diplomatic circles as the public face of the southern mob state. She would be difficult to deal with no doubt, but not impossible.
He greeted the two and led them to the guest hall. On any given day, the wide space would be lined up with a number of luxury sofas for informal merrymaking between Gore-Culross and any guests he had invited to his favorite summer residence in the country. If not a shared drink with his favorite iced whiskey, then his guests would have the leisure to admire a portion of the man's collection of busts and paintings at two sides of the hall. This particular hall held pieces from Marzanna.
Today was different however. In the center of the hall were four lengthy tables facing each other, made of oak in an ebony shade. Each had two chairs with rests and a plaque containing the delegation it was assigned to. Further behind each table were five seats allotted for the adjutants of the delegates, but nothing more. The rest would have to stand up. The Lord Protector had no interest seeing the hall being crowded after all.
At the northern wall, at a spot where a life size portrait of a Severyan Czar previously hung, lay a projector screen displaying a political map of Kvaenna. It lay behind the table where Halnish and Gore-Culross were supposed to sit, for easy reference by the three foreign delegations.
Once introductions were done, everyone was seated and refreshments were served, the Lord Protector began. It was thirty three minutes past one.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. As I'm sure the correspondence between our governments have kept you informed on what is to be done today, I will spare you and myself the spiel I prepared. Needless to say, this is a historical opportunity that could very well benefit all of us."
The Lord Protector took a second, his weary eyes scanning the men and women, trying to detect any hint of rejection to his words.
"We will divide this meeting into two segments. First, we will discuss the nature of our countries' understanding in recent months in order to understand what is at stake and what we all could possibly gain, to clarify any misunderstandings or assumptions, and perhaps the most important, to affirm your respective government's support for this undoubtedly.....notable endeavor."
The quadripartite entente between the four months was clear; there would be a division that would take place, and initially there was support for this. But the lack of further dissection on what that meant and how it could be achieved remained a dilemma that would either be hashed out today or would wind up as a source of tension. The delegation from Taeunas, and to a lesser extent from Aeriland, could prove to be troublesome if they disliked the method of division or backtrack their positions.
Their affirmation would be absolutely critical if this meeting were to go anywhere. If such support was lacking, then they would have to be expelled and plans diverted elsewhere before they could get a hold of what the Lord Protector had in mind.
"When we come to a clearer understanding, we will then proceed with how we will go about this matter. We will ponder plans that are forwarded by each delegation and we will decide what course of action is best to take. ."
The Lord Protector hobbled over to the map, a device controlling the projector on his right hand.
"Are there any questions? would anyone like to jump right in ahead of me? We are in an obviously enclosed place, so I invite all of you to speak freely."