Espicules said he would post so I am stuck waiting for his reply.
Y'all can start negotiating with each other if you want
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Didos think I could get help on the leader?
"Post removed"
Formal Name: The Marbal Empire
Casual Name: Marbal
Government: Presidential Republic
Constitution: Yes (adopted in 1950)
Population: 100,000,000
Currency: The Duran
Geographic Location: At its peak in the 1800’s the empire stretched across the whole of Europe and had colonies throughout the world. However, it now is contained within the Balkan Peninsula
Capitol: Istra, located centrally in the nation
Language: English, German, Serbian and Italian though many other unofficial languages are used
Major Religion: Roman Paganism
Culture: The people of this republic are very proud of their heritage. The tales of their former glory instill them with a sense of entitlement and ancient racism still permeates the nation. Recent history has led to a politically dispassionate public, who choose to ignore reality and still behave as they did when they were an empire. The public is so dispassionate about politics and reality that for ten years nobody has voted in the presidential elections.
Living above their means the public obsess over fashions and styles, maintaining the lifestyles that were once enabled by the enslavement and colonization of foreign lands. The massive public sector dominates daily life, with a government providing free services to their people.
The government is seemingly always in a state of crisis, due to its low taxes and high expenses the government has been borrowing greater and greater debt to support their people’s lifestyles. They have even began selling national treasures such as the crown jewels.
History: Founded in the 1400’s the Marbal Empire united the Balkan peninsula under a single monarch Emperor Hugo the Great. In 1514 the nation invented the world’s first factories and steam technology. This propelled them onto the world stage and allowed them to become the world’s dominate superpower. At its peak under Empress Victoria in 1830 the empire covered all of Europe and had colonized much of the world. During this time the people of the colonies were worked and taxed to death to provide those in the homeland with the highest standard of living in the world and social programs that were financed on virtual slave labor. In 1900 the colonies began to revolt, as the nation buckled under its own weight. The loss of the colonies led to massive revolts and riots back in Europe, and from 1915 (the year the last colony was lost) to 1950 the continent was a bloodbath as the nation suffered endless coups and civil wars. It was not until 1950 that an uneasy peace was reached, with the introduction of a constitution and electoral government.
In fear of new coups the government showered the populous with public gifts and money, and cut taxes to the bare bones. The war weary public gladly accepted the bribes and began a new golden age, allowing the nation to view itself cone again as a world power, though it is now fighting for second place in reality.
Strengths: It is geographically strategic for trade and has massive wealth saved from its days as an empire
Weaknesses: Large public debt, depleted natural resources, pollution and a small army.
ECT: The population is very racist and elitist. The nation is so polluted that they can not grow enough food to feed their population. They rely heavily on imports. Their businesses have been moving overseas to areas with lower taxes and lower pay rates.
Casual Name: Marbal
Government: Presidential Republic
Constitution: Yes (adopted in 1950)
Population: 100,000,000
Currency: The Duran
Geographic Location: At its peak in the 1800’s the empire stretched across the whole of Europe and had colonies throughout the world. However, it now is contained within the Balkan Peninsula
Capitol: Istra, located centrally in the nation
Language: English, German, Serbian and Italian though many other unofficial languages are used
Major Religion: Roman Paganism
Culture: The people of this republic are very proud of their heritage. The tales of their former glory instill them with a sense of entitlement and ancient racism still permeates the nation. Recent history has led to a politically dispassionate public, who choose to ignore reality and still behave as they did when they were an empire. The public is so dispassionate about politics and reality that for ten years nobody has voted in the presidential elections.
Living above their means the public obsess over fashions and styles, maintaining the lifestyles that were once enabled by the enslavement and colonization of foreign lands. The massive public sector dominates daily life, with a government providing free services to their people.
The government is seemingly always in a state of crisis, due to its low taxes and high expenses the government has been borrowing greater and greater debt to support their people’s lifestyles. They have even began selling national treasures such as the crown jewels.
History: Founded in the 1400’s the Marbal Empire united the Balkan peninsula under a single monarch Emperor Hugo the Great. In 1514 the nation invented the world’s first factories and steam technology. This propelled them onto the world stage and allowed them to become the world’s dominate superpower. At its peak under Empress Victoria in 1830 the empire covered all of Europe and had colonized much of the world. During this time the people of the colonies were worked and taxed to death to provide those in the homeland with the highest standard of living in the world and social programs that were financed on virtual slave labor. In 1900 the colonies began to revolt, as the nation buckled under its own weight. The loss of the colonies led to massive revolts and riots back in Europe, and from 1915 (the year the last colony was lost) to 1950 the continent was a bloodbath as the nation suffered endless coups and civil wars. It was not until 1950 that an uneasy peace was reached, with the introduction of a constitution and electoral government.
In fear of new coups the government showered the populous with public gifts and money, and cut taxes to the bare bones. The war weary public gladly accepted the bribes and began a new golden age, allowing the nation to view itself cone again as a world power, though it is now fighting for second place in reality.
Strengths: It is geographically strategic for trade and has massive wealth saved from its days as an empire
Weaknesses: Large public debt, depleted natural resources, pollution and a small army.
ECT: The population is very racist and elitist. The nation is so polluted that they can not grow enough food to feed their population. They rely heavily on imports. Their businesses have been moving overseas to areas with lower taxes and lower pay rates.
They will be NPC. I'll try to get some up tomorrow
Do you want me to make an NPC old world empire for you Didos? Like an Empire on the end of its power?
Y'all can post if you want. Right now it is just the evening of the arrival day
Sorry about the delay y'all espicules has been busy
Rudolf sighed as he excited Alexander’s office. The boy had the smarts to run New Beginning, but he didn’t have the drive. He had it easy, living in the luxury that his position provided, perhaps that was the cause. It was a weakness in the Mantez bloodline, that inclination to dream. Damion would never allow his dreams to distract him from duty, and Christopher was almost afraid of the old man which led him to do his duty. Alexander, however had nothing to be afraid of, he lived in his mind, acting away at something he could never fully understand. It was one of the reasons Damion had founded the Guardian project, out of which came Rudolf.
Rudolf shook his head, he had been around Alexander for too long, stray thoughts came more frequently, distracting him from his purpose with greater ease. As soon as the thoughts were brushed away he turned around, facing the secretary. “Report.”
“Sir, just messages from various translators, several nations wish a private audience with Alexander, here’s the list sir.”
Rudolf took the list from the secretary and quickly looked at it, most of the countries did not matter as much, however one of them peaked his interest. “What is this about Procellia?”
“Erica McGowan came by just moments ago, said that there was a minor incident and handed me this sealed memo. Here it is sir.”
Rudolf pulled out a pocket knife and unsealed the memo. It seemed that the Procellian Council had a strong arm approach. “Very good. Unless there is anything else that I should know I will be off.”
The secretary nodded and went back to work, the Adviser was a strange man, knowing what he wanted and getting it. He never enjoyed small talk, all of the staff knew to be to the point when talking to him.
Rudolf made his way to the Procellian quarters and told one of the guards that he was requesting an audience. Rudolf then looked outside one of the view-ports and admired the view.
Ishay and his council were sitting in the lavishly decorated living room of their quarters. They were dressed in a similar fashion as before, though were now all in blue and white.
"I don't know your Majesty. But I have a good feeling that this government will not let you down." Leth said
"I do hope not. Our chef has worked so hard to make this a lovely dinner and it would be a shame to waste food." Ishay said, sounding somewhat hopeful but also sad at the thought of wasting the food
"If he is rude enough to smite your grace then we shall invite some commoners to our table. You have done this before and it went over quite well." Offered a hook nosed adviser
Ishay perked up and said "Ofcourse, and it would earn us some good will in this nation."
Leth calmly replied "Your highness is always keen in the political scene. But I believe you are wasting time worrying, he shall be here I am sure. He would be foolish not to"
A knock on the door ended the conversation quickly, The hook nosed adviser scurried to the door to open it, revealing one of the many beefy guards (their faces were all covered so that they could not be identified by anyone).
"Greetings wise one" He said formally "I representative of the New Beginning government has requested an audience with his holiness the Dras."
"Please send him up" Ishay said from across the room" sounding chipper
"You have your orders soldier" The hook nosed man said as he closed the door
"And thank you!" Ishay exclaimed just before the door closed
_________________________________________________________________________
The soldier made his way to the entry where the guest stood waiting
"His majesty is pleased to have you join him. Thank you for your patience President"
(OOC: They do not know what Alexander looks like so they assume Rudolf is Alexander)
Formal dinners had always disgusted Rudolf, so much meaningless talks, people showing up simply to announce their presence. It was beneath Rudolf, all of it. Turning his thoughts away from what was directly before him, Rudolf examined his host. Too young to be an effective leader in Rudolf's opinion, that experience needed to rule came with age, even Alexander had not lived long enough to fully have it. Youth was something that could be easily manipulated, the question was which of the Council had the most power, and how much was the Dras hiding behind his age.
With a small bow Rudolf addressed his host in Procellian. "Dras Ishay and his Council if I am correct. I was told that you wished a dinner with Alexander, I regret to inform you that he is unavailable at this moment, and I his Chief Adviser Rudolf have come in his place. I hope to assure you that I speak in his name, if not his actual person. How may I be of service to you today?"
Rudolf continue to stand, examining those around him.
Ishay stood politely, with the council soon following suite, and mimicked the odd gesture he had proffered.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Chief Rudolf" Ishay said with a smile "I simply wished to show some Procellian hospitality to our generous hosts, as I promised politics will only be discussed if you wish to bring up the subject."
Ishay couldn't help but smile at the odd way the man was dressed. He had never seen so many colors in a single outfit, though his politeness forced him not to stare,
Leth stepped forward and politely waited for Ishay to finish before saying "The council wishes to extend its gratitude for accepting the invitation of our believed leader."
Ishay blushed at the compliment and said "Let us sit down, I trust that they shall be serving us soon."
Ishay and the council all took their seats, leaving the wing back chair across from Ishay empty for Rudolf
Rudolf made his way to his seat and sat down. "It has been a long time since your kind have been worldly known. I hope that our climate is not being too restrictive. I imagine that you must feel naked now compared to your usual dress. Luckily for you this meeting is only a week, and then you can disappear once more. Tell me though, if you will. What brought you down here, surely you are comfortable enough with your power as it is, missing this meeting wouldn't do you much harm. I imagine you have some sort of plan on how you would like to shape the world, as do a few of the other nations here I should hope."
Ishay reclined in his seat and smiled "Honestly the weather in the Fofesh islands can get quite warm so we are not totally unused to warm weather, but you are correct we are not used to temperatures that are quite this high."
A knock on the door paused the Dras as several soldiers came in, loaded with large plates piled to the limit with various foods. The plates were placed on any available surface in the living room, as none would ever ask them to relocate. Empty plates and cutlery were handed to all the guests and they left, without a single word being said other than thank yous from the council and their king.
Ishay and the rest took helpings of the various foods and put them on their plates. In between bites Ishay said "I am so sorry for that interruption, I do hope that you like the food (OOC: Procellian food is very strongly flavored and is either heavily salted or very sweet. It also has a very woody and nutty taste, but in a good way). Now I believe your next question was why we are attending?"
Leth nodded slightly, watching them both carefully
Ishay continued, eating his food in between sentences "The main reason we came down here is because I feel the time has come to begin our integration into the modern world. Although we have made great advances on our own, I feel we could do even better if we opened ourselves to foreign trade and investment"
Rudolf shook his head, he had been around Alexander for too long, stray thoughts came more frequently, distracting him from his purpose with greater ease. As soon as the thoughts were brushed away he turned around, facing the secretary. “Report.”
“Sir, just messages from various translators, several nations wish a private audience with Alexander, here’s the list sir.”
Rudolf took the list from the secretary and quickly looked at it, most of the countries did not matter as much, however one of them peaked his interest. “What is this about Procellia?”
“Erica McGowan came by just moments ago, said that there was a minor incident and handed me this sealed memo. Here it is sir.”
Rudolf pulled out a pocket knife and unsealed the memo. It seemed that the Procellian Council had a strong arm approach. “Very good. Unless there is anything else that I should know I will be off.”
The secretary nodded and went back to work, the Adviser was a strange man, knowing what he wanted and getting it. He never enjoyed small talk, all of the staff knew to be to the point when talking to him.
Rudolf made his way to the Procellian quarters and told one of the guards that he was requesting an audience. Rudolf then looked outside one of the view-ports and admired the view.
Ishay and his council were sitting in the lavishly decorated living room of their quarters. They were dressed in a similar fashion as before, though were now all in blue and white.
"I don't know your Majesty. But I have a good feeling that this government will not let you down." Leth said
"I do hope not. Our chef has worked so hard to make this a lovely dinner and it would be a shame to waste food." Ishay said, sounding somewhat hopeful but also sad at the thought of wasting the food
"If he is rude enough to smite your grace then we shall invite some commoners to our table. You have done this before and it went over quite well." Offered a hook nosed adviser
Ishay perked up and said "Ofcourse, and it would earn us some good will in this nation."
Leth calmly replied "Your highness is always keen in the political scene. But I believe you are wasting time worrying, he shall be here I am sure. He would be foolish not to"
A knock on the door ended the conversation quickly, The hook nosed adviser scurried to the door to open it, revealing one of the many beefy guards (their faces were all covered so that they could not be identified by anyone).
"Greetings wise one" He said formally "I representative of the New Beginning government has requested an audience with his holiness the Dras."
"Please send him up" Ishay said from across the room" sounding chipper
"You have your orders soldier" The hook nosed man said as he closed the door
"And thank you!" Ishay exclaimed just before the door closed
_________________________________________________________________________
The soldier made his way to the entry where the guest stood waiting
"His majesty is pleased to have you join him. Thank you for your patience President"
(OOC: They do not know what Alexander looks like so they assume Rudolf is Alexander)
Formal dinners had always disgusted Rudolf, so much meaningless talks, people showing up simply to announce their presence. It was beneath Rudolf, all of it. Turning his thoughts away from what was directly before him, Rudolf examined his host. Too young to be an effective leader in Rudolf's opinion, that experience needed to rule came with age, even Alexander had not lived long enough to fully have it. Youth was something that could be easily manipulated, the question was which of the Council had the most power, and how much was the Dras hiding behind his age.
With a small bow Rudolf addressed his host in Procellian. "Dras Ishay and his Council if I am correct. I was told that you wished a dinner with Alexander, I regret to inform you that he is unavailable at this moment, and I his Chief Adviser Rudolf have come in his place. I hope to assure you that I speak in his name, if not his actual person. How may I be of service to you today?"
Rudolf continue to stand, examining those around him.
Ishay stood politely, with the council soon following suite, and mimicked the odd gesture he had proffered.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Chief Rudolf" Ishay said with a smile "I simply wished to show some Procellian hospitality to our generous hosts, as I promised politics will only be discussed if you wish to bring up the subject."
Ishay couldn't help but smile at the odd way the man was dressed. He had never seen so many colors in a single outfit, though his politeness forced him not to stare,
Leth stepped forward and politely waited for Ishay to finish before saying "The council wishes to extend its gratitude for accepting the invitation of our believed leader."
Ishay blushed at the compliment and said "Let us sit down, I trust that they shall be serving us soon."
Ishay and the council all took their seats, leaving the wing back chair across from Ishay empty for Rudolf
Rudolf made his way to his seat and sat down. "It has been a long time since your kind have been worldly known. I hope that our climate is not being too restrictive. I imagine that you must feel naked now compared to your usual dress. Luckily for you this meeting is only a week, and then you can disappear once more. Tell me though, if you will. What brought you down here, surely you are comfortable enough with your power as it is, missing this meeting wouldn't do you much harm. I imagine you have some sort of plan on how you would like to shape the world, as do a few of the other nations here I should hope."
Ishay reclined in his seat and smiled "Honestly the weather in the Fofesh islands can get quite warm so we are not totally unused to warm weather, but you are correct we are not used to temperatures that are quite this high."
A knock on the door paused the Dras as several soldiers came in, loaded with large plates piled to the limit with various foods. The plates were placed on any available surface in the living room, as none would ever ask them to relocate. Empty plates and cutlery were handed to all the guests and they left, without a single word being said other than thank yous from the council and their king.
Ishay and the rest took helpings of the various foods and put them on their plates. In between bites Ishay said "I am so sorry for that interruption, I do hope that you like the food (OOC: Procellian food is very strongly flavored and is either heavily salted or very sweet. It also has a very woody and nutty taste, but in a good way). Now I believe your next question was why we are attending?"
Leth nodded slightly, watching them both carefully
Ishay continued, eating his food in between sentences "The main reason we came down here is because I feel the time has come to begin our integration into the modern world. Although we have made great advances on our own, I feel we could do even better if we opened ourselves to foreign trade and investment"
It was not long before a crowd began to surround the small group. It was all that Ishay and the council could do to avoid staring at the oddly dressed group encircling them. The guards made themselves into human shields around their leader and council, hands on their swords and prepared to engage, though several of the less polite guards were taking the opportunity to look at all the different colors of humans before them.
One of the guards snickered at the sight of a man dressed in clothes that looked way to small and his bright red hair, and was given quick smack in the back of the helmet by a less-than-happy Leth to remind him of his place.
This quiet stalemate went on for about thirty minutes, before a woman squeezed her way out of the crowd and made her way across the no-man’s land between them and spoke silently to one of the guards. She was a very interesting and short looking woman; her straight hair was black as coal, eyes as round as the moon and her skin was a dark brown that somehow only accented her beauty. This mysterious woman was clad in a white shirt that was tucked neatly into a black skirt that was oddly poofed and an odd device (a corset) tied across her waist.
The guard she spoke to turned to face his King and said “Your majesty, this woman wishes to be granted access to you. She claims to be a translator sent to assist you for the duration of your time here.”
Ishay calmly looked over to Leth who simply nodded his aged head slightly. Indicating the woman’s body language had not proven her false. Ishay faced the guard once again and said “Please allow her in and apologize for any inconvenience.”
“Your will be done” He replied and did a na before gesturing for the woman to enter.
“My name is Erica McGowan. Your majesty has attracted a lot of attention in a short time. ” She noted before doing an odd movement that consisted of crossed ankles and lifting her skirt slightly (a curtsy)
“I only hope it is due to positive motivations that they have come” Ishay said with a warm smile
“I could only assume so” She replied dryly
Before any more could be said an odd voice shouted from the crowd, though it was impossible to be sure who said it or understand the weird language
“The man is asking what the name Procellia means your majesty.” Erica translated
Ishay looked at her questioningly and said “It means ‘land of the demon king’ in old Procellian”
Erica, without warning, yelled out the translation into the crowd giving most of them a fright. Yelling or even speaking loudly was considered very rude and the woman earned herself several glares from the council which she ignored.
The crowd quickly exploded into more questions, or at least Ishay assumed they were questions since he could not understand a single word of the language.
“Perhaps you could show us to our rooms Mrs. Erica? Before my guards have to hurt someone would be preferable.” Ishay said in calm tone, though his face showed his annoyance at the situation.
Erica looked and using her peripherals saw that the guards were indeed standing with swords drawn and ready to go. “That sounds like a good idea” she noted
____________________________________________________________________________
The trip did not actually take very long at all. An abnormally long steam car and picked them up within minutes and after loading it was a short drive to their quarters, contained within a large hotel in the center of the city. And checking in had been even quicker.
The room that had been reserved for them would be more accurately called an apartment. It covered a full two floors and according to Erica had 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was decorated very exotically, with fanciful furniture and elaborate wallpapers.
“Is this a common style of decorating here?” Ishay asked, voice expressing interest
“Yes your majesty. It is called ‘Victorian’ and has remained popular for over two hundred years.” Erica relied
“Wonderful” Ishay said “Where will the staff I brought be staying though?”
“They have rooms on the lower floors”
“How convenient.” Ishay said thoughtfully “Would you please invite Mr. Alexander to dine with us this evening? It is nothing political, I just wish to meet him and maybe talk about our countries.”
“He is very busy so I doubt he would be able to make it” Erica said carefully
“I understand” Ishay said calmly as he went up the stairs to investigate the bedrooms
As Erica turned to leave Leth grabbed her arm to stop her. They stood quietly until the Dras was out of earshot and then he said “I do not know how you think things work in our country but let me tell you this. Rejecting hospitality from anyone in our country is a heavy insult, especially meals and most especially when the man doing the inviting is the leader chosen by the Great Demon King himself. Our king is too polite to say this to your face but that is why he has me, it is not a man you want to upset.”
Leth let go of her arm and the council left the room, Erica speechless at the open hostility exhibited by Leth.
“It seems the council serves as the strong arm so the king can keep a polite façade.” She thought to herself as she left, stopping by the president’s office on the way home and gave the message to a secretary at the door.
One of the guards snickered at the sight of a man dressed in clothes that looked way to small and his bright red hair, and was given quick smack in the back of the helmet by a less-than-happy Leth to remind him of his place.
This quiet stalemate went on for about thirty minutes, before a woman squeezed her way out of the crowd and made her way across the no-man’s land between them and spoke silently to one of the guards. She was a very interesting and short looking woman; her straight hair was black as coal, eyes as round as the moon and her skin was a dark brown that somehow only accented her beauty. This mysterious woman was clad in a white shirt that was tucked neatly into a black skirt that was oddly poofed and an odd device (a corset) tied across her waist.
The guard she spoke to turned to face his King and said “Your majesty, this woman wishes to be granted access to you. She claims to be a translator sent to assist you for the duration of your time here.”
Ishay calmly looked over to Leth who simply nodded his aged head slightly. Indicating the woman’s body language had not proven her false. Ishay faced the guard once again and said “Please allow her in and apologize for any inconvenience.”
“Your will be done” He replied and did a na before gesturing for the woman to enter.
“My name is Erica McGowan. Your majesty has attracted a lot of attention in a short time. ” She noted before doing an odd movement that consisted of crossed ankles and lifting her skirt slightly (a curtsy)
“I only hope it is due to positive motivations that they have come” Ishay said with a warm smile
“I could only assume so” She replied dryly
Before any more could be said an odd voice shouted from the crowd, though it was impossible to be sure who said it or understand the weird language
“The man is asking what the name Procellia means your majesty.” Erica translated
Ishay looked at her questioningly and said “It means ‘land of the demon king’ in old Procellian”
Erica, without warning, yelled out the translation into the crowd giving most of them a fright. Yelling or even speaking loudly was considered very rude and the woman earned herself several glares from the council which she ignored.
The crowd quickly exploded into more questions, or at least Ishay assumed they were questions since he could not understand a single word of the language.
“Perhaps you could show us to our rooms Mrs. Erica? Before my guards have to hurt someone would be preferable.” Ishay said in calm tone, though his face showed his annoyance at the situation.
Erica looked and using her peripherals saw that the guards were indeed standing with swords drawn and ready to go. “That sounds like a good idea” she noted
____________________________________________________________________________
The trip did not actually take very long at all. An abnormally long steam car and picked them up within minutes and after loading it was a short drive to their quarters, contained within a large hotel in the center of the city. And checking in had been even quicker.
The room that had been reserved for them would be more accurately called an apartment. It covered a full two floors and according to Erica had 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was decorated very exotically, with fanciful furniture and elaborate wallpapers.
“Is this a common style of decorating here?” Ishay asked, voice expressing interest
“Yes your majesty. It is called ‘Victorian’ and has remained popular for over two hundred years.” Erica relied
“Wonderful” Ishay said “Where will the staff I brought be staying though?”
“They have rooms on the lower floors”
“How convenient.” Ishay said thoughtfully “Would you please invite Mr. Alexander to dine with us this evening? It is nothing political, I just wish to meet him and maybe talk about our countries.”
“He is very busy so I doubt he would be able to make it” Erica said carefully
“I understand” Ishay said calmly as he went up the stairs to investigate the bedrooms
As Erica turned to leave Leth grabbed her arm to stop her. They stood quietly until the Dras was out of earshot and then he said “I do not know how you think things work in our country but let me tell you this. Rejecting hospitality from anyone in our country is a heavy insult, especially meals and most especially when the man doing the inviting is the leader chosen by the Great Demon King himself. Our king is too polite to say this to your face but that is why he has me, it is not a man you want to upset.”
Leth let go of her arm and the council left the room, Erica speechless at the open hostility exhibited by Leth.
“It seems the council serves as the strong arm so the king can keep a polite façade.” She thought to herself as she left, stopping by the president’s office on the way home and gave the message to a secretary at the door.
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