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En Ríghacd Aentaithe ogus Diea ah-tug Ríghacd Seihdhara
The Duthchas Discusses Matters Relating to the Impending War; Tymhoris 10, 1910 (Tues 11 Jan, 1910)
Speaker - Rhig Ruaidhri of Clan Rhiglaird Esher
"Ye Much Honoured Lairds of our Sdarid hame, we are many of us gathered today to discuss this matter of war on the continent. There is no need for me to repeat in any great amount of detail what so many of us know already - the Grand Prince Wilem of Rotteburg has been slain in cold blood and the slumbering beast of war, awakening now once more, lumbers in his wake. 'Tis no mystery to any of us here today that the Kratorian consul at Isle Taobh-Amuigh has approached us seeking an alliance between our two peoples. Our diplomats have given no firm answer, but the consul has expressed a keen interest in receiving - at the very least - a written memorandum guaranteeing the neutrality of Sidara in the coming war. It has been made clear to the consul that it ill behoves the Cynghyrd of Foreign Affairs to make such drastic decisions without consulting with Her Grace and the Much Honoured Lairds of the Duthchas.
Along with that matter, there is the matter of the Cethosi at Taobh-Amuigh. They have similarly approached us with overtures of friendship, trade, and alliance. They have, it appears, managed to get rather far in the negotiation of a draft agreement. Our diplomats have been discussing it extensively with them and I have present with me here - I thank Her Grace for making it available to us - a copy of, what I am told, a fairly complete draft. I have arranged for copies to be made available to all ye Much Honoured Lairds, but in brief:
Copies have been distributed as I speak, Lairds, I would press you to read the Articles of this draft agreement very carefully.
In addition to this matter, the Cethosi have presented us with a most curious proposal. 'Tis no mystery that the Cethosi are quite the chummy chums with the boil that lies to our north."
Along with that matter, there is the matter of the Cethosi at Taobh-Amuigh. They have similarly approached us with overtures of friendship, trade, and alliance. They have, it appears, managed to get rather far in the negotiation of a draft agreement. Our diplomats have been discussing it extensively with them and I have present with me here - I thank Her Grace for making it available to us - a copy of, what I am told, a fairly complete draft. I have arranged for copies to be made available to all ye Much Honoured Lairds, but in brief:
-It binds us to a firm military alliance with the Cethosis.
-It binds each party to refrain from concluding alliances with the enemies of either state, or entering into coalitions against the other.
-Both parties contract to respect one another's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in one another's internal affairs.
-Both parties are bound to provide one another with all economic assistance necessary to facilitate and accelerate one another's development and growth.
-Article VI of this treaty grants Cethosi citizens nearly complete freedom of movement in and out of Sidara, and vice vera - utterly unprecedented in the history of our nation. It allows citizens of either state to domicile themselves in either. I would request that each of Ye Much Honoured Lairds scrutinise that particular Article.
-The next Article calls for equal treatment in all matters financial.
-Article XII of this draft allows for the opening of Consulates in all major urban centres - that is to say, the Cethosi consulate will no longer be confined to Isle Taobh-Amuigh, but there will be many all over our nation. Consider this carefully, my Lairds.
-This draft also grants Cethos the status of most favoured nation in matters of importation, exportation, and transit.
-A number of Articles deal with an agreement to extradite persons who have committed a number of listed crimes.
-The treaty is to last ten years, and to continue indefinitely until one side gives notice of its termination a year in advance.
-It binds each party to refrain from concluding alliances with the enemies of either state, or entering into coalitions against the other.
-Both parties contract to respect one another's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in one another's internal affairs.
-Both parties are bound to provide one another with all economic assistance necessary to facilitate and accelerate one another's development and growth.
-Article VI of this treaty grants Cethosi citizens nearly complete freedom of movement in and out of Sidara, and vice vera - utterly unprecedented in the history of our nation. It allows citizens of either state to domicile themselves in either. I would request that each of Ye Much Honoured Lairds scrutinise that particular Article.
-The next Article calls for equal treatment in all matters financial.
-Article XII of this draft allows for the opening of Consulates in all major urban centres - that is to say, the Cethosi consulate will no longer be confined to Isle Taobh-Amuigh, but there will be many all over our nation. Consider this carefully, my Lairds.
-This draft also grants Cethos the status of most favoured nation in matters of importation, exportation, and transit.
-A number of Articles deal with an agreement to extradite persons who have committed a number of listed crimes.
-The treaty is to last ten years, and to continue indefinitely until one side gives notice of its termination a year in advance.
Copies have been distributed as I speak, Lairds, I would press you to read the Articles of this draft agreement very carefully.
In addition to this matter, the Cethosi have presented us with a most curious proposal. 'Tis no mystery that the Cethosi are quite the chummy chums with the boil that lies to our north."
[The speaker falls silent as members of the Duthchas begin to murmur angrily at the hint of a mention of Etresna. A number of Lairds beat at the ground with their feet, causing the earth of the great meeting circle to shake underfoot and rumble. Once their hostility towards Etresna has been satisfactorily displayed, the noise slowly dies down and the speaker continues.]
Speaker - Rhig Ruaidhri Uothaein of Clan Rhiglaird Esher
"Aye, all that and more. Now these Cethosi think to seal the rift that gapes between us and those black elves across the water. They think to resolve the dispute over the Nine Isles. They think to do so by having us compete with those beasts in fair and honest sporting bouts, similar to Lignsid. That's what they think. And they dare to think this even as our people on the sea bring back reports of strange movements and preparations by their naval forces just east of our hame - and not small movements, mind you. They are clearly preparing for some kind of offensive - and sure as a full moon on a cloudless night it's neither against the Krators nor the Gynurks. Make of it what ye well me Lairds, but curse me if there isn't something fishy about it all."
Speaker - Chief Gealle-Chriosid Gealle-Meargie of Clan Guinn
"I thank His Grace for his succinct summing up of the situation on the continent. The continental powers, it would appear, are set on war - and they would like to drag the proud Sdarid race into their shenanigans. The Krators and the Gynurks have been here a-conquering before. They are no friends of ours. The miserable Etrans came a-conquering not five decades back and today still occupy our ancestral and hallowed isles - proud Sdaric clansfolk even now suffer the humiliation of enslavement! They are certainly no friends of ours, gods eat their eyes. And these Cethosi - we of Clan Guinn know them well, we have traded with them afore. They haven't the grandest minds for trade, but they are a fearsome warrior people - on the sea they are in all ways unmatched. Their foes - they eat. Their dead - they bind to their vessels forever. And they are an imperialistic folk, no doubt of it - they have not opened up to the world more than two decades and already they have subjugated other lands and peoples. They are like the rest of them - they hope to use us and, in time, conquer our lands, slay our people, loot our wealth and prosperity. They are not - and ne'er can be - friends of ours!
I say we rip up that draft agreement - a disgraceful piece of work if ever one there was - and toss it into the sea. Tell the Krators and Cethosi alike to go off home and not bother us again with their squabbles. And as for competing for the Nine Isles - we'll not surrender our claim to so much as an inch of our lands, and we'll not abandon our kinfolk who remain defiantly there. When the time to war for them comes again, then - by the gods! - we'll fight!"
I say we rip up that draft agreement - a disgraceful piece of work if ever one there was - and toss it into the sea. Tell the Krators and Cethosi alike to go off home and not bother us again with their squabbles. And as for competing for the Nine Isles - we'll not surrender our claim to so much as an inch of our lands, and we'll not abandon our kinfolk who remain defiantly there. When the time to war for them comes again, then - by the gods! - we'll fight!"
Speaker - Chief Aenric Soamus of Clan MgGrregah o' Galams-Stand
"The Much Honoured Laird Gealle-Chriosid's sentiment is no doubt shared by many of us here today - neither the Cethosfolk nor the Krators are to be counted on, and even if the pits of Braeniyn were unleashed on us I would not trust them with my back. Be that as it may, our great foe today is the Etran who, devoid of all honour and virtue as he is, continues to occupy our lands and people. My Lairds, if the Etrans invaded the pits of the ap Morig, I would at the very least make a favourable reference to Braeniyn in the Duthchas.
I say we throw our lot in with the Krators - 'tis clear that we will not be left alone in this war. Even now the Cethosfolk mobilise their forces and bring them ever closer to our island hame. Their intentions could not be clearer and this so-called 'alliance' is patently little more than a diversion - something concocted in the scheming and plotting mind of an Etran to make us lower our guard, no doubt.
The fact of the matter is that the Krators cannot fight us on the sea, they can never hope to threaten us - but the Cethosfolk and Etrans can and do. We Sdarid folk know well who our foes are - the time has come to put words aside and let our swords speak."
I say we throw our lot in with the Krators - 'tis clear that we will not be left alone in this war. Even now the Cethosfolk mobilise their forces and bring them ever closer to our island hame. Their intentions could not be clearer and this so-called 'alliance' is patently little more than a diversion - something concocted in the scheming and plotting mind of an Etran to make us lower our guard, no doubt.
The fact of the matter is that the Krators cannot fight us on the sea, they can never hope to threaten us - but the Cethosfolk and Etrans can and do. We Sdarid folk know well who our foes are - the time has come to put words aside and let our swords speak."
Speaker - Chief Dhomas Fiagh of Clan ap-Filigan
"Clan ap-Filigan has ne'er shied away from a fight for our lands and people - we fought the ap Morig, the ap Gynurks, we fought Krators, Vagdins, Etrans. We will fight again. But on one thing we have always been clear - foreigners cannot be trusted, and they certainly cannot be relied on to win back our hearth and home. And what's more - if we cannot, on our own, win back what is ours, then we are not worth are Sdarid hame or name. Our kinfolk on the Nine Isles have waited o'erlong for our coming - it's time we made our stand. Forget the continent and its squabbles, our vision should be on restoring our people, our lands, and our honour. Clan ap-Filigan is ready to give heart and soul as it has given heart and soul before. Let us once more live out our past glories, you will find that the fires of our battle furies are ready for a great bursting."
Speaker - Chief Somhairle Aenoich of Clan ap-Fhinnan
"In times such as these, my Lairds, it is good to abstain from anger and seek the wisdom often to be found in the calm consideration of a situation. The continental powers stand at the cusp of war, a war that will ravage their lands and people and condemn millions to Taech Ducyffel. The rivers of Taech Ducyffel will gush forth and flow crimson with the crime. Would we let it be written in history that the Sdaric race was a party to this great bloodletting? Would we let it be known that when the times of blood came the sons of Seihdhara were the first to leap in? It is of honour to die defending hearth and home, it is not of honour to cause others to do so.
Our lands were stolen by a cruel and merciless foe, this is true. It was our weakness that made that so. Now that our foe's back is turned and he deals with another threat - would you have us strike? Would you have it said of us - 'The Sdarids could ne'er win an honourable war, dishonour alone brought them victory'. I for one cannot stand that to be so. If the continental powers must fight, then let them fight - we have neither ox nor cow in this dispute. But if we have been approached by the Cethosfolk for trade, then let us consider it - our clan-companies trade with all bar the Etrans, we have no dispute or hostility with the Cethosfolk.
Now the draft agreement is a somewhat sweeping document and, I fear, infringes greatly on clan rights. Neither I nor clan ap-Fhinnan can accept it as it stands. It will have to undergo significant amendations before it is even somewhat acceptable - this talk of alliance must be got rid of, for one. So too this matter of consulates and freedom of movement into our territories - the current arrangement which sees all foreigners confined to Isle Taobh-Amuigh is perfectly fine. It may also be prudent, seeing as Cethos will likely be following the Etrans into war, to put into place an article guaranteeing safe and free passage for our shipping to all nations, no matter the changes to Cethos' foreign relations. We would not want the Cethosfolk to attempt to prevent our shipping from making its way to Krator or Gynurk ports in the event of war."
Our lands were stolen by a cruel and merciless foe, this is true. It was our weakness that made that so. Now that our foe's back is turned and he deals with another threat - would you have us strike? Would you have it said of us - 'The Sdarids could ne'er win an honourable war, dishonour alone brought them victory'. I for one cannot stand that to be so. If the continental powers must fight, then let them fight - we have neither ox nor cow in this dispute. But if we have been approached by the Cethosfolk for trade, then let us consider it - our clan-companies trade with all bar the Etrans, we have no dispute or hostility with the Cethosfolk.
Now the draft agreement is a somewhat sweeping document and, I fear, infringes greatly on clan rights. Neither I nor clan ap-Fhinnan can accept it as it stands. It will have to undergo significant amendations before it is even somewhat acceptable - this talk of alliance must be got rid of, for one. So too this matter of consulates and freedom of movement into our territories - the current arrangement which sees all foreigners confined to Isle Taobh-Amuigh is perfectly fine. It may also be prudent, seeing as Cethos will likely be following the Etrans into war, to put into place an article guaranteeing safe and free passage for our shipping to all nations, no matter the changes to Cethos' foreign relations. We would not want the Cethosfolk to attempt to prevent our shipping from making its way to Krator or Gynurk ports in the event of war."
Speaker - Chief Ruathan Muhrdhaenn of Clan Rosaec
"Lairds, you have heard the propositions given us by the Krators and Cethosis, and you have heard a variety of different views by the Much Honoured Lairds who spoke before me. Our people stand today before many diverging paths - the choice is, however, ultimately between our downfall and our prosperity. I do not say that the choices made here today can spell our destruction, but they can certainly lead us down the path of suffering and loss - as we were in suffering and loss for over a thousand years before the unification and liberation of our hame. I do not say that peace will protect us from this suffering - we must know when to stand and fight and when to bide our time. The question now is this: is this the time for us to fight or is it not? And if it is - then who are we to fight? And how are we to fight? For the fight is not always a martial one, the battle is waged on a multitude of fronts - the political, the economic, the diplomatic.
I put it to you that Her Grace and the Priyetcyn have for long pursued a third way - freedom from the squabbles of the Krators and the Etrans. In pursuit of this, we made peace with the Vagdins though they were our bitterest foes - and even now continue to aid them and foster good relations with them in the hopes of one day establishing a firm military alliance. Even now we continue to reach out to the small powers of the world - this is for one reason and one reason alone my Liards: we believe that there is a Third Way. It is that which I believe we should get behind. Let us extract ourselves from the offers of the Krators and Cethosis. Let us maintain goodly relations with them, but not overly friendly. And let us forge firm friendships and alliances with those who, like us, seek to be free and secure from the foolish flames unleashed by the continental powers."
I put it to you that Her Grace and the Priyetcyn have for long pursued a third way - freedom from the squabbles of the Krators and the Etrans. In pursuit of this, we made peace with the Vagdins though they were our bitterest foes - and even now continue to aid them and foster good relations with them in the hopes of one day establishing a firm military alliance. Even now we continue to reach out to the small powers of the world - this is for one reason and one reason alone my Liards: we believe that there is a Third Way. It is that which I believe we should get behind. Let us extract ourselves from the offers of the Krators and Cethosis. Let us maintain goodly relations with them, but not overly friendly. And let us forge firm friendships and alliances with those who, like us, seek to be free and secure from the foolish flames unleashed by the continental powers."
Speaker - Chief Chu-Mhaedha of Clan Aujvint o' th'Marshes
"My Lairds, I have had the opportunity to speak directly with some of the Cethosi diplomats on Isle Taobh-Amuigh, and the matter of the strange movements of their naval forces was touched upon. I was reassured in very strong terms that the Cethosi state has no intention whatsoever of attacking Sidara. The Cethosis diplomat I spoke to was in fact quite candid about the whole affair - the Cethosis seek the conquest (or reconquest, as he put it) of a large number of islands to our east that were lost to them during their wars with the Krators. The Cethosi have no pretensions to our territories and are certainly not preparing an invasion of our island hame as the Much Honoured Laird of Clan MgGrregah o' Galams-Stand suggested. We have never had any conflicts with the Cethosi and there is no reason to suspect that they are acting in bad faith. Opening up trade with- ah, yes of course. I am happy to give way to the Much Honoured Laird."
Speaker - Chief Aenric Soamus of Clan MgGrregah o' Galams-Stand
"My Laird, while the words of this Cethosi diplomat you spoke with do cast a new light on the situation, they do not change much. The Cethosfolk are little more than puppets of the Etrans. All that the Cethosfolk do and say is to be questioned, and it is perfectly reasonable to suspect - and, indeed, when the Etrans are involved, expect - foul play. An alliance with the ally of our foe is no alliance at all; and friendship with them would be a farce. In situations such as these ancient wisdom guides the way - if the enemy of our enemy is our friend, then the friend of our enemy is our enemy. The Krators and Gynurks are friends of ours today, the Etrans and the Cethosfolk our foes."
Speaker - Chief Chu-Mhaedha of Clan Aujvint o' th'Marshes
"I thank the Much Honoured Laird for his interjection. His words are fruit for thought even if I find myself in disagreement with the sentiment expressed. It is neither seemly nor goodly Sdarid practice to punish one nation for the crimes of another. The Cethosi people have never wronged us and only extend their hands to us in friendship - why then does the Much Honoured Laird call on us to extend our swords in enmity? If we will not repay friendship with friendship, then let us at the very least keep our peace and, as the Much Honoured Laird of Laird of Clan Rosaec put forth, pursue our Third Way."
[The Duthchas continues discussing the matters at hand for an hour more before the issues are put to the vote.]
On the Matter of ALLYING with the KRATORS - REJECTED
-- 18 FOR
-- 38 AGAINST
-- 9 ABSTAIN
On the MATTER of the DRAFT TREATY with the CETHOSFOLK - REJECTED
-- 12 FOR
-- 53 AGAINST
-- 0 ABSTAIN
On the MATTER of COMPETING in SPORTING EVENTS for the NINE ISLES - REJECTED
-- 23 FOR
-- 42 AGAINST
-- 0 ABSTAIN
