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Mierbuerg, the Kingdom on the Ardäin

Collaboration by Hygswitch and TheSovereignGrave

	The sky above Mierbuerg was grey with clouds, the sun's light only occasionally peeking out from a break in the clouds. Rain was falling upon the city, and while at present it was only a drizzle, the sound of far off thunder warned of a coming downpour in the none to distant future. Throughout much of the city, many were making their way home with only those who had business more important than being caught in the coming storm.

    	The exception to this was Mierbuerg's harbour, where sailors were quickly making certain their vessels were secure and dock workers were working as quickly as they could to move the ships' cargo to the warehouses. The docks themselves were of relatively high quality, with Mierbuerg being the largest port in the Kingdom it could afford to keep the docks in good shape. Most of the dockworkers themselves were quite obviously poor, but one could see the well-dressed merchants and captains, both foreign and local, here and there. Of course, most of them were making their way to the relative dryness of their ships or local taverns.

    	The Lucrecia, one of the most priced vessels in house Idoni's own fleet was pulling into harbour, seeking shelter from the coming rain. Gilded ships, with the indigo trimmed sails of the Turchinan navy where rarely seen this far north up the coast, too poor was most of the populace, as that huge shipments of the fine goods of the southern cities luxury goods would sell well enough here. None the less, for the most part the southerners where happily welcomed, especially by the local traders, bend on making the best deal, of securing goods as priced as these. 

    	The Ship in fact brought more than just goods though, the Turchinan Maestro di Marina, Pierro Idoni himself was on board. The tall man was standing up in the bow of the rowboat, that shuttled him to the pier, even before the ship had reached it. Something like this was almost never seen done by such a finely clothed man. The prideful sight was only spoiled by the constant muttering of the young woman sitting in the boats stern. "Father you never told me this place would be so wet and cold, will we be at shore soon?" The woman asked pulling her shawl closer to her shoulders. It was the maestro's youngest daughter Cosima Idoni, already famed for her beauty despite her meager 16 years.

    	Waiting upon the shore, having been waiting inside close by until word had spread of the ornate ship pulling into the harbour, was the Grand Duke's steward accompanied by several of the vun Mierbuerg family's household knights. The steward himself was a rather portly man, completely bald aside from an expansive mustache, dressed in clothing that, while fine, paled in comparison to the Maestro di Marina's own. The group of knights themselves were dressed in full plate male, their swords at their hilts and shields upon their backs.

    	The Steward waited patiently for Pierro to make his way to shore, and upon his arrival made sure to stand up as straight and tall as he could, which still wasn't particularly impressive, before greeting his master's most-esteemed guest.

    	"Ah, Maestro Pierro I presume?" the Steward said, "I am Fernand vun der Schlaang d'Dier, Steward of Groussherzog Stephan vun Mierbuerg. My master has been awaiting your arrival quite eagerly."

    	As the boat reached the shore the Maestro was the first to be on dry ground, not even waiting for his sailors to make fast. It was very apparent that, despite being in his early fifties and of a high office, the man very much still retained a good fitness and nimble body of a seasoned sailor. He shortly shifted his rich clothing to make it fit properly again. He wore the finest Turchina's looms churned out and a gilded cuirass in the modern style, everything bordered with the stitched golden dagger crosses of his coat of arms. A crass contrast to the Ardäin men's more traditional plate. He waited for his own men to help his still mumbling daughter up behind him, even lend her a gallant hand, then turned and bowed appropriately deep. "Your presumption is well founded my Lord. Maestro di Marina Pierro Idoni, and may I introduce my fairest and youngest daughter? The fair Cosima Idoni." He indicated her and the young girl, cheeks and ears rosy by the cold air, curtsied perfectly, though her biting the corner of her lower lip might have spoiled this perfect execution of the gesture a bit, at least to those most observant of onlookers.

    	Steward Fernand bowed just as deeply in return to the two foreign dignitaries, keeping his surprise at the presence of the Maestro's daughter to himself but too distracted by it to notice her momentary lapse in custom. Whether the Grand Duke was unaware, or simply had not deemed it fit to inform him of the girl's presence he did not know. Nor was it his place to question his master regardless. Meanwhile the knights accompanying him gave their own bows as well.

    	"It is a pleasure to meet the both of, though I am no Lord. I am naught but a simple steward," he said, before gesturing towards the city, "And I hope I am not being presumptuous, but I assume the Maestro and his daughter would prefer to be out of this rain. My master has prepared a carriage to take you to his abode, if you would please follow me."

	The Maestro nodded smiling faintly. "A dry place would be very welcome indeed." Pierro answered and followed the welcome party to the waiting transport occasion. Again he respectfully let his daughter mount the wagon first, helping her in, before following himself, into the dim, but dry insides of the coach.

    	The carriage itself was ornate with the wood carved in a multitude of sea-based images, and the interior had curtains one could pull shut so that those outside could not see inside. Meanwhile the steward and the knights entered a second, and far plainer, carriage and the group began on it way. They made their way through the gates separating the harbour from the rest of the city and began the journey toward the Grand Duke's castle. It was on tall hill overlooking Mierbuerg, and while it could be seen from the docks the rain and dimness prevented one from making out any real details. Many of the streets were empty, owing to the coming storm, though there was the occasional hurried servant out doing a chore for their master. For the Grand Duke had planned out a very specific route for the Maestro and his daughter to take, one which stayed almost exclusively in the more affluent parts of the city and completely avoided the slums.

	Cosima held the curtains open just a bit to peer outside, for her eyes, so very used to the splendour of Turchinas palazzi even the richer parts of town looked rather, rustic and shabby. 
"So daughter, is the north as romantic as you thought?" he quibbed, a gleam in her fathers eye. She sighed a bit at that. "Oh well, it is not as colourful as in the books, that much I can tell father." he laughed jolly at it "I told you when you asked me to come. the real world rarely looks like the woodcuts in your sagas and legends." she pouted and stared accusingly at him for that. "Aw don't be mad Cosima, gibing my daughter is one of the few unspoiled joys of your old fathers life." They rolled on through the cities streets for some time, before Pierro smiled faintly as he inspected the decorum. "At least they have an affinity for the sea like we do, though I doubt that this steward ever even set foot on a proper ship."

    	But eventually the carriages would reach their destination, and it was a sight to behold. The castle, commonly known as the Mermaid's Palace, was a gargantuan thing and a relic of a bygone age. Though it was unlikely to stand up to cannon fire, it was a formidable fortification in the past. It was befitting a city in such an important location as Mierbuerg, as well as having been a suitable seat in ages long past when house vun Mierbuerg ruled the mouth of the river as Kings. Though the carriages had to halt for the castle's portcullises to open, it was hardly a long wait. When the carriages came to a stop before the great palace itself and a servant opened the door for the Maestro and his daughter it was not a moment too soon. For the thunder had grown more frequent and was now accompanied by flashes of lightning, and one could see the deluge of water making its way in from the sea.

	Worriedly Pierro gazed back as the others hurried into the grand old building, hoping his vessel had made fast in time, and would weather this storm. The harbour had seemed a bit too exposed to this particular wind direction when they where coming in. As his gaze was stopped by the castlewall and afterwards when heading in, the maestro took note of his surroundings. The vun Mierbuergs apparently really where as traditionalist as the rest of this land, most of Turchina's provinces by now had build modern fortifications, optimized against cannonfire, not as traditionally charmingly vertical though. Castles like this did not make much sense to him, why live in the shadow of walls that cannot protect anymore? Why not pull them down, and add bigger windows to let in more sun? Time apparently really passed a lot differently up here, he decided, he would need to step carefully.

    	The Turchinans would, upon entering the palace be greeted by the structure's foyer. It would be their first taste of how the Ardäin's real nobility lived. Not the merchants or the simply affluent of the land, but the true ruling class that held almost all of the real power in the Ardäin. The foyer of the Mermaid's Palace was a grand thing, massive and spacious affair with a pair of marble staircases leading upwards to a second level balcony, with hallways extending to the left and right on both levels and a grand set of thick double-doors straight ahead on the ground floor. This door itself was engraved with a number of images, some somewhat recognizable from tales of the Ambrusian Church, whilst others were of Ardäinesch legends foreign to the Maestro. In addition, the lanterns illuminating the room were all held by statues of mermaids, and indeed mermaids seemed to be a rather common theme. There were banners draped from the balcony emblazoned with a pair of mermaids on a blue background with a silver crown above them, the sigil of the vun Mierbuerg family.

    	Pierro and his daughter where visibly impressed by the grand entrance hall. To the girl it was the first time she saw something that approached her mental image of this place. All the feudal and chivalric elegance she had dreamed off. The Father took note of the elegant stonework and historical and allegorial imagery, echoing a past when his home city was just a collection of rather poor fishing villages at the muddy shore. A shadow of understanding this clinging to tradition and an old way of doing things dawned on him.

    	And standing in the middle of the foyer to greet them was a young man, dressed in exceptionally fine clothes. The tunic, long boots, cape, gloves, everything the man wore were dyed predominantly in shades of blue and made of expensive fabrics. Even though the outfit might seem old fashioned to the Maestro and his daughter, there was no doubting its quality. As for the man himself, he had the pale skin common to the people of the Ardäin as well as light brown hair styled back over his head except for a single curl that draped across his forehead. He was rather handsome, though not exceptionally so, and had striking eyes of deep green.

    	Cosima took note of the young gentleman from the corner of her eyes but feigned chaste nonchalance, hiding behind a fan she produced from somewhere. 

    	When Steward Fernand saw him, he gave the man a deep bow which he responded to with the nod of his head. Then Fernand turned to the Pierro and Cosima, "Please allow me to introduce Lord Wellëm vun Mierbuerg, Knight Paramount of the Order of Saint Aloysius and youngest son of Groussherzog Stephan vun Mierbuerg."

    	Pierro bowed approriately deep "Your Grace, I am honoured to be welcomed to your families seat. I hope you do not mind our disheveled appearance, we were surprised by a shower on our way up here."

    	Wellëm chuckled at that as he returned Pierro's bow with a nod. "Oh, it is no problem at all; I was lucky enough to be inside when the rains began. I assume you are the Maestro di Marina and his daughter?" he said with a smile, sneaking a glance at the young woman, "I can tell you are not Ardäinesch, and I do not believe my father is expecting anyone else of such obviously high status."

    	The Maestro smiled at that. "You are not mistaken m'lord. I am Pierro Idoni, Maestro di Marina of Turchina. And this is my beloved, youngest, Cosima Idoni. It is a pleasure to meet you of course, your Highness." He then turned to the Steward again. "I hope it is not rude to ask, I would welcome it if we where shown to our Quarters, so we can refreshen and order ourselves before we meet the Grosshairsog."

    	"Oh, not at all Maestro. His Grace expected you to be tired from your long journey north, so the formal meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow to allow your party rest," the Steward said, deciding it improper to bring attention to the foreign noble's pronunciation of the Groussherzog's title.

    	"Ah, though my father does want to meet with you before then, Maestro," Wellëm said, "He enjoys speaking without the restrictions of formality. So once you have settled in, I can send a servant to take you to him if you wish."

    	Pierro looked surprised at this. "Your father invites me to his solar? I am truly honoured. I did not expect to be able to treat so freely with him, and appreciate the opportunity."

	The Maestro and his daughter soon retreated to their shared chamber talking a bit as they got comfortable. Their luggage chest had been brought by the Lucrecia's sailors a bit after they had reached the caste themselves. Pierro got into a far less pompous black outfit, made of fine fabric but without any ornamentation apart from a stitched pattern of dagger crosses in the same black colour, only visible to the most observant of eyes. Cosima meanwhile was brushing her long hair, sitting at an window alcove. 
"You are strangely quiet today, child. Pray is there anything wrong?" Her father said softly as he was finished getting ready. "What do you think, too casual for an informal meeting with an Arciduca? Or maybe even not casual enough?" The young woman sighed softly "You look fair enough father." At that Pierro furrowed his brow but decided not to press the matter. "I will be back later and will tell you what the Lord is like. " At this he left the chamber.

    	The servants had been informed of their lord's desire to meet with the Maestro, and so it did not take long for Pierro to find one to take him to meet with the Grand Duke. The trip to the solar was not a particularly long one, though it took the Maestro through several long hallways and finally up a long, circular staircase up one of the castle's towers. The servant politely knocked on the door, and a muffled voice responded from within at which the servant opened the door for Pierro, and politely bowed as he entered.

    	The solar itself contained more of the ornate decoration; though the walls and floor were stone there was a variety of ornate wooden furniture, the floor was covered in an expensive rug, and beautiful tapestries hung from the walls in between the tall windows. There were also several bookcases, and a fireplace in front of which sat an older man. He was dressed in a relatively plain outfit of blue and silver, but was made of fine fabric nonetheless. The man's short-cropped hair and neatly-trimmed beard were dark grey with a hint of its original brown, showing his age, but his body and arms still had the muscular thickness of a trained warrior which age had only just begun to strip away.

    	When he saw the Maestro he looked up and smiled. "Ah, Maestro Pierro. I have been expecting you; please, have a seat," he said, putting the book he had been reading down and gesturing to another chair in front of the crackling fireplace, "I must say, it is a pleasure to meet you at last."

    	Pierro bowed not quite es deep as he would have in more formal surroundings before having a seat. "Thank you very much for having my your Highness. The pleasure is all mine." The dark clothing quite accentuated his own greying hair and through the fine fabric it was apparent that his legs where still very much trained by walking on an ever shifting ship deck. "I hope it will not be a problem that I brought my youngest with me to your domain?"

    	"Oh no, not at all Maestro. Though I do have to ask you not to call me 'your Highness'; that's reserved solely for the King. Your Grace would be the proper way to address me in public," Stephan said, then sighed, "Irritating, I know. But we Ardäinesch do love our formalities. However, this is not formal, so would you object to referring to one another by name? It makes conversation far easier, I find."

    	Pierro lowered his head shortly apologetically. "Oh I am sorry for my lack in courtly etiquette, I have to admit it is not one of my strong suits. As you know to hold office in my own Country one must not carry any lordships, thus is our republican custom. Anyways by all means let us call each other by our names of birth, I will simply be Pierro then."

    	"Honestly, I do not expect anyone from outside the Kingdom to know all the intricacies of Ardäinesch etiquette. The only reason I know it is because it was drilled into me since I was a child," Stephan replied nonchalantly, "So, Pierro, you said you brought your youngest? Would they be a son or daughter?"

    	"Oh I have been blessed with many a great fortune, but a son is none of them." He chuckled softly. "No it in fact is my youngest daughter. My wife was against traveling with her, but she begged me relentlessly for days, so what was I to do? I do have a soft spot for my offspring, Cosima in particular." He indicated the Archdukes glasses and decanter. "May I?"

    	Stephan gestured to the glasses as well, "Oh, of course. I actually recently received an excellent batch of wine from my brother-in-law. House vun der Riefstack is renowned throughout the Ardäin for its vineyards, so I am sure you'll find one to your liking. Shall I call in a servant? Or would you prefer to pour it yourself?"

    	"Oh no need to busy the menial staff. I know how to handle a good wine." he said inspecting the colour in the decanter before pouring for both of them, holding it up to the light, smelling and in the end tasting a sip. He nodded after some time, satisfied "I have to say, I did not expect to find such a fine drop this far north. It must be hard cultivating the vines in this climate?"

    	"If I am to be honest, I don't really know. The vun der Riefstacks live quite far to the south; on the southern border, actually. So if anyone knew, it'd likely be my wife seeing as how she grew up there," Stephan said, casually taking a sip from his own glass, "But you say you brought your daughter? I must ask, how is she enjoying her little taste of the Ardäin? It must be a far cry from what she is used to."

    	"I wouldn't know, we only took water once and didn't dock at that particular port, and only just got here. I think she imagined it a bit different, she quite likes tales of Ardäin chivalry and I think the colourful etchings and paintings might have given her a distorted picture of your land." He took another sip sighing. "But what do I know, when I left she was staring out the window wistfully. I think seeing something of the world will do her good, maybe even help her grow up?" he seemed to ponder this. "So you do have a son. A fine young gentleman, we met him when we came into your house, down in the entry hall. Any other children?"

    	"Ah, young Wellëm told me he met you when you had just arrived. He is a fine young man, and I certainly am proud to have him for a son though I am glad he is not my eldest. He is something of a romantic as well, you see," Stephan said, "And I do have several other children. My eldest son serves as castellan for one of my family's other keeps, to prepare him to take my place. My second son serves at the King's court in Kinnekdrelaps alongside my darling daughter, Queen Stephanie." Though the Grand Duke did his best to hide it his body and voice tensed up at the mention of his daughter, and it seemed as though he had more to say but nothing more was forthcoming.

    	Pierro decided not to push this topic too much, but mentally took note of this, nodding slowly as the other man talked. "So you are blessed with quite a few children yourself and have done well for them. What more can a father wish for in live." He nodded some more as he finished his glass. "Alas my own children making days are over, or at least my Lady wives. Most likely the leadership of my house will end up in my nephews hands." he said seriously. "Which could be worse, I made sure to take him under my wing long years back and he serves as admiral to our fine cities fleet. Hah I'd say I had just as much influence on him as my brother." He remained silent, watching the glass in his hand.

    	"Maybe we should talk about something more elevating than lineages." but he did not bring up any particular topic himself, just looking at Stephan.

    	"Hah, perhaps it is for the best. Men our age can certainly wax on about about their families without stopping, true?" Stephan said with a small smile, "Perhaps we should speak of more pertinent matters? Such as that which brings you so far north, maybe?"

    	"My fine Mierbuerg may be an impressive sight in the Ardäin, and while plenty of traders come and go here could always be more. Do you not agree?" Stephan said, "Perhaps your countrymen do not think there is much of value up here in our land, and I know that many outside the Kingdom think us Ardäinesch backwards and foolish. But I invited you here hoping that, perhaps, I could change your mind."

	The Maestro listened intently. "I have to admit that I myself never gave it too much thought. My late father and the Doge, when he was still able to fulfill his duties. very much set up Turchina's trade to be quite export oriented, and especially focused on luxury goods. And while the noble houses up here are good buyers for such wares, especially when it comes to dyes and fabrics it just wasn't really worthwhile sending that many a ship up." 
He thought about it. "I myself have to admit, that while I am a fine naval commander and seaman, I am not that much of a trader, it's mostly my brother who oversees our families businesses. He even sits on the council of seven for me. Though I must say from what I have seen so far, and that is not much, I can say that there apparently are very fine craftsmen in your land and there might be many a good that would fetch quite the coin elsewhere. Also with better relations between our own families, and by extent Ardäin and the Republic, I can imagine ships of mine sailing up here more often, and maybe, if the other nobles allow it, finding their way upstream from here."

	He had been staring distractedly as he talked then focused again, a smile flickering over his face."Maybe I am playing too much with open cards. My, my you know how to listen and how to make a man talk."

    	Stephan smiled as well, quietly taking another sip of his wine as he did so. "I find that taking the time to listen to others is often just as important, if not more so, than talking yourself. And, like you, I am more of military man than a trader but brokering such relations is within the best interests of my House, so I do what I must," he said, "In addition, I agree with everything you have said, and I must say it gladdens me that we seem to be of the same mind. And much of the river from here to the capital is under the domain of either me or my grandson, Herzog Rodolphe vun Gëllenduerf, so your ships will be allowed travel of the lower Ardäin at the very least."

	Pierro's smile brightened at that, a determined gleam in his one Eye. "Who would have expected me to find such kinship of interest so easily, it gladdens me that you arranged for the opportunity to talk as freely as we just do. As can be attested by the fruit this already bears it is a good way to go." Satisfied he scratched his chin beard a bit. "Details are best left to another time, let us rather talk about what is planned for the morrow. Is there anything I need to know? Any pitfalls of etiquette I need to steer clear of. I do not intent to spoil our fine fruit before it is ripe, after all."

	"Well, the fact that you are a foreigner is likely to help; you likely will not be held to as high a standard since you were not raised here. Though I will be frank, many in my court view the Turchinan noble families as little more than upjumped peasants. Even those who, just a few generations ago, were simply rich traders of no noble blood. But you are my guest, so they will at least treat you with respect," Stephan said, then scratched his beard in thought, "The official meeting will take place in the morning, in the castle's Hall. It is, essentially, my throne room but only the King is allowed to call his fancy chair a throne. I will send my herald to you so that you can inform him of your full titles so he may introduce you, as it is considered improper for members of the ruling class to introduce themselves in a formal setting. Otherwise, simply be as polite as possible and make sure that you wear the most expensive clothes you brought along with you. Oh, and Groussherzog or Your Grace would be the proper way to refer to me."

	He nodded from time to time listening intently. "I am very aware of this view on our noble houses, most in fact started out this way, though one could argue that the number of 'proper' nobility that married in should at least account for something. Anyways would it be proper to bring my daughter to this occasion? I think she would like witnessing such a pompous occasion, and maybe even learn a thing or two."

	"Oh, of course," Stephan replied, "So long as she follows the proper etiquette as well. And, well, make sure she does not speak unless someone else speaks to her first."

	"Oh do not, worry. Most of these rules apply in Turchina in a similar fashion, and my daughter is a lot better at observing this than I am myself."

	At that Stephan smiled and stood up to retrieve the bottle of wine before pouring himself another glass and handing to to Pierro. "Well, I look forward to meeting you tomorrow," he said, raising his glass, "To a long and fruitful future."

	Pierro did the same, standing and raising his glass "May good fortune come for both our houses from this."

Turchina's Maestro di Marina, Pierro Idoni, travels with his youngest daughter, Cosima Idoni, to the Ardäinesch city of Mierbuerg to meet with it local lord, Groussherzog Stephan vun Mierbuerg.
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