End of Empires - N3S III

[Thlayli]

From: Talephas, Redeemer of Man, Ruler of the North of the World, High Prince of the Unbowed, Scion of Taleldil, Prince of the Shield, Lawgiver of the Evyni, Chief-Protector of the Uggor
To: Metexares, Prince of the Star

Many demands, Star-Prince, do you set as your price. I cannot say I am entirely surprised at your behavior, but allow me to respond to it. I have no knowledge of whether or not you are an Ayasi, or whether or not Triad belongs rightfully to you or to the Uggor tarkanai who have lived there for centuries. I am sure the inhabitants would dispute your claim, but such is the way of things.

I take no position on the matter.

However, I do have knowledge of what is and is not mine, and what is and is not rightfully mine to give. Triad is not mine to dispose of. I am not the Ruler of the South of the World.

The only man, Metexares, who can accept or reject your claim on Triad, and your claim to be an Ayasi, is the Ayasi of the Moti. For reasons obvious, it is impossible to obtain recognition or rejection of your claim from Sixth-Gaci. And it will remain so, as Sianai, even in utmost defeat, will surely kill Sixth-Gaci before the end.

As such, you have two choices. Agree to recognize the new Ayasi of the Moti and negotiate with him after his accession regarding the claims you seek, or refuse to recognize him and make war to seize what you believe is rightfully yours.

I will not choose the gold or silver path for you, I merely lay out that I cannot give you what you seek. If you wish to make battle-challenge to claim Triad, however, I will be forced to defend it, as I am the protector of the Moti and their lands until such time as a new Ayasi has been acclaimed.

Such a distraction would only embolden Sianai and increase his defiance, and allow the Vithanama time to regroup following their defeat and sow further chaos in the heart of the South of the World. I trust that a man of your years and wisdom will recognize that pressing your claims now would sow the seeds of a greater tragedy for us all.

But my trust has been betrayed before.

 

[spryllino]

I entirely commend the Prince of the Shield on his just attitude: Triad is indeed not yours to return to us. It is, however, the possession of the Ayasi. We have prerogatives which the Ayasi should grant us, and it was to those who would be Ayasi, and to the Chiefs of the Uggor, that we chiefly directed our words.

We are, furthermore, allies of the Ayasi, and will march through Triad, as the Ayasi's allies, whenever it happens that we march to secure the south of the Empire for the Ayasi. We will not make any hostile move against Triad or annex it without the Ayasi's permission, nor do we make battle-challenge for it, but we will march thither, and when we have set order over the lands between Triad and Krato, we will ask the Ayasi, since there then be an Ayasi to talk to, to grant us what we have warranted. You need not stop us, for we, like you, fight for the Ayasi and were asked by him to ride forth upon his land to return it to order. If you do ride out to halt us, that would be a challenge - and a challenge issued to us and to all our allies.

But that is irrelevant: we fight for the Ayasi, and have said we endorse the prospect of the election of a new one. We stand beside you, and march forth across the Kotthorns to wreak destruction on the bandits and the barbarians and to bring peace once again to the shores of the Galas.

 

[m.t.cicero]

After talking with NK I am now claiming the title Rosh of the Airani

 

[Thlayli]

From: Talephas, Redeemer of Man
To: The Halyr of Gallat, The Council of Kargan

The Halyr has always spoken with my voice and authority regarding my domain east of the sea.

As such, his anger troubles me.

Nonetheless, the Karganai, deluded as they are by the worship of the many-faced Aitah, have shown themselves still in possession of the capacity to reason. Since we are reasonable men, we must come to a reasonable agreement.

It seems that the obvious solution will be for the Council to officially recognize the unqualified independence of the Astrians and the people of Chavi under Maninist governments in submission to the Halyr. In return for this their new dominion in the Peko will not be threatened.

I trust this will be an acceptable compromise. If not, the Halyr has my boon to take all actions necessary to restore order on the far continent.

 

[m.t.cicero]

From: Ibala, Rosh of the Airani
To: The Halyr of Gallat, The Council of Kargan, and Talephas, Ruler of the North of the World

The Rosh endorses the Redeemer's plan for peace, and is willing to commit the Airani to its enforcement. He looks to the West and sees the pain and agony which war has wrought, and though he is committed to the spread of the Faith-the true Faith to the ends of the earth, he believes that the path to inner perfection is best taught by the word and the pen and not by the point of a sword.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

From: Talephas, Redeemer of Man
To: The Halyr of Gallat, The Council of Kargan

The Halyr has always spoken with my voice and authority regarding my domain east of the sea.

As such, his anger troubles me.

Nonetheless, the Karganai, deluded as they are by the worship of the many-faced Aitah, have shown themselves still in possession of the capacity to reason. Since we are reasonable men, we must come to a reasonable agreement.

It seems that the obvious solution will be for the Council to officially recognize the unqualified independence of the Astrians and the people of Chavi under Maninist governments in submission to the Halyr. In return for this their new dominion in the Peko will not be threatened.

I trust this will be an acceptable compromise. If not, the Halyr has my boon to take all actions necessary to restore order on the far continent.

We do not find such a decision wholly agreeable, and it is not a compromise by any stretch of the imagination. It is an uneven submission in every area discussed. Both the Halyrate of Gallat and the Farubaida o Caroha have agreed to the establishment of an independent Astrian state that protects the rights of worship for Maninist and Aitahist alike. To make Astria a wholly Maninist state vassalized to the Halyr completely undermines one of the key tenets of the Treaty of Reppaba, which was signed in good faith by the very same leaders who continue to reign in our two respective polities.

We recognize that Maninists form the majority of the Astrian population. Thus, we are not opposed to the likelihood that its government will be formed primarily by the Maninists of its nation. What we are opposed to is the possibility of the establishment of institutionalized repression of either Maninism or Aitahism.

What we want are assurances that the government of Astria will uphold this mutually agreed-upon condition of its re-establishment, and that Gallatene troops will withdraw and allow the nation to operate freely outside of the Halyr's control, just as it is outside of the Sarafaio's control.

For the matter of the uprisings in the eastern Peko, we have heard the insistent voices of many powers calling for the abandonment of Farubaidan governance over the region. However, we have already set out to contact the leaders of this uprising, so that we may resolve their grievances and re-establish Reppaba's rule over the region, and anticipate a response in due time. We are frustrated that so many have opted to intrude into what has been previously accepted to be a domestic issue of the Farubaida.

 

[Perfectionist]

The Halyrate would find the Sarafaio's protestations rather more convincing if not for its already confirmed lack of regard for the word and spirit of the Treaty of Reppaba and the domestic affairs of its neighbours. As it is, the Halyr finds the Sarafaio's continued insistence on playing the wronged innocent in all areas in defiance of observed reality insulting to his intelligence, and he is unwilling to indulge them any further in that charade. The followers of Aitah have NEVER needed to fear unjust persecution at the hands of those walking the Path of Manin, not even after those same Aitahists burned every Maninist they could lay hands on. But it has been amply demonstrated over the last hundred years - and is even now being shown again in Peko and Astria - that Aitahist polities are utterly intolerant of the existence of Maninists - and Ardavani, and Orthodox Iralliamites, and Indagahori, for that matter - in any capacity other than that of a slave, and utterly unwilling to relinquish even a smidgen of power, no matter how illegitimate, once they have attained it. We were mistaken to believe even for an instant that the Farubaida differed in this regard.

The Halyr thanks the Redeemer for his wise intervention, and agrees that his proposal is a fair solution. Indeed, it seems to the Halyr that it is precisely in the spirit of the solution arrived at ten years ago - also thanks to the intervention of the Redeemer of Man - and he is disappointed that the intransigence and arrogance of the Farubaida requires us and the Redeemer to revisit this previously settled issue, and wishes to apologize, since they will not do so themselves.

 

[Thlayli]

The Redeemer did not, in fact, sign the Treaty of Reppaba, as the Redeemer's position is that to sign treaties with the vassals of the Ruler of the South of the World would recognize to those powers an authority that they do not have. He consented to allow his vassal, the Halyr of Gallat, to sign a treaty with a vassal of the Ayasi of Moti, having given him full authority over the matter.

But the Redeemer did not sign the Treaty of Reppaba himself, and it having been found insufficient to protect the Maninists of the land from Aitahist depredations, the Treaty must obviously be renegotiated, for a treaty is worthless if it cannot stand for decades or generations on its own merits. The Redeemer still wishes to walk the path of peace, but walking that path will require sacrifices from the Fivefold Council of Kargan.

The Redeemer now issues them this choice: Accept that you have lost in Astria, and in Chavi, and retain your control of the Peko, or dispute it further, and cause the Redeemer to cease restraining the Halyr from taking punitive measures against your Aitahist impositions on Maninist-majority areas. The Redeemer will offer the Kargani a benefice of 1,000 to aid in the resettlement of those who would leave these regions rather than exist under the rule of Maninist authority, but that is all his mercy permits.

-Veccis-ta-Veccai, High Confessor of the Sephashim and Scribe to Talephas the Great

 

[Lord_Iggy]

The leaders of the East Peko have still not even spoken.

Our 'two respective polities' referred to Gallat and Caroha. Apologies for that lack of clarity.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

The Halyrate would find the Sarafaio's protestations rather more convincing if not for its already confirmed lack of regard for the word and spirit of the Treaty of Reppaba and the domestic affairs of its neighbours.

This remains an allegation without evidence.

But it has been amply demonstrated over the last hundred years - and is even now being shown again in Peko and Astria - that Aitahist polities are utterly intolerant of the existence of Maninists - and Ardavani, and Orthodox Iralliamites, and Indagahori, for that matter - in any capacity other than that of a slave, and utterly unwilling to relinquish even a smidgen of power, no matter how illegitimate, once they have attained it.

This is also unsubstantiated. We have shown you sign of treating any of these people as slaves.

Indeed, it seems to the Halyr that it is precisely in the spirit of the solution arrived at ten years ago - also thanks to the intervention of the Redeemer of Man - and he is disappointed that the intransigence and arrogance of the Farubaida requires us and the Redeemer to revisit this previously settled issue, and wishes to apologize, since they will not do so themselves.

The issue was settled, and we are of the view that you are now raising the issues once more, seeking to make gains for yourself while offering nothing in return.

He consented to allow his vassal, the Halyr of Gallat, to sign a treaty with a vassal of the Ayasi of Moti, having given him full authority over the matter.

Once again, the Farubaida has never been a vassal of the Moti. We have long been allies, but we were not and are not direct subordinates.

But the Redeemer did not sign the Treaty of Reppaba himself, and it having been found insufficient to protect the Maninists of the land from Aitahist depredations, the Treaty must obviously be renegotiated, for a treaty is worthless if it cannot stand for decades or generations on its own merits. The Redeemer still wishes to walk the path of peace, but walking that path will require sacrifices from the Fivefold Council of Kargan.

These claimed current depredations do not have basis in fact. If the treaty is indeed worthless, it is because Gallat is now seeking to overturn large parts of it while giving up nothing in return. If they truly wish to repeal the treaty, then perhaps they should say so to us.

The Redeemer now issues them this choice: Accept that you have lost in Astria, and in Chavi, and retain your control of the Peko, or dispute it further, and cause the Redeemer to cease restraining the Halyr from taking punitive measures against your Aitahist impositions on Maninist-majority areas.

Again, all we desire in Astria is a guarantee that its government shall not infringe upon the rights of its people based on their religious views. That is our sole interest in that region. As for the Chavi, once again, they shall speak for themselves.

Spoiler :

Link to video.

 

[Perfectionist]

FROM: Altaro Javan, Halyr
TO: Union of Aitah

I am through talking to the puppets. The puppeteer will show himself and address me directly.

Again, all we desire in Astria is a guarantee that its government shall not infringe upon the rights of its people based on their religious views.

And we are presently ensuring that that shall be the case, and our intervention is only necessary because the Farubaida, whether through malice or, as you protest, gross incompetence, proved unwilling or incapable of doing so. Either way, if you truly desire what you claim you will cease to make an issue out of our activities in Astria, for we are only ensuring that Astria is governed as we agreed it should be.

These claimed current depredations do not have basis in fact.

Unfortunately, Aitahist, the facts do not always conform to your view - the people of Chavi who fled Aitahist oppression and the Aitahists of Nali and its surroundings who refused to relinquish their ill-gotten primacy speak more loudly than any lies coming from Kargan.

This is also unsubstantiated. We have shown you sign of treating any of these people as slaves.

Oh really? Let us count the ways, then: there is the decades long war of extermination directed by your dear friends Qasaarai and Khatai against all the Faithful, there is the desperate resistance of the Maninists of Peko against your looming oppression, there is the refusal of the Aitahists of Astria to accept any state that does not see them predominate, there is the repeated wars of you and your kin against our friends and lords of the Satar on account of your hatred for Ardavan, there is the repeated Farubaidan aggression in the northern seas that was turned back only with the aid of our friends and lords of the Satar, there is the persecution of those Orthodox Iralliamites who dared defy the will of Aitahist Sarafaio, there is the suppression of Indagahori in Leun and elsewhere, there is the death sentence in your law for all who do not worship your Lady. And you claim to tolerance and understanding! It would laughable, if not for the fact that you seem to believe it. The record is clear: Aitahist states cannot and will not permit non-Aitahists any say in their governance, and only begrudgingly even permit them to live.

As we have learned well these last decades, there is no greater misfortune that may befall a country than to find itself neighbours with a polity ruled by Aitahists, save perhaps to find itself ruled by Aitahists.

The issue was settled, and we are of the view that you are now raising the issues once more, seeking to make gains for yourself while offering nothing in return.

The issue was indeed settled, until you broke your word and attempted to ensure continued Aitahist primacy in Astria and the marginalization of the Maninists of the Peko. Even then, we were initially inclined, out of desire to preserve peace and harmony, to let that gross misconduct slide. It was only when you had the sheer gall to accuse us of your own sins that we felt compelled to straighten the record. You brought this on yourself, Aitahist.

Once again, the Farubaida has never been a vassal of the Moti. We have long been allies, but we were not and are not direct subordinates.

It is not the place of the Halyr to make any great claims regarding the sphere of the Redeemer, but he feels compelled to comment that, to his limited understanding, it seems that if the Farubaida does not fall under the rule of the Lord of the South of the World it follows that it must necessarily fall under the rule of the Lord of the North of the World. For the Farubaida, however elevated it might consider itself, is still of the World.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Either way, if you truly desire what you claim you will cease to make an issue out of our activities in Astria, for we are only ensuring that Astria is governed as we agreed it should be.

Good. So will you explicitly state that every Astrian has the right to worship as they please, without fear of governmental repercussions?

Oh really? Let us count the ways, then: there is the decades long war of extermination directed by your dear friends Qasaarai and Khatai against all the Faithful

We are not the Saffirai.

There is the desperate resistance of the Maninists of Peko against your looming oppression.

And from our perspective, the defense of the Aitahists of the Peko from the rightfully vengeful Maninists who perished in war against Qasaarai.

There is the refusal of the Aitahists of Astria to accept any state that does not see them predominate.

We are interested in investigating this, as such a matter would destabilize the region. However, we will seek out evidence before we are willing to conclusively pass judgement on that matter.

There is the repeated wars of you and your kin against our friends and lords of the Satar on account of your hatred for Ardavan.

That's mostly our hatred of being killed en masse, enslaved, and treated like vermin. Our past experiences with Ardavan, indeed, fairly well mirror your experiences with the Cult of the Goddess.

there is the persecution of those Orthodox Iralliamites who dared defy the will of Aitahist Sarafaio.

Are you taking your talking cues from the Grandpatriarch of Opios now? There is no such persecution, and the Sarafaio encompasses a mixture of Aitahists and Iralliamites.

The suppression of Indagahori in Leun and elsewhere, there is the death sentence in your law for all who do not worship your Lady. And you claim to tolerance and understanding! It would laughable, if not for the fact that you seem to believe it.

We can speak for our own government far better than we can speak for nations at the far edge of the world. The Farubaida has made no actions against the follows of the Indagahori faith.

The record is clear: Aitahist states cannot and will not permit non-Aitahists any say in their governance, and only begrudgingly even permit them to live.

You've not made that clear.
[QUOTEThe issue was indeed settled, until you broke your word and attempted to ensure continued Aitahist primacy in Astria and the marginalization of the Maninists of the Peko.[/QUOTE]We have done no such thing.

Even then, we were initially inclined, out of desire to preserve peace and harmony, to let that gross misconduct slide. It was only when you had the sheer gall to accuse us of your own sins that we felt compelled to straighten the record. You brought this on yourself, Aitahist.

You have provided no evidence for any gross misconduct by the Farubaida in this matter.

It is not the place of the Halyr to make any great claims regarding the sphere of the Redeemer, but he feels compelled to comment that, to his limited understanding, it seems that if the Farubaida does not fall under the rule of the Lord of the South of the World it follows that it must necessarily fall under the rule of the Lord of the North of the World.

We are within the sphere of the south of the world, that does not make us vassals of the Lord of the South.

For the Farubaida, however elevated it might consider itself, is still of the World.

As are we all.

 

[Perfectionist]

Good. So will you explicitly state that every Astrian has the right to worship as they please, without fear of governmental repercussions?

Of course. Nowhere in our extensive journeys have we behaved otherwise - that you assume we would is further commentary on the debased nature of Aitahist thinking. Of course, those who have sought to obstruct the establishment of government will face the appropriate repercussions, and we WILL determine their backers, and we WILL make sure that those responsible pay. I suspect that it is this prospect that actually troubles you.

And you, meanwhile, will explicitly state that the people of the eastern Peko have the right to live under whatever government they desire, and that they conclusively rejected the government thrust upon them by the Union of Aitah.

We are not the Saffirai.

You fight for the Savirai, you follow their Goddess, you protect Savirai government from the vengeance of the righteous and you continue Savirai practices. It is clear now that there is no substantive difference.

However, we will seek out evidence before we are willing to conclusively pass judgement on that matter.

YOU will pass no judgment and seek no evidence. YOU are not concerned with this matter, save as a culprit in it. Be glad that we may be willing to overlook your transgression, but do not dare think we will permit you to compound it.

That's mostly our hatred of being killed en masse, enslaved, and treated like vermin. Our past experiences with Ardavan, indeed, fairly well mirror your experiences with the Cult of the Goddess.

It has been many generations since any mass killings or enslavements - in truth if not in name - were carried out by any other than Aitahists. And we, notably, have not attempted to exterminate the Cult of the Goddess, seeing in them only misguided Faithful led astray by you and your dear friends. The darkness at the heart of Aitahism is revealed again and again in the hatred and brutality of its practitioners across the whole of the World, however lamely they try to justify their behaviour.

We have done no such thing.

Denials in the face of observed reality are insulting. Cease them immediately, or anger me further.

You have provided no evidence for any gross misconduct by the Farubaida in this matter.

Persecution such that people felt no choice but to leave their homes and belongings to scratch out a living on the edge of civilization is not gross misconduct? Permitting and supporting the continuance of Imperial governing structures in Astria in direct contravention of Treaty obligations is not gross misconduct? And yet somehow our intervention specifically to ensure that the terms of the Treaty were fulfilled IS gross misconduct. What a strange understanding of obligations you Aitahists have. Veritably Parthecan.

Enough. The Lord of the North has spoken. He may yet speak again, but we, at least, recognize the order of the World, and that however exalted we may be we are still subject to the Lord of the North of the World, and we will not speak further without his blessing.

 

[North King]

To: The Farubaida o Caroha, the Gallatene Empire
From: Melera, Lord Exarch of Caon
cc: The Republic of the Daharai, the Aortai Republic, the Airani Roshate, the Kothari Exatai

By all the gods, both She and He and the Empty Throne, do not let us come to further blows over a simple misunderstanding! As the rightful lord of Coan, the greatest of the Astrian cities, it falls to me to put paid to certain prevarications.

I am Aitahist, verily, for I have conversed with She, and the Red Lady did show me the light, and cure my daughter of her ailment with but a touch. But I am not a bigot. Many centuries have the Astrians held by and large to the Empty Throne, and many centuries before that were we pagan. This is a land of religious tolerance; yea, verily, here, the hand of the Savirai fell lightest, and it was left to us, the lords of the cities, to enforce his laws. And thus we did, enforcing them with great justice and rightness regardless of the faith of the innocent or guilty.

I count among my family and close friends many Aitahists, many Mannists, Indagahori, Iralliamites, and more besides, and I do not begrudge them their gods, nor should you begrudge mine.

And, yea, though the Gallatenes accuse us of being Farubaidan puppets, there is no such thing. The "Carohan presence" that the Halyr alludes to was nothing more than a passing fleet of fifteen ships, with the understanding that should the Halyr, who at the time was no lawful ruler of the land, but an invader seemingly bent on the obliteration of all that had been the Dual Empire, turn on us as well, as he seemingly coveted our lands, they would assist us, and render us aid in good faith. For while we are not their puppets, they knew the hardship that the men of the Lovi suffered for the wars that have occurred elsewhere.

But all that is in the past now; we know the Halyr to be a just and honorable man. And in his rightness and honor, he will surely abide by the treaty he himself signed:

In the south, the land of Astria shall be re-established. It shall be a wholly independent state, and its government shall serve both Maninist and Aitahist alike, seeking to protect both and harm neither.

We have already established just such a state, and that state is Caon.

We are a free city of Astrians, with a government that has some roots in the old Saffrai rule, yes, as all men skilled in such matters worked under the aegis of that state only a decade ago. But we are not the Saffrai, and we have worked hard to establish a fair and free government that serves all the people equally well. We have adopted the Daharai model of the Red Chamber (though, to be sure, we restyled it the Sandstone Chamber for ourselves), and we have picked right and good people, Maninists and Aitahists and Indagahori, and we have ruled the land with a just hand.

You look for a state that will treat the Maninists well, and that will not repress the Aitahists. You look for a state that is fair and free and good besides, stayed by a just hand and with no designs on its neighbors.

My friends, we have already established just such a state, and that state is Caon.

Let us take the rest of the Astrian lands under our guidance, and we shall once more have peace.

To: The Farubaida o Caroha
From: Shevanah, Lord of the Upper Peko

Consider us spake and drank. What is your proposal?

 

[Perfectionist]

FROM: Altaro Javan, Halyr
TO: Melera, Tyrant of Caon

You must think us simple. An Aitahist servant of the dead Qasaarai who speaks of the destruction of the Dual Empire as a calamity from which he needed protection thinking by sweet words to persuade us to hand the whole of Astria over to him, who has no claim whatsoever upon that land, so that he may reinstate the tyranny of the Savirai. A man with no legitimate claim to any leadership - for the acceptance by the debased Imperial elite confers no legitimacy. A man who claims to defend and love his Maninist fellows, but whose first instinct, upon the arrival of troops seeking nothing more than to ensure that the rights and safety of the Maninists of that land were protected was to attack that force, and prevent it from carrying out its mission. You claim no designs on your neighbours, yet seek to use this crisis to extend your dominion over the other Astrian cities. No, Lord Tyrant, for we are not fools. Here are my terms. You will surrender your city, you will permit Astrian and Nahari forces to enter and ensure that all Imperial servants and institutions are rooted out, you will be subject to an investigation to determine your ties or, as you protest, lackthereof with the Farubaida, and then you will submit to a government chosen by and for the WHOLE of Astria, not by and for the upjumped self-proclaimed elite of a single city. If you are truly the paragon you claim to be, no doubt you will have a high place in that government. And if not, well...

 

[North King]

To: Altaro Javan of the North
From: Exarch Melera of the City of Caon

Tyranny is carried out by force, not by the tongue. Do note who has brought his army into Astria from the far distant north.

 

[Perfectionist]

And note the end to which I have come, and the liberty which I have delivered to all in my path, and which you seem determined to obstruct. Were it not for me the Faithful of Astria and elsewhere would yet languish under the Savirai yoke - those this would no doubt suit you very well. That you would dare to call my actions in freeing them tyranny demonstrates only that your essential loyalty remains to Qasaarai, the Dual Empire, Aitahism, and its aims. Your every word undercuts your claim. Tread very carefully, Lord Tyrant.

 

[North King]

To: Altaro Javan of the North
From: Exarch Melera of the City of Caon

Such hostility! Let it not be said that I am an unforgiving man, for though you claim to speak for the Astrian people without having ever set foot on Astrian soil, I am still willing to extend the hand of peace toward you. I entreat you once again, let us come to an understanding; perhaps we can make arrangements for the future of Astria.

 

[Perfectionist]

How can I be anything but hostile towards a man who has killed my soldiers without provocation and lied to my face repreatedly? You claim to have established a Red Chamber, apparently unaware that the Red Chamber is inextricably linked to the Daharai Orders. There are, notably, NO Daharai Orders in Caon, and I become ever more convinced that you are nothing but a petty tyrant using whatever shreds he can find to disguise his crimes. Furthermore, it was not I or my servants who decided to war in Astria, but you and yours. I can assume only that you feared your Imperial sympathies would be discovered and so acted to preempt that possibility. Do not try to play magnanimous peacemaker now. You have committed crimes against me and my people, to say nothing of the people of Caon whose rule I am now convinced you usurped. It is your place to ask for peace and mercy - rest assured I will grant it, if you do ask. If you refuse, however, it will be your end. I made this same offer to Qasaarai once. Do not repeat his mistake.

As to Astria, arrangements will be made. I am a man of my word. Those arrangements will simply be somewhat more just than simply turning the rule of that country over to an Imperial loyalist with a spurious claim to rule even a single city, let alone the country entire, and who is currently in arms against the very force attempting to guarantee those arrangements.

 

[North King]

Hah! We made war unto you? Tell me, Altaro, when were Astrian troops on Gallatene soil? Tell me, why have there been Gallatene troops in Astria, when it was meant to be a free and independent state from both Gallat and the Carohans? Tell me, what crimes have been committed against you and your people? Tell me, Halyr, whence your legitimacy? You have forced your way onto the throne of the Javani Rosh, and terrorized the people of Nahar to caper to you. Now you wish to do the same to us. "Exatas" has no meaning in the south of the world. This is a land of laws and peace.

And that is why I trust in my fellow sovereigns to come to Astria's aid.

Do not allow this tyrant to impose his will here!