End of Empires - N3S III

[TheMeanestGuest]

To: The Emperor of the Kothari Satar
From: Arasos Anthon-Solien, Xarc of the Inan ea Daharai and Kons Ziros

His Majesty oversteps and stumbles, wading hip-deep into treacherous waters. He demonstrates his ignorance, or at the least his willingness to egregiously and shamefully deride the Red Chamber with falsehoods of his own concoction. My beloved country - fair and benevolent Spitos! - has never in its history brought violence to any shore where such was not earned as just and deserved consequence of malice or caprice.

He speaks of the campaigns of my august predecessor against his own realm, claiming innocence. He neglects to address the crimes his forebears strove to commit against the Helsian Empire, our true and noble ally of centuries, which precipitated that historic conflict.

Do not insult the legitimacy of my lawful and ancient titles, for I have never cast aspersions upon your own. Do not seek to cow me, for you will find me unbowed by fear and inspired to Righteousness. Do not underestimate the courage of the Daharai, for they shall disabuse your ambition.

The Red Chamber shall remind His Majesty that his authority amounts to precisely nothing upon the sea, and that he would be better served to swallow down the enormity of his pride before he chokes upon it.

 

[Thlayli]

From: Zakraphetas
To: The Heads of the Synothal Orders and the High Ward

I am willing to negotiate in good faith for the cessation of hostilities. The terms that I am willing to consider are as follows:

• The Vellari will allow continued toleration of Maninist beliefs within Vellari territory. Maninist proselytization to Ardavani will not be permitted, but Ardavani proselytization to Maninists will equally not be permitted. The two religious communities will be allowed to live in peace.
• The Vellari will allow limited Synothal Order activity among the communities of Vellari Maninists, with the understanding that these individuals will not seek to Associate and undermine Vellari governance in the fashion done at Aldina. Agreed-upon legal safeguards will be put in place to prevent this. [1]
• The Vellari will pay an indemnity for damages caused on Halyral property.
• The Vellari will swear to a cessation of all hostilities against the Halyrate and its dependencies for a period of at least 30 years.
• Preferential tariffs will be allowed for Halyral merchants in Vellari ports in return for the reduction of the Inm Anmar tariff and the return of other various tariffs raised in the past 20 years on Accan merchants to pre-war levels
• The High Prince will abdicate and pass authority to a nuccial council. This council will acclaim a new High Prince who will swear himself to abide by and honor the peace.

In the interests of honoring the many dead and their sacrifice, I humbly entreat that the order heads vote on this proposal, and I await their reply. You have shown your exatas, and I have been checked in my ambitions. If we can stop this now, I would wish it.

[1] All Orders with the exception of the Alonite and Ephasirite Orders.

From: The Eccaletta-ta-Nuccia
To: The Synothal Orders and the High Ward

We agree to these terms that the High Prince has presented, and we present them as well as our own.

 

[spryllino]

To the Daharai
From the Redeemer

If that is so, justify in as many words your invasion of Nahar, and demonstrate to the satisfaction of observers that your actions do not constitute a precedent for meddlesomeness, perfidy and opportunism.

You accuse us, meanwhile, of falsehoods, of crimes against the Helsians, of insulting the legitimacy of your titles - what titles? - of trying to cow you, of underestimating your courage, and of having no authority upon the sea. Flattered as we are by the lavishness with which you see fit to attribute these qualities and activities to us, we do not see that your application of them to us bears the stamp of truth, and in most of those cases not even the merest semblance of it; moreover, even if we granted that we are guilty of all of them, they would say much about us, but not much in defence of your foreign policy.

Desist from your opportunistic aggression - not because we say so, but because to do so is right.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

A Call for Order from Laecanu Aramsayafa

It seems, from our distant vantage point on the Helsian Peninsula, that though the northern war has raged now for years. Further conflict will bring neither side closer to victory, it threatens to bring both to ruin. As such, it is only appropriate that we offer ourselves forward as mediators, to help all involved factions find a tolerable neutral compromise that can bring to an end this bloodshed.

Similarly, this war threatens to expand into the south. We strongly advise the Kothari against further escalation of this conflict. While we may not support the Red Chamber in its war, we will not tolerate a return to violence in the southern seas.

 

[Thlayli]

The High Prince will gladly accept the intervention of the Aramsayafas as a mediator.

 

[spryllino]

We point out to the Helsians that we are trying to de-escalate this, and indeed all further conflicts in the South, by curtailing the unreasonable actions of the Daharai. It is us who will not tolerate a return to violence on the southern seas. We also applaud the Helsians' intention to mediate between the Vellari and Halyrate, and hope that, if both sides see fit to accept it, it will no doubt bring about excellent results.

 

[TheMeanestGuest]

To: The Emperor of the Kothari Satar
From: Arasos Anthon-Solien, Xarc, Kons Ziros, Raegnan Nayedon, Edrin ea Teth Talores, ea Ikonia, ea Ond Norion, ea Danetos, &c.

His Majesty pretends at outrage - allow us to offer our applause, we are all quite amused. His Majesty likewise pretends ignorance of the great and noble pedigrees borne by the Houses of Spitos, many indeed more ancient than the House of the Star. I am left to wonder at the strategy his counselors have bade him pursue.

Why should the Kothari Satar adopt the position of the Gallatenes? Such men are known to shamefully dismiss the lawful and rightful authority of title - but how does this serve His Majesty? Shall he put down his mask, abdicate his throne, and destroy it in the doing? We are all of us agreed that if this should come to pass we shall gladly and with delighted mirth strike the Konset ea Ziros from our Compact, and joyously heap silver upon the Gallatenes for the privilege of peace. I myself will toss my crown into the sea, and will extend gracious invitation to His Majesty to attend the spectacle as guest of honour!

Keep your inflated head where it belongs, Idrocarsas, lest it be caught by errant breeze and carried out to sea.

 

[Perfectionist]

The Vellari will allow limited Synothal Order activity among the communities of Vellari Maninists, with the understanding that these individuals will not seek to Associate and undermine Vellari governance in the fashion done at Aldina.

lurker's comment: You all seem to be misunderstanding what happened at Aldina. Association itself is not an issue for even the most paranoid of rulers; the mistake was agreeing to this particular point (emphasis added):

They are these: first, the Fatherless and our associates and holdings on Aldina are outside the reach of the High Prince, both in taxation and justice

Absent the Vellari voluntarily agreeing to extraterritoriality and tax exemption for associates, their embarrassment never happens.

 

[spryllino]

The person in charge of the Daharai Republic continues to pour irrelevance upon absurdity, and absurdity upon irrelevance. Their boasting of their comparative naval prowess merely illustrates their will to continue to abuse it. We do not know who the founder of the House of Spitos was, since we did not see the need to consult our archivists on this question before determining foreign policy that does not, as far as we can see, have anything to do with it; but we should be surprised to find him to be in any wise superior to our progenitor Arastephas. We suggest they direct further communiqués to us when they have something more pertinent to say.

 

[TheMeanestGuest]

To: The Emperor of the Kothari Satar
From: Arasos Anthon-Solien, Xarc, Kons Ziros

We assume from this reply that His Majesty retracts his ill-considered threats, and contentedly continues to enjoy the benefits of peace with our great Compact.

 

[Thlayli]

IC: We are willing to include cessation of hostilities with the Federation of Kargan in the same peace treaty; as well as withdrawal from war with the Taudo, assuming that a proper battle-challenge is permitted between the two combatants according to Satar law.

lurker's comment: You all seem to be misunderstanding what happened at Aldina. Association itself is not an issue for even the most paranoid of rulers; the mistake was agreeing to this particular point (emphasis added): Absent the Vellari voluntarily agreeing to extraterritoriality and tax exemption for associates, their embarrassment never happens.

There's still the possibility that Order members could suffer a conflict of loyalties in the event of future disagreements between the High Prince and the High Ward; we only want to avoid the possibility of undermining our own state from within, something for which, you have to admit, there's some fair precedent for Maninists doing on Athis.

But if proper safeguards are put in place, we wouldn't have much to fear from this.

 

[Thlayli]

A Call for Order from Laecanu Aramsayafa

It seems, from our distant vantage point on the Helsian Peninsula, that though the northern war has raged now for years. Further conflict will bring neither side closer to victory, it threatens to bring both to ruin. As such, it is only appropriate that we offer ourselves forward as mediators, to help all involved factions find a tolerable neutral compromise that can bring to an end this bloodshed.

Similarly, this war threatens to expand into the south. We strongly advise the Kothari against further escalation of this conflict. While we may not support the Red Chamber in its war, we will not tolerate a return to violence in the southern seas.

[06:19.33] <Thlayli> can I just get on record that you're not going to allow the Helsians to mediate our conflict?
[06:19.37] <Thlayli> IC, that is
[06:19.53] <Luckymoose> the Hailsians can mediate with the Daharai, if they wish, but they have no part in the Kern War

I'm just posting this so that Iggy won't spend weeks waiting for a reply to his diplomatic offer that is not forthcoming.

 

[spryllino]

From the Redeemer and Ayasi
To the Daharai

Arasos Anthon-Solien can make whatever unfounded assumptions he likes; this particular assumption has no more to do with our last message than any of the points he has made in his previous diplomacy have had to do with anything we have said. Titles, pedigrees, Gallatene anarchism, errant sea-breezes, and retraction of threats: all these fall into the same category, namely irrelevant nonsense.

 

[Shadowbound]

Can Men Become Gods?

Yes.

Do we worship Taleldil?

Taleldil is we. We are Taleldil. He is the Redeemer of Man and our champion against the gods. But we do not worship him.

Which God is the most powerful?

None. The war of Ardavan is the blood war, the war of heaven against Earth. If a people are free, their god dies. We fight to liberate men from the shackles placed on them by heaven. We fight to end the blood war and transcend eternity.

Who are the Gods?

Gods of slaves. Gods of despots and deceivers. The heavens throng with countless gods, gods of fire and gods of ice. Gods of thunder and gods of wind. And apart from them is Taleldil.

What are the Gods?

Without number. Evil spirits and false prophets, who gain power from the evil in the souls of men. Taleldil is different: he achieved divinity through himself.

What is Ardavan?

It is the war between the teacher and the student. It is the war of the cripple learning to walk. It is the war of men against their darker natures.

What is Taleldil?

Redeemer, Haradim, Katechon. He showed us esvet* and exatas so that we may follow him. The Wheel is his emblem. The Star is his prophet. The Thunder is the coming of his armies.

What is Ardavan?

Liberation from the blood war. It is the dream of a heaven without Gods.

* ev sephas ven ev tephas (Wisdom is the path to heaven)

 

[DuneBear]

OOC: I will be claiming Beratca with NK's permission.

 

[Jehoshua]

ooc: Welcome to EoE and the vipers nest of Athis in particular

 

[North King]

Consider this part of the update; I'll edit it in:

It should be noted that the Daharai were not idle at home during this time, regardless of their intervention in the north, or their conquest of Serkos, which happened so swiftly that barely anyone noticed it had occurred in the first place &#8211; nor did anyone really mourn the end of that pirate's nest. The death of the great Torcias Neros was mourned by many in the know, though his apprentice Ario had made a number of intriguing advances on his former master's work. By now, Palansai perfumes and oils were among the most famous in the world, and were traded into regions unknown.

But the greatest breakthrough came with the chance application of a specific extract of saffron &#8211; a yellow dye that would adhere marvelously to the cotton that streamed through their markets. In practically no time at all, the Daharai weavers would corner a growing market for high-quality yellow cloth, a color that had previously been all but absent from the arsenals of tailors.

Perhaps more excitingly, the great Pillar of Leun was finally completed &#8211; a marvelous temple built in the style of the old Pillars of Epichirisi and Treha. The spiritual heart of a new Order &#8211; the Circle and Square &#8211; it towered over the skyline of the aging city.

Meanwhile, a certain young girl with scarcely believable powers was quietly arrested and shipped to Caroha, and though her companion seemed quite glum at the prospect, she herself seemed rather upbeat about the whole affair.



Random Deaths:

Spoiler :

Xephathor III - Grandpatriarch of Opios
Glaide II - Patriarch of Ghaon
Dagda II - Patriarch of Dula
Ludhasaigh Amatir - Tiagho general
Abhayan - Exarch of Khead
Itaros - Arch-Zaleta of the Order of Risadri
Ibaecar uin Parceala - Pearl Councilmember
Ilin Farqud - Trahana nobleman
Ighaerim auhm Maehoula - Rosh of the Maehoui
Kecci Erecco - Nuccio of Acca
Tepin - Triumvir of Talents
Galdriann of Saigh - Leader of the Council of Eleven in Mara
Alaene On Nuin - Head of the Onnuin taelic
Zirazephis-ta-Alma - Prince of the Tower
Kotumi VII - Patriarch of Krato
Moril Vaban - Prelatyr of the Sadorishi
Ghalaghar ui Ealagala - Pearl Councilmember
Seda Noliot - Hierarch-Chancellor
Dolan On Tulufae - Head of taelic in Leon
Arphares - Chairuan monastic head in Arhat
Aelea egGyrdac cuCyve - Leader of the Ephasirites
Tharkat - Representative of the steppe nomads at Arhat
Prince Arnach - Prince of the Evyni cloudlings
Altrias-ta-Vantyris - Prince of the Scroll
Dagda Amatir - Prince of Tiagho

Affecting some rather young and hale characters. But that's how it goes.

It is up to you to decide whether to retroactively replace them last turn or sometime this coming turn in stories or orders. But by the end of next turn, they are gone.

Stats will be updated in the next couple minutes, some PMs sent, and a nagging piece of diplomacy that I keep putting off.

 

[North King]

To: The Halyrate
From: Erephas-ta-Alusille, Prince of the Shield and Redeemer of all the Satar

I have learned that negotiations have stalled between yourself and my vassal. Should you be willing to come to terms, I will be happy to negotiate them. Should you be unwilling to come to terms, we shall drive you from Ephis with the full force of the great Exatai, and I shall call upon all my vassals to ride beside me.

 

[North King]

Something I put together today, though it was actually a happy coincidence that what I'm actually working on made this far easier (get hyped?):

Spoiler :

 

[Thlayli]

From: The Vellari Exatai
To: The Tephran Exatai, The Ashelai Exatai, The Vischa Exatai
CC: The High Oracle of Magha, The Redeemer, The Satar of the Sesh, the Sartashai Akazurai

Alxas was right. The Age of Deception has been unmasked, and the Aitah, having wormed its way into the Light once more, has finally shown its face, its hand forced by my father's heroic sacrifice. This thing will accept no peace but our absolute submission. Truly, this is a threat greater even than Zalkephis in all his error and hatred. We now face the War in Heaven, come down to Earth.

The prophecies of Armageddon are at hand once more.

We follow the words of our Redeemer, and call upon ALL Satar and Ashklevai [2] to rise against these would-be slavemistresses, the Aitah and her chiefest servant, the Witch. We attempted to fight a war with respect for our foes. They have shown us none. Now we must fight a struggle for life or death. Let the Lord of the North of the World come forth and secure his dominions. Let the world tremble once more with the onrushing of our hooves.

The Redeemer has called, and now the Exatai must answer. And if even this is not enough, we shall throw open our treasuries and offer our wealth to every warrior who rides or marches to our cause, for mere metal is as nothing before exatas.

Let us show our ancestors in Heaven that they are not the only ones who can fight!

Let us answer the Aitah with thunder and steel!

Let us glory in war!

EXATAS!

[*Akazurai = Acajuren]
[*Ashklevai = Converted Foreigners]