Abbetas Turn One Orders:
Across the Straits: (D) Our Faith should bring us Together (Reacting to the other powers' response, choose between the other options for actions within the Council accordingly)
As the Archbishop of Patagonia (the formal title of the Bishop of Abbetas, as the other ecclesiastical provinces before the collapse were either joined together in the Abbey or fell apart in the chaos) heard the news of the rising power in the South from those carrying the Church tithe, he knew that this could either significantly benefit the southern cities or it could lead to a long, bloody campaign that would leave Christendom in Patagonia weakened and struggling. The Abbey had long viewed the Republic of New Patagonia with suspicion, its large bureaucracy and Old World-style system of governance threatening to curb the Church's influence in the areas it owns and governs as it seeks to centralize its power. However, Arbielle's actions were also a mixed bag - she could either be a major proponent of the Church in the region or she could be a self-centered pagan warlord seeking to dominate the region solely for herself as well. The Free Cities serving as the buffer between them were the area where the Church held the greatest sway and having the region divided between the competing cities would mean they would be devastated without a unified response to any given crises that may grip the area. The Archbishop decided that the Church would be best served to witness the attitudes of each of these players in a meeting of their governments in neutral ground - the Abbey itself. And so, the Archbishop ordered messengers and diplomats sent to each free city and the governments of both New Patagonia and Arbeille's warlord-state. This council would be held by the Church within its greatest cathedral, not unlike a church council but instead to decide the fate of the region.
As the Archbishop prepared the Abbey to receive and host these guests for this diplomatic meeting between the Christian nations of southern Patagonia, he had a specific agenda in mind for how the Church itself would act if the talks came to a standstill as they very well might, depending on who attends and who decided to ignore the Archbishop's call. Should all parties in the region attend, the Archbishop would lean slightly toward convincing the cities to accept the stability of Arbeille's queendom over rebelling and making God's children slaughter one another (A), but prioritize more heavily on working out a lasting peace between New Patagonia and Arbeille, not particularly wanting a conflict to break out between the two expansionist powers in the region if both of them were devout followers of Christ (D). However, were one of the major parties not to attend, the Archbishop would take this as a sign of that power's ulterior motives and so side more heavily with the attending power (A or C) in the negotiations. Finally, if neither major power sent any representatives, the Church would take this as a sign that the free cities were the only group that they could trust, and so work with them to organize a coalition of defense against the other powers (B). However, the Church would be a neutral negotiator first and foremost, and only intervene if talks began to come to a halt.
Action One: Recieve the Refugees
However, even as this politicking between the southern peoples was ongoing, the Church still had to deal with the refugees fleeing the south for fear of losing their independence. The Archbishop ordered the monks and others residing in and immediately around the Abbey to take these poor souls in, caring for and housing the refugees however they could. Those who wished to stay as opposed to heading back south would be put to working the land around the Abbey, looking for any arable land that could be farmed, aiding the local monks and outside villagers in manufacturing goods, and fishing the coastline or perhaps even attempting to establish fish-farms of sorts. They would not be forced to do this by any stretch but would be encouraged to do so were they desiring to repay and assist the Abbey's charitable acts toward those fleeing the southern free cities. (Hopefully, try to improve our Resource value?)
Action Two: Expand the Order of Saint Angelelli
Normally, an abbey would not need a standing army as its main purpose is to serve God, but in the chaos of the calamity raiders seeking the Church's Old World wealth and cult leaders seeking to demolish the last bastion of Christ in Patagonia showed the monks the need for any settlement as large and well-known as the Abbey to have a standing force capable of defending it from the chaos swirling around them - and so, the Archbishop took a page from Catholicism in the Old World and founded a sovereign military order of men loyal only to God and the Church. They were consecrated in honor of the holy martyr Enrique Angelelli, a saint from before the Calamity murdered in protecting the poor and weak from the auspices of a dictator. These men are also the ones in charge of caring for the aforementioned refugees and other impoverished persons in light of their patron saint's model of a 'Church of the Poor', but it has become clear that the Order might need more manpower and equipment to protect the Abbey in light of the ongoing crisis - therefore, the Church has come to have a desire to gather more men and materiel needed, whether manufacturing it by hand, paying from the Church tithes, or asking for donations and volunteers from any good Christian who wishes to provide for them. (Hopefully, try to improve our Force value?)
