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Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Seizing total authority over the Verdalf military in the wake of Eydis' absence, Arni dei Fiori brings the whole of the army against... the south. Many are perplexed by this turn of events, questioning why he wouldn't resume his westward push. One general, a steadfast Eydisite, quips to his compatriots that Arni fears a rematch with Colonel Beldhan, who is said to have defeated the royal's mech in single combat, but when word of this slander reaches Arni he simply laughs. To hear him tell it, the westwards invasion was always a secondary goal acted upon due to Eydis denying him the resources he would have needed to cross the Mezzavegg and seize the historically-elusive southern peninsula. Though it is true that the Verdalfr have always coveted the south, certain high-level aides have admitted that Arni brought up the potential for Colonel Beldhan to intervene in the South multiple times- always as a worst-case scenario. Hinrik, meanwhile, could not care less about the machinations of some enigmatic general from his position at the helm of the Verdalf fleet. He doesn't support the invasion in the slightest, believing that investment in the country's domestic viability is far more critical at this juncture, but it's impossible for him to draw the army's loyalty away from Arni in spite of his brother's many detractors. As such, he associates with the invasion as a matter of personal legitimacy, the illusion of a united front proving more valuable than calling Arni's bluff and losing all credibility.
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Pursuant to relations fostered by Hekla dei Fiori at the first Arkhive conference, Acting-Chancellor Hinrik moves to join the Durats' Solar Trade Center in exchange for promises of technology and ease of future transactions on the interplanetary stage. The government of Verdalfheim also officially declares support for their efforts to secure a slice of the Firmament installation, both to ensure the growth and vitality of a local ally and to keep such a strategic liability out of the hands of hostile interlopers.
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103 (TN 12, Roll: 16; SUCCESS)
   Not about to let the previous years' sabotage get in the way of his grand designs, Oskar and his Committee of Lunar Inquiry makes the executive decision to exploit the discoveries of the White Pawns for the sake of maintaining the timetable for Aridyin's occupation. The brazenness with which the deeds of a fellow Sansarite power are being overridden raises a number of red flags for the Acting Chancellor, though it's difficult to say if Hinrik could stop Oskar even if he had the spine to put his foot down on this overreach. Furthermore, Oskar issues a public declaration to the rest of the Elect, perhaps overcapitalizing on this miniscule foothold: "Though the White Pawns surely deserve commendation for their first landing, the Committee of Lunar Inquiry cannot accept the security risk posed by conceding a single inch of this astral body to another power. To this end, I hereby declare that Aridyin is to be the sole domain of the Fiorid Principality. There is no condition or threat; this is a notification of fact."
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1 (TN 10, Roll: 12; SUCCESS)
   In the interest of bolstering the standing of the declaration above and securing access to the Imperial College of Astronavigators, Oskar tirelessly works away at getting in touch with the various High Lords and making the case for a single Elect exercising complete dominion over Aridyin on their behalf. Whether or not they endorse his geopolitical outlook is anyone's guess, but he offers enough deference to confirm that the Fiorids are unmistakably loyal to the Emperor.
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering (second action)
   Meanwhile, Hekla is whipped into a frenzy trying to deal with the Imperial tax season, for which she made a critical error by assuming that the rewards for contributing to the Mytho-Historical Data Gathering project would be granted at the time of contribution rather than at the end of the project. This leaves the Fiorids in a particularly tight spot, as taxes are now due and they lack the resources to pay them. Though this failure is a foregone conclusion, Hekla still jury-rigs a political workaround by which a significant portion of the Verdalf intelligentsia will be commissioned to assist the Imperial Court in processing and categorizing their vast intake, an arrangement which should help make up for the absence of tax revenue. However, the will of the Court is still its own, and the High Lords would still have grounds to denigrate the Principality's original inability to pay up.

Nonactions

• All members of the Elect are invited to the Elven Conclave of 2044, a general gathering of dignitaries to foster positive foreign relations as well as a contest in which Heads of Faith (or their representatives) are invited to enter a private debate hosted by Oskar dei Fiori and the Druid caste to determine which religion best befits the disposition of the Verdalfr and other Fiorid subject groups. Three tiers of rewards are to be offered in this council: at a base level, every entrant who delivers a sincere pitch will receive the Pseudogravity Engineering technology as compensation for their time, regardless of their performance. Favorable religions will receive permission to proselytize within the lands of the Fiorid Principality (manifesting as support to introduce minorities), and the overall winner of the contest will have unilateral support for all tiers of conversion and, eventually, an official conversion on the part of the Principality. Nonparticipants are still welcome to carouse about the gardens of Radicefst, the capital of Verdalfheim, be it with other attendants or their Fiorid hosts.

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.
• Through a bizarrely clandestine chain of contacts, Oskar dei Fiori has made contact with the Khylokians of Mekhala and, in order to ease the Principality's overburdened priorities, convinced them to handle the ransom demands from Eydis' captives on his behalf. In return for their ship donation they are to receive the full reward from Hekla's contributions to the Mytho-Historical Data Gathering project at the upcoming Conclave, an outstanding amount of treasure but one which is, to the Fiorid siblings, worth the trouble (even if it's going to the coffers of such a reviled state). Hinrik, of course, is greatly dismayed by this turn of events, but the fact of the matter is that he's lost his easiest political punching bag.
• Though the infamous "Elf Slaves" ad from the Basu-Rahman Group never airs within the Principality (as they don't control the local media and likely saw no use in advertising the product to its would-be suppliers), it still makes its rounds through the upper aristocracy. None find it to be a pleasant viewing experience, deriding its quality and misrepresentation of the institution as incredibly distasteful. No public censure is delivered, as the Fiorids simply don't care enough to correct the record themselves; there are far greater problems to tackle and anyone incensed by slavery out of some hypocritical idealism will find reasons to despise the Principality regardless. The haste with which the Kingdom of Ishtahnos charges headfirst into a colossal regional conflict over their own outrage, however, is amusing. Some of the more paranoid Nobles are even relieved that the media conglomerate has distracted the posturing Kingdom to this extent, forwarding small private donations to the Group with minor tips for how to better-portray the Principality in the future.
• The activities of the Worker-Trader Union, meanwhile, are more perplexing. Their favored form of labor, though present within Verdalfheim, is completely different from that practiced by those of the Noble-run heavy industry. The conclusion they'll reach is foregone, what information could they possibly hope to glean from in-person touring? If they wish to send a representative they will not be subjected to any special limitations or patronizingly preset tours, but they also receive no special access or public invitation.
• The process of bringing Grigialfheim into the fold is a rather messy affair, with local efforts dedicated to rooting out guerrilla resistance from fortified population centers. Rather than delving into the unpleasantness of execution, prisoners of war taken in the course of the conquest are filtered into the slave caste, their labor contracts snatched up by Nobles engaged in the extraction of raw resources (where they pose as little risk as possible). Pursuant to the government's lofty pan-nationalist ideals, the civilian population is generally respected and allowed to conduct their affairs in peace; the biggest change is the enforcement of the Verdalfr governmental system. Mayors are elevated from each community to intercede with the Fiorid monarchy, with all free Grigialfr automatically granted citizen status. Nobles from Verdalfheim are granted labor contracts to extract natural resources and manage shipping, while the fiction of the Crown's monopoly on land is slowly codified into law. Ultimately support for the occupiers remains minimal, and active efforts to integrate the region have taken a backseat to the royal family's myriad other pursuits.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Seizing total authority over the Verdalf military in the wake of Eydis' absence, Arni dei Fiori brings the whole of the army against... the south. Many are perplexed by this turn of events, questioning why he wouldn't resume his westward push. One general, a steadfast Eydisite, quips to his compatriots that Arni fears a rematch with Colonel Beldhan, who is said to have defeated the royal's mech in single combat, but when word of this slander reaches Arni he simply laughs. To hear him tell it, the westwards invasion was always a secondary goal acted upon due to Eydis denying him the resources he would have needed to cross the Mezzavegg and seize the historically-elusive southern peninsula. Though it is true that the Verdalfr have always coveted the south, certain high-level aides have admitted that Arni brought up the potential for Colonel Beldhan to intervene in the South multiple times- always as a worst-case scenario. Hinrik, meanwhile, could not care less about the machinations of some enigmatic general from his position at the helm of the Verdalf fleet. He doesn't support the invasion in the slightest, believing that investment in the country's domestic viability is far more critical at this juncture, but it's impossible for him to draw the army's loyalty away from Arni in spite of his brother's many detractors. As such, he associates with the invasion as a matter of personal legitimacy, the illusion of a united front proving more valuable than calling Arni's bluff and losing all credibility.
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Pursuant to relations fostered by Hekla dei Fiori at the first Arkhive conference, Acting-Chancellor Hinrik moves to join the Durats' Solar Trade Center in exchange for promises of technology and ease of future transactions on the interplanetary stage. The government of Verdalfheim also officially declares support for their efforts to secure a slice of the Firmament installation, both to ensure the growth and vitality of a local ally and to keep such a strategic liability out of the hands of hostile interlopers.
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103 (TN 12, Roll: 16; SUCCESS)
   Not about to let the previous years' sabotage get in the way of his grand designs, Oskar and his Committee of Lunar Inquiry makes the executive decision to exploit the discoveries of the White Pawns for the sake of maintaining the timetable for Aridyin's occupation. The brazenness with which the deeds of a fellow Sansarite power are being overridden raises a number of red flags for the Acting Chancellor, though it's difficult to say if Hinrik could stop Oskar even if he had the spine to put his foot down on this overreach. Furthermore, Oskar issues a public declaration to the rest of the Elect, perhaps overcapitalizing on this miniscule foothold: "Though the White Pawns surely deserve commendation for their first landing, the Committee of Lunar Inquiry cannot accept the security risk posed by conceding a single inch of this astral body to another power. To this end, I hereby declare that Aridyin is to be the sole domain of the Fiorid Principality. There is no condition or threat; this is a notification of fact."
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1 (TN 10, Roll: 12; SUCCESS)
   In the interest of bolstering the standing of the declaration above and securing access to the Imperial College of Astronavigators, Oskar tirelessly works away at getting in touch with the various High Lords and making the case for a single Elect exercising complete dominion over Aridyin on their behalf. Whether or not they endorse his geopolitical outlook is anyone's guess, but he offers enough deference to confirm that the Fiorids are unmistakably loyal to the Emperor.
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering (second action)
   Meanwhile, Hekla is whipped into a frenzy trying to deal with the Imperial tax season, for which she made a critical error by assuming that the rewards for contributing to the Mytho-Historical Data Gathering project would be granted at the time of contribution rather than at the end of the project. This leaves the Fiorids in a particularly tight spot, as taxes are now due and they lack the resources to pay them. Though this failure is a foregone conclusion, Hekla still jury-rigs a political workaround by which a significant portion of the Verdalf intelligentsia will be commissioned to assist the Imperial Court in processing and categorizing their vast intake, an arrangement which should help make up for the absence of tax revenue. However, the will of the Court is still its own, and the High Lords would still have grounds to denigrate the Principality's original inability to pay up.

Nonactions

• All members of the Elect are invited to the Elven Conclave of 2044, a general gathering of dignitaries to foster positive foreign relations as well as a contest in which Heads of Faith (or their representatives) are invited to enter a private debate hosted by Oskar dei Fiori and the Druid caste to determine which religion best befits the disposition of the Verdalfr and other Fiorid subject groups. Three tiers of rewards are to be offered in this council: at a base level, every entrant who delivers a sincere pitch will receive the Pseudogravity Engineering technology as compensation for their time, regardless of their performance. Favorable religions will receive permission to proselytize within the lands of the Fiorid Principality (manifesting as support to introduce minorities), and the overall winner of the contest will have unilateral support for all tiers of conversion and, eventually, an official conversion on the part of the Principality. Nonparticipants are still welcome to carouse about the gardens of Radicefst, the capital of Verdalfheim, be it with other attendants or their Fiorid hosts.

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.
• Through a bizarrely clandestine chain of contacts, Oskar dei Fiori has made contact with the Khylokians of Mekhala and, in order to ease the Principality's overburdened priorities, convinced them to handle the ransom demands from Eydis' captives on his behalf. In return for their ship donation they are to receive the full reward from Hekla's contributions to the Mytho-Historical Data Gathering project at the upcoming Conclave, an outstanding amount of treasure but one which is, to the Fiorid siblings, worth the trouble (even if it's going to the coffers of such a reviled state). Hinrik, of course, is greatly dismayed by this turn of events, but the fact of the matter is that he's lost his easiest political punching bag.
• Though the infamous "Elf Slaves" ad from the Basu-Rahman Group never airs within the Principality (as they don't control the local media and likely saw no use in advertising the product to its would-be suppliers), it still makes its rounds through the upper aristocracy. None find it to be a pleasant viewing experience, deriding its quality and misrepresentation of the institution as incredibly distasteful. No public censure is delivered, as the Fiorids simply don't care enough to correct the record themselves; there are far greater problems to tackle and anyone incensed by slavery out of some hypocritical idealism will find reasons to despise the Principality regardless. The haste with which the Kingdom of Ishtahnos charges headfirst into a colossal regional conflict over their own outrage, however, is amusing. Some of the more paranoid Nobles are even relieved that the media conglomerate has distracted the posturing Kingdom to this extent, forwarding small private donations to the Group with minor tips for how to better-portray the Principality in the future.
• [WTU Thing]

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Seizing total authority over the Verdalf military in the wake of Eydis' absence, Arni dei Fiori brings the whole of the army against... the south. Many are perplexed by this turn of events, questioning why he wouldn't resume his westward push. One general, a steadfast Eydisite, quips to his compatriots that Arni fears a rematch with Colonel Beldhan, who is said to have defeated the royal's mech in single combat, but when word of this slander reaches Arni he simply laughs. To hear him tell it, the westwards invasion was always a secondary goal acted upon due to Eydis denying him the resources he would have needed to cross the Mezzavegg and seize the historically-elusive southern peninsula. Though it is true that the Verdalfr have always coveted the south, certain high-level aides have admitted that Arni brought up the potential for Colonel Beldhan to intervene in the South multiple times- always as a worst-case scenario. Hinrik, meanwhile, could not care less about the machinations of some enigmatic general from his position at the helm of the Verdalf fleet. He doesn't support the invasion in the slightest, believing that investment in the country's domestic viability is far more critical at this juncture, but it's impossible for him to draw the army's loyalty away from Arni in spite of his brother's many detractors. As such, he associates with the invasion as a matter of personal legitimacy, the illusion of a united front proving more valuable than calling Arni's bluff and losing all credibility.
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Pursuant to relations fostered by Hekla dei Fiori at the first Arkhive conference, Acting-Chancellor Hinrik moves to join the Durats' Solar Trade Center in exchange for promises of technology and ease of future transactions on the interplanetary stage. The government of Verdalfheim also officially declares support for their efforts to secure a slice of the Firmament installation, both to ensure the growth and vitality of a local ally and to keep such a strategic liability out of the hands of hostile interlopers.
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103 (TN 12, Roll: 16; SUCCESS)
   Not about to let the previous years' sabotage get in the way of his grand designs, Oskar and his Committee of Lunar Inquiry makes the executive decision to exploit the discoveries of the White Pawns for the sake of maintaining the timetable for Aridyin's occupation. The brazenness with which the deeds of a fellow Sansarite power are being overridden raises a number of red flags for the Acting Chancellor, though it's difficult to say if Hinrik could stop Oskar even if he had the spine to put his foot down on this overreach. Furthermore, Oskar issues a public declaration to the rest of the Elect, perhaps overcapitalizing on this miniscule foothold: "Though the White Pawns surely deserve commendation for their first landing, the Committee of Lunar Inquiry cannot accept the security risk posed by conceding a single inch of this astral body to another power. To this end, I hereby declare that Aridyin is to be the sole domain of the Fiorid Principality. There is no condition or threat; this is a notification of fact."
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1 (TN 10, Roll: 12; SUCCESS)
   In the interest of bolstering the standing of the declaration above and securing access to the Imperial College of Astronavigators, Oskar tirelessly works away at getting in touch with the various High Lords and making the case for a single Elect exercising complete dominion over Aridyin on their behalf. Whether or not they endorse his geopolitical outlook is anyone's guess, but he offers enough deference to confirm that the Fiorids are unmistakably loyal to the Emperor.
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering (second action)
   Meanwhile, Hekla is whipped into a frenzy trying to deal with the Imperial tax season, for which she made a critical error by assuming that the rewards for contributing to the Mytho-Historical Data Gathering project would be granted at the time of contribution rather than at the end of the project. This leaves the Fiorids in a particularly tight spot, as taxes are now due and they lack the resources to pay them. Though this failure is a foregone conclusion, Hekla still jury-rigs a political workaround by which a significant portion of the Verdalf intelligentsia will be commissioned to assist the Imperial Court in processing and categorizing their vast intake, an arrangement which should help make up for the absence of tax revenue. However, the will of the Court is still its own, and the High Lords would still have grounds to denigrate the Principality's original inability to pay up.

Nonactions

• All members of the Elect are invited to the Elven Conclave of 2044, a general gathering of dignitaries to foster positive foreign relations as well as a contest in which Heads of Faith (or their representatives) are invited to enter a private debate hosted by Oskar dei Fiori and the Druid caste to determine which religion best befits the disposition of the Verdalfr and other Fiorid subject groups. Three tiers of rewards are to be offered in this council: at a base level, every entrant who delivers a sincere pitch will receive the Pseudogravity Engineering technology as compensation for their time, regardless of their performance. Favorable religions will receive permission to proselytize within the lands of the Fiorid Principality (manifesting as support to introduce minorities), and the overall winner of the contest will have unilateral support for all tiers of conversion and, eventually, an official conversion on the part of the Principality. Nonparticipants are still welcome to carouse about the gardens of Radicefst, the capital of Verdalfheim, be it with other attendants or their Fiorid hosts.

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Seizing total authority over the Verdalf military in the wake of Eydis' absence, Arni dei Fiori brings the whole of the army against... the south. Many are perplexed by this turn of events, questioning why he wouldn't resume his westward push. One general, a steadfast Eydisite, quips to his compatriots that Arni fears a rematch with Colonel Beldhan, who is said to have defeated the royal's mech in single combat, but when word of this slander reaches Arni he simply laughs. To hear him tell it, the westwards invasion was always a secondary goal acted upon due to Eydis denying him the resources he would have needed to cross the Mezzavegg and seize the historically-elusive southern peninsula. Though it is true that the Verdalfr have always coveted the south, certain high-level aides have admitted that Arni brought up the potential for Colonel Beldhan to intervene in the South multiple times- always as a worst-case scenario. Hinrik, meanwhile, could not care less about the machinations of some enigmatic general from his position at the helm of the Verdalf fleet.
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Pursuant to relations fostered by Hekla dei Fiori at the first Arkhive conference, Acting-Chancellor Hinrik moves to join the Durats' Solar Trade Center in exchange for promises of technology and ease of future transactions on the interplanetary stage. The government of Verdalfheim also officially declares support for their efforts to secure a slice of the Firmament installation, both to ensure the growth and vitality of a local ally and to keep such a strategic liability out of the hands of hostile interlopers.
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103
   Fluff
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1
   Fluff
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering
   Fluff

Nonactions

• All members of the Elect are invited to the Elven Conclave of 2044, a general gathering of dignitaries to foster positive foreign relations as well as a contest in which Heads of Faith (or their representatives) are invited to enter a private debate hosted by Oskar dei Fiori and the Druid caste to determine which religion best befits the disposition of the Verdalfr and other Fiorid subject groups. Three tiers of rewards are to be offered in this council: at a base level, every entrant who delivers a sincere pitch will receive the Pseudogravity Engineering technology as compensation for their time, regardless of their performance. Favorable religions will receive permission to proselytize within the lands of the Fiorid Principality (manifesting as support to introduce minorities), and the overall winner of the contest will have unilateral support for all tiers of conversion and, eventually, an official conversion on the part of the Principality. Nonparticipants are still welcome to carouse about the gardens of Radicefst, the capital of Verdalfheim, be it with other attendants or their Fiorid hosts.

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Seizing total authority over the Verdalf military in the wake of Eydis' absence, Arni dei Fiori brings the whole of the army against... the south. Many are perplexed by this turn of events, questioning why he wouldn't resume his westward push. One general, a steadfast Eydisite, quips to his compatriots that Arni fears a rematch with Colonel Beldhan, who is said to have defeated the royal's mech in single combat, but when word of this slander reaches Arni he simply laughs. To hear him tell it, the westwards invasion was always a secondary goal acted upon due to Eydis denying him the resources he would have needed to cross the Mezzavegg and seize the historically-elusive southern peninsula. Though it is true that the Verdalfr have always coveted the south, certain high-level aides have admitted that Arni brought up the potential for Colonel Beldhan to intervene in the South multiple times- always as a worst-case scenario. Hinrik, meanwhile, could not care less about the machinations of some enigmatic general from his position at the helm of the Verdalf fleet.
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Pursuant to relations fostered by Hekla dei Fiori at the first Arkhive conference, Acting-Chancellor Hinrik moves to join the Durats' Solar Trade Center in exchange for promises of technology and ease of future transactions on the interplanetary stage. The government of Verdalfheim also officially declares support for their efforts to secure a slice of the Firmament installation, both to ensure the growth and vitality of a local ally and to keep such a strategic liability out of the hands of hostile interlopers.
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103
   Fluff
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1
   Fluff
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering
   Fluff

Nonactions

• All members of the Elect are invited to the Elven Conclave of 2044, a general gathering of dignitaries to foster positive foreign relations as well as a debate tournament in which Heads of Faith (or their representatives) are invited to enter a private debate hosted by Oskar dei Fiori and the Druid caste to determine which religion best befits the disposition of the Verdalfr and other Fiorid subject groups. Three tiers of rewards are to be offered in this council: at a base level, every entrant who delivers a sincere pitch will receive the Pseudogravity Engineering technology as compensation for their time, regardless of their performance. Favorable religions will receive permission to proselytize within the lands of the Fiorid Principality (manifesting as support to introduce minorities), and the overall winner of the contest will have unilateral support for all tiers of conversion and, eventually, an official conversion on the part of the Principality. Nonparticipants are still welcome to carouse about the gardens of Radicefst, the capital of Verdalfheim, be it with other attendants or their Fiorid hosts.

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Stat Gains: +1 Dip, +1 Eco

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 35 with 4 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (Mil9) utilizing the Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties) doctrine, with Sansar space front support from 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (Mil5)
   Fluff
2. [Economy][Special E5] Create Trade Route with the Durats (RAT)
   Fluff
3. [Economy] Colonize Region 103
   Fluff
4. [Diplomacy] Increase Reputation with EMP 0->1
   Fluff
5. [Diplomacy] Mytho-Historical Data Gathering
   Fluff

Nonactions

• TBD

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!ABSENT!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori (math in leader tab below)
Dip: 3 | Mil: 5 | Eco: 6 | Fai: 1 |Int: 1

Actions

1. [?] TBD
   Fluff
2. [?] TBD
   Fluff
3. [?] TBD
   Fluff
4. [?] TBD
   Fluff
5. [?] TBD
   Fluff

Nonactions

• TBD

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!BUT NOT REALLY!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 4 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

+1 mil/+1 eco from last round goes to ruler this round

Actions

1. [?] TBD
   Fluff
2. [?] TBD
   Fluff
3. [?] TBD
   Fluff
4. [?] TBD
   Fluff
5. [?] TBD
   Fluff

Nonactions

• TBD

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Three
2040-2042

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (!!!BUT NOT REALLY!!!)
Dip: 4 | Mil: 8 | Eco: 5 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Actions

1. [?] TBD
   Fluff
2. [?] TBD
   Fluff
3. [?] TBD
   Fluff
4. [?] TBD
   Fluff
5. [?] TBD
   Fluff

Nonactions

• TBD

News & Rumors

• The Fiorid siblings are in a state of complete disarray, assembling at Radicefst for a major interpersonal summit from which nobody seems to emerge in a good mood. The nature of their conference is the talk of the entire land, with citizens swearing that they'd kill for some kind of transcript of the encounter.

  oh look what's this?

  [The following transcript has absolutely not seen the light of day, having been recorded by Hekla dei Fiori's wheelchair prior to an immediate expunging of the relevant records. It is preserved here for the sake of posterity]

  [door closes, footsteps]

  Oskar: "Apologies for the delay, the flights from Soleyja just aren't what they used to be..."

  Hinrik: "It's one measly hour, Oskar, could you please attempt to come up with a better excuse?"

  Oskar: "Dealing with excuses now, are we? What was yours? 'Shelling the docks,' yes, impressive, such a marvelous show you put on for the First Fisherman. Lovely practice for dealing with father's field trips, he's probably been fishing for longer than that geriatric anyways so you'll need the practice..."

  Hinrik: "If you hadn't noticed, we were at war-"

  Oskar: "-and because of your pettiness the Pawns beat us to Arydin."

  Hinrik: "Nobody cares about your pet project, little brother. We have more pressing concerns, maintaining aerial superiority was a crucial measure to prevent the interference of outside meddlers."

  Lilja: "Please, stop..."

  Oskar: "As if your delusional scheme to secure that 'fell iron' was ever going to work. Diplomatic ties don't stop at the upper atmosphere anymore. Ask the Pawns how their time at the Arkhive went, I heard they received a hearty encouragement to prove that they could defy their namesake, and now they're poised to start selling out their astral discoveries to the highest bidder."

  Hinrik: "It was a perfect piece of wordplay!"

  [uproarious laughter]

  Arni: "You two are hysterical! I could watch you cry over your political nonsense all day..."

  Hinrik: "As if you're one to talk! You turned tail and ran at the faintest hint of that Beldhan character-"

  [grind of seat against floor, heavy footsteps]

  Arni: "Think very carefully about what you say next, spaceship kid..."

  Lilja: "N-no, Arni, stop, he didn't mean it-"

  Hekla: "Enough."

  [pause, calmer footsteps, two seats taken and scooted in, sigh of relief from other two, impatient tapping on wheelchair]

  Hekla: "You all know why we're here, of course."

  [button pressed on wheelchair, sound of screen turning on and hostage demand video playing; silence for two minutes after conclusion]

  Hinrik: "...We need not take this threat seriously, I could take on the role of Chan-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hinrik: "But-"

  Hekla: "No."

  Arni: "Sorry kiddo, you just don't have it in you. I, however-"

  Helka: "Don't you dare-"

  Arni: "-Will be assuming full control of the military."

  [pause, then laughter]

  Arni: "What, did you think I would want anything to do with that 'chancellor' title? It was a joke before Eydis got herself in trouble and its value is all the more sullied by her failure."

  Oskar: "And yet her campaign was the successful one-"

  [abrupt chair screech]

  Hekla: "Stop. We don't have time for either of your japes."

  Arni: "Fine, whatever."

  [footsteps trailing away]

  Arni: "Cave in or let the pretentious cow die, I don't care at all. I have some good news to share with my men and a war to wage."

  [door opens, footsteps, door closes]

  Hinrik: "Thank the Emperor..."

  Lilja: "Hey, Hinrik, don't be mean."

  Hinrik: "Lilja, you aren't deaf. You know as well as I do that such a frothing degenerate has no place in the halls of statecraft."

  Lilja: "He's our brother, we can't talk about him like that-"

  Hekla: [muttered] "'thank the emperor'..."

  Oskar: "What?"

  Hekla: "Nothing. Regardless, I have some observations."

  [wheelchair buttons tapped, sound of rewinding footage]

  Hekla: "Eydis hasn't starved yet so they know what to feed her- either she told them herself or they already knew."

  Hinrik: "She would never betray us like that-"

  Hekla: "-Which is why I err on the side of the latter."

  Oskar: "So, we have a leak?"

  Hinrik: "That Druid that went missing, she might have had something to do with it."

  Oskar: "It's a possibility we can't rule out. It would be a simple matter to fake her own assault to cover up her defection."

  Hekla: "If one of the Druids defected they would already know everything, it couldn't have been her."

  Oskar: "A fair conclusion, I suppose. I knew Karla to be a loyal sort, perhaps the accusation was hasty."

  Hinrik: "So, what are they after then, some notes? We could always commission another substitute piece, ditch the divine lineage angle while contriving something less upsetting than the truth..."

  Hekla: "She's been fed, they already know the truth."

  Lilja: "Oh... oh no..."

  Hekla: "They're looking for a paper trail and greater specifics. Safe to say, I believe they are honest in their insinuation that they are not the original captors; no guerilla force would aim so high."

  Oskar: "...Why demand the ship, though?"

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Oskar: "The mismatch of scale is wildly discordant, on the one hand they seek our most closely-guarded secret and on the other they demand a mere battleship. What would any party interested in the former want anything to do with the latter?"

  Hekla: "A show of homage."

  Hinrik: "To what, some terrorist cell on the cusp of revealing themselves?"

  Hekla: "If they had not yet revealed themselves they would not need to use a scrambler-"

  Oskar: "No."

  Hekla: "Excuse me?"

  Oskar: "You know exactly what you were insinuating, sister."

  Hekla: "...You must admit, it's the most plausible scenario."

  Oskar: "And what could their motive possibly be?"

  Hekla: "I forwarded bad intel, they seized the opportunity to extract the truth."

  Oskar: "Please, they're accepting everything from ghost stories to the whining of time anomalies, they're probably happy to have eaten up Alfred Marrone's drivel."

  Hinrik: "Alfred Marrone is a credit to Verdalf literature, how could you possibly besmirch him?"

  Lilja: "...Who are you talking about?"

  Hinrik: "Haven't you read a single recent book? Only the finest author of- oh."

  [room-wide pause]

  Hinrik: "...Sorry."

  Oskar: "...So, other culprits, perhaps Sir Simon's erstwhile order is trying to finish his work?"

  Hekla: "He was a loose cannon, working alone. He passed unsupported and unremembered."

  Hinrik: "How can you be sure? His notes went missing after he tried to pull that little stunt of his in the catacombs, they could have gone anywhere."

  [soft chuckle]

  Oskar: "You're unbearably naïve..."

  Hinrik: "...No. You wouldn't."

  Hekla: "He was a useful tool..."

  Hinrik: "He killed two children, I found their bodies when we raided his residence myself! Why would you ever-"

  Hekla: "I never issued an order for the children to die. Like I said, he was a loose cannon-"

  Hinrik: "So you brought that maniac, the worst off-worlder of all, here, fed him our secrets, to do what? Assassinate some potential blabbermouth that none of us can even remember the name of?"

  Hekla: "Do you think I don't regret it every moment of this disgusting life? The moment I realized what had happened I sent that wretched excuse for a lifeform to the catacombs, to see how well he'd fare against someone his own size-"

  Lilja: "You put Rakel in danger?!"

  Oskar: "Calm down, Lilja. Arni still jokes about that bastard's screams to this day, we know she was never in any danger."

  Hinrik: "...At least tell me that you disposed of his notes."

  [soft sound of book being removed from the blanket in Hekla's lap]

  Hinrik: "...Unbelievable..."

  Oskar: "Mind if I give it a read?"

  [sound of book sliding across table]

  Hekla: "Back on track, I knew Simon. It can't be related to him."

  Oskar: "Or at least you think so..."

  Hekla: "Not helping."

  Oskar: "The fact of the matter is that even if it isn't him, these current captors could easily replicate the initial stages of his inquest."

  [exasperated sigh]

  Oskar: "Really, the Arkhive? Of all the powers to undermine us..."

  Hekla: "Save it for the flight back to your little clubhouse. We need to decide what we're doing about Eydis."

  Lilja: "Do what they want."

  Hinrik: "What?"

  Lilja: "W-we have to, we can't just let our sister die..."

  Oskar: "Well-"

  Hekla: "Not the time."

  Lilja: "I'm more afraid of what they'll use that information for than anyone else here, but we need to help her."

  Hinrik: "Allowing one of us to remain captive would indeed be a sign of weakness..."

  Oskar: "And losing the Chancellor that we've been deferring to on the solar stage these past several years wasn't?"

  Hekla: "It'll keep the problem from getting worse... I'll get some sources together, might be able to put at least a slightly positive spin on our curse."

  Oskar: "Blessing."

  Lilja: "...Can we move on to something else?"

  [long pause]

  Lilja: "...So... I heard that some Utopian Illuminators from Badal invaded upleft Chonkia."

  Hinrik: "THEY DID WHAT?!"

  [the remainder of the official meeting is a torrent of vengeful fury from the finally-validated Hinrik, over the course of which Oskar eventually excuses himself before Hinrik hurries out to try and catch Arni and see if he'll consider redirecting his attack; dead air befalls the chamber as only the two sisters remain]

  Lilja: "...Do you really think it could be the Imperial Court?"

  Hekla: "...Picked up on that allusion, did you?"

  Lilja: "I'm blind, not deaf."

  Hekla: "From my perspective they seem to be the most likely culprit, whether it's an official order or the impromptu machinations of that damn High Lord... I could be wrong, but who else would make such a peculiar demand?"

  Lilja: "If they're plotting against us, what can we even do about it?"

  Hekla: "Who knows?"

  [sound of wheelchair movement]

  Hekla: "On the bright side, they're the least likely ones to take issue with our condition. They make a conscious effort to cast the Emperor as immortal, they'd understand our father's motives. If they can accept the likes of that damn Masquerade then I'm sure they wouldn't see any need to do us harm..."

  [sound of sniffles]

  Lilja: "They could... they could kill us..."

  Hekla: "Hey- calm down. Here, I have your hand, come closer-"

  [sniffles become audible crying]

  Lilja: "I-I don't want to die..."

  Hekla: "I've got you, you're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine, we'll get Eydis back and then... then..."

  [pause as crying slowly abates]

  Lilja: "...What does it feel like, when a hug is actually warm?"

  Hekla: "I... wouldn't know."

  [End of expunged record]

• Prince Isak persists in his silence in the face of these new developments.

Bookkeeping