The Kingdom of High Ishtahnos
By the Light of the Sun, His Royal Highness, John IV, High King of Ishtahnos
First Minister Johnathon Royston Rageclaw
2010-2012 IR, 2043-2045 IC
2: [Diplomacy] Attempt to press a confederation claim to Region 67. Failure.
Seeing the value of orbital superiority in future conflicts, a third battlecruiser, the RNI Khassia, is commissioned and launched with the usual fanfare and is soon followed with the next two years by the usual contingent of support ships including the cruisers RNI Sarcorov and RNI Ak'Harrek
The spicers of Mekhala are a stubborn bunch and the Ishtahn merchants are getting more and more frustrated. Back on Veehra millions of Ishtahn suffer blandness in their day to day lives and these greedy merchants constantly refuse a lucrative deal. The Ishtahn very nearly resort to bribing officials, but they just can't even with these people any more and they go home empty handed. Again. The Minister of Trade hands in his resignation the moment he lands back in the capital and decides to pursue painting, their real passion. At least something good came out of this.
Nonactions: Support conversion to the Cult of the Mother Serpent in Ishtahnos.
Doctor Otara's research is interesting, but ultimately not considered worthy of attention by the Ishtahn government. Nevertheless several notable astronomers and scientists assemble their own theories. Professor Susan Milner High Mountain hypothesises that the planet's orbit was perturbed by rogue planet. Sir Professor Todd Stevens advances that the hypothetical planet was destroyed by the Imperial Court during a time of crisis. Professor Ian Jones Darksand suggests after a bit too much whisky that maybe it crashed into the Rings of Ophon due to tidal forces, but when he sobers states that it was more likely to have been ejected entirely. Of course radical conspiracies abound, the most insane one being that the Rings were built using this hypothetical planet, a "theory" soundly debunked by the clear fact that they are obviously magic.
Ishtahn military and judicial officials watch as the planetary headquarters of Basu-Rahman are put to the torch, bearing witness to the passing of the corporation's sentence, the light of the flames reflecting in their eyes.
Meanwhile, back in Ishtahnos as Basu-Rahman pays their fine in the full amount their broadcasting license is restored.
The news of the Peludo's grand ambitious planetary rail network is met with great interest by the Ishtahn government, however the technology involved will have to be examined, new rolling stock developed, existing lines upgraded and new ones surveyed. It will take some years before they're able to begin the work.
The rumour is that the High King is unsure of how to respond to the revelation he's been shipped, as the kids say, with various other heads of state in a state of considerable intimacy. But as no statement is made it's assumed he's just ignoring it.
Archbishop Colton of the Church of the Benevolent Sun declines to send a delegation to the Verdalfi Conclave finding the whole idea thoroughly impious and wreaking of simony.
With the kingdom technically in a state of war all Ishtahn of the necessary calibre to compete on Badal are duty bound to remain on Veehra. Several schools of arms consider putting together their own tournament and inviting the Badalians to make up for it.
A series of archaeological excavations of the abandoned tunnels near Ak'Harrek uncover the oldest known Ishtahn burials which contain the oldest samples of Ishtahn writing alongside other priceless relics dating back as far as seventeen hundred years ago that promise to shed light on a difficult to study era of history.
The "War"
To say the Ishtahn Parliament is unimpressed by Violetta's response to the First Minister's letter is an understatement. Speeches against her are made by several prominent politicians from many parties in the House of Delegates, commenting on her lack of decorum, her apparent childishness and her reliance on petty name calling. These speeches and debates, however, quickly get repetitive and the Speaker finally tells the Delegates to shut up and stop wasting time. The Ishtahn media, however, has no one to tell it to shut up and Violetta is regularly discussed in the press.
Within the following weeks the following declaration is issued on radio and television by the High King on behalf of First Minister Royston's government:
"As of this moment, High Noon above Harazan, a state of war will exist between the Kingdom of High Ishtahnos and the Twilight League. I call upon League Coordinator Violetta to surrender before unnecessary bloodshed and though we now deploy our fleet to the Vesperite skies we remain hopeful for a negotiated settlement to this unfortunate conflict. We call upon all the peoples of Veehra and Tekhum at large to avoid Vesperite airspace until the cession of hostilities has been announced and verified as the Royal Navy of Ishtahnos will commence with a blockade against all shipping save that carrying the flag of His Grace the Emperor.
"May the Sun shine upon us in this dark hour."
As promised the blockade is established and then... Nothing happens. The Vesperites remain in dry dock and the Ishtahn fleet ignores Violetta's attempts at provocation. Conditions do not allow safe targeting of the Twilight League's military installations and neither the Ishtahn military nor government seem inclined to cause civilian casualties attacking a target that refuses to defend itself. Some radical newspapers affiliated with the Wolf Heart publish stories decrying the lack of action, but the larger public ignores them, at first. But as the year drags on with the fleet just performing manoeuvres public opinion starts to get fed up and they demand the fleet either return home or do something.
These demands are echoed in both houses of Parliament and finally a decision is made to end the blockade if, and only if, the Twilight League agrees to negotiate a solution that satisfies both sides. With Violetta's assent to negotiate the fleet returns to its usual duties and talks commence regarding a potential way to bring everything to a close.
Following the Sun - A search for revelation
Military chaplains of the Church of The Benevolent Sun who fought alongside the Soom in the thick of combat have become impressed and intrigued by the Cult of the Mother Serpent. As the Varn had always kept their sacred traditions to themselves the similarities between the teachings of the Cult and the Church had gone mostly unnoticed until now.
Upon their return to Ishtahnos intense theological discussions follow that eventually culminate in a general synod and debate. The correlations between the Benevolent Sun and the Serpent Mother's solar aspect are hard to ignore, but a thousand years of tradition is hard to overturn and as the debate begins to heat up Archbishop Colton brings the synod to a close to give everyone a chance to look into the matter.
Ishtahn priests are not theologians, their role is to provide alms, perform rites and serve their communities. As such there is very little written about the nature of the Benevolent Sun and so all involved are forced to look at progressively older sources, which even for many of the bishops and the canons of the Church is their first try at serious theological scholarship.
Ancient fragmentary texts from around the Advent of the Dawn that have been left mostly undisturbed in university and cathedral libraries are examined with the aid of historians and something unusual is found. Though the language used is clearly Old Ishtahn, many of the ancient hymns are in a metrical style only otherwise found in Kildoran epic poetry.
Then the trail goes cold for eight months. Eight months of debate about whether the style was borrowed or hints at something more. Eight months until an ancient stone tablet left forgotten in a crypt was uncovered during an unrelated excavation. It is not particularly unusual for such a tablet to be placed within the tomb of a clan chief, but the words scribed upon it are anything but:
"I leave the Land of Darkness to be with the Serpent of the Sun in the next life"
With the tablet dated back approximately seventeen hundred years hopes of further evidence are slim and so Archbishop Colton does the only thing he thinks to help resolve this. A formal request is sent to the Doomweaver of Kildora for temporary access to their archives.
Ruler Information
First Minister Johnathon Royston Rageclaw
Diplomacy: 6
Military: 8
Economy: 3
Faith: 3
Intrigue: 2
Age: 63
Expected stat increases: +1 Military, +1 Diplomacy
Trade Details and Technologies
The Highlands of Ishtahnos, Region 65, TP1: Veehran Aurochs
Treasure: 1
Dust Hardening
Nuclear Fusion
Xenolinguistic Cataloguing
Arcane Amplification
Algorithmic Imagination
In Vivo Modification
Aclaustrophobic Psychology
Other Bookkeeping
Grounds units: 4
Space units: 2 (+1)
Max units: 7