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Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving through region 38 to reach 37 (50% chance to lose 1 additional unit). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by HOF, contributing 4 Space Units under Turtanu-Ziqpu Ra'ima (Mil 8, attempting Measured Advance (-10% casualties each side)),which ALF will bolster with 2 Space Units of its own.
   Oh, the grand old Duke of York
   He had ten thousand men
   He marched them up to the top of the hill
   And he marched them down again
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   no fluff
5. [Economy] Buyout TP1 of Region 37, Spending 1 Treasure (TN 12; +1 Treasure, +2 ARK Support*; Roll: 18; SUCCESS?*)
   *Lum said support would be granted ooc but in case he can't make the edit just apply a -2 to my roll outcome

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving through region 38 to reach 37 (50% chance to lose 1 additional unit). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by HOF, contributing 4 Space Units under Turtanu-Ziqpu Ra'ima (Mil 8, attempting Measured Advance (-10% casualties each side)),which ALF will bolster with 2 Space Units of its own.
   Oh, the grand old Duke of York
   He had ten thousand men
   He marched them up to the top of the hill
   And he marched them down again
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   no fluff
5. [Economy] Buyout TP1 of Region 37, Spending 1 Treasure (TN 12; +1 Treasure, +2 ARK Support*; Roll: X; OUTCOME)
   *Lum said it'd be granted ooc but in case he can't make the edit just apply a -2 to my roll outcome

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving through region 38 to reach 37 (50% chance to lose 1 additional unit). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by HOF, contributing 4 Space Units under Turtanu-Ziqpu Ra'ima (Mil 8, attempting Measured Advance (-10% casualties each side)),which ALF will bolster with 2 Space Units of its own.
   Oh, the grand old Duke of York
   He had ten thousand men
   He marched them up to the top of the hill
   And he marched them down again
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   no fluff
5. [Economy] Buyout TPX of Region XX, Spending 1 Treasure (TN 12; bonuses; Roll: X; OUTCOME)
   need machines pls

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving through region 38 to reach 37 (50% chance to lose 1 additional unit). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (mil6) utilizing Measured Defense (-10% casualties on both sides), subject to change according to new info.
   fine
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   no fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   no fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving directly to the destination over mountains (-2 to ground battle and TD). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (mil6) utilizing Measured Defense (-10% casualties on both sides), subject to change according to new info.
   Mechs vs kaijus; some might say this was a fated meeting.
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] DEFENSE!
   -Space front: Send 2 space units to serve under [special guest admiral] on the Aridyin space front
   -Defend Region 102 with (5-x) Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving from base on Sansar to Aridyin via 2 of my own space units plus 1 of [special guest admiral]'s ships.
   -If it arrives, Defend Region 103 with (x) Ground Units under Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (mil7) utilizing a tac doc to fit the situation.
   Hey look someone managed to actually get under my skin, congratulations!
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.
• GREAT SHOCK, THE STUFF ABOVE IS... NON-CONCLUSIVE? IN THIS ROUND OF EVERCHANGING PLANS AND PRIORITIES? MORE TO COME, EVENTUALLY...

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] DEFENSE!
   -Space front: Send 2 space units to serve under [special guest admiral] on the Aridyin space front
   -Defend Region 102 with (5-x) Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving from base on Sansar to Aridyin via 2 of my own space units plus 1 of [special guest admiral]'s ships.
   -If it arrives, Defend Region 103 with (x) Ground Units under Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori (mil6) utilizing a tac doc to fit the situation.
   Hey look someone managed to actually get under my skin, congratulations!
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.
• GREAT SHOCK, THE STUFF ABOVE IS... NON-CONCLUSIVE? IN THIS ROUND OF EVERCHANGING PLANS AND PRIORITIES? MORE TO COME, EVENTUALLY...

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 37 with 5 Ground Units under Arni dei Fiori (mil9) utilizing Relentless Butchery (+20% enemy casualties), moving directly to the destination over mountains (-2 to ground battle and TD). Spending 1 treasure to gain +1 on the ground front. Space front to be handled by 2 Space Units under Hinrik dei Fiori (mil6) utilizing Measured Defense (-10% casualties on both sides), subject to change according to new info.
   Mechs vs kaijus; some might say this was a fated meeting.
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• The cycle of violence turns its wheel once again, and now the Illumined Utopian finds itself to be the receptor of disproportionate reprisal from powers nominally loyal to the Basu-Rahman Group. Thanks to the involvement of the Black Cloud Coalition, this crisis immediately clears up any muddied feelings that the Principality's notables may have had about the Jy'mar; their betrayal at the hands of the pirates they had hoped to court should stand as a lesson to all of Tekhum. The situation rapidly evolves from passive support to frenzied panic as their withdrawal from the deserts north of the Aquilatindas precipitates an invasion by one of the Coalition's local proxies. Several offers are made to purchase legal custody of the region, but it is swiftly realized that neither involved power has the capacity to perform such a turnover in light of the ongoing crisis. Ultimately, the threat of a Coalition ally (even if temporary in nature) occupying land on Verdalfheim's doorstep is the final push Chancellor Eydis needs to momentarily discard the Committee of Lunar Inquiry and launch a northward intervention.

  Girls' Night In

  Swallowing hard, Chancellor Eydis raises her hand to knock upon the great brass doors, warped heart nearly beating its way out of her chest. Why was this so hard? She has an entire nation at her disposal, the capacity to lay waste to entire regions at the drop of a hat, eternal life... and for all that she couldn't simply knock. It was already difficult for her to muster the courage before her ruinous abduction, but in the wake of that disaster she hasn't been able to face him even once. She clenches her outstretched fist, resolve swelling, before the dull ache of the keratinous gnarls pressing against her tensed knuckles sap it all away. He'd only look at her the same way he always had, except this time with the certainty that Eydis was a failure.

  "...He wouldn't have much to say about this regardless." Normally, Hekla dei Fiori's silent wheelchair turned even the most innocuous comment into a sudden shock, but the Chancellor remains unmoved, simply lowering her hand and staring at the dim light seeping below the door. After a few long seconds, Hekla wheels closer and takes her younger sister's hand in her own, a reassuring tone easing forth from her thin lips. "Lilja is already waiting in the office."

  The second she turns away from the door, it's like Eydis is a completely different person, the stoic composure of her frame espousing a dignity which nearly transcends the mangled briars of horn protruding from her knotted hair and her specially-tailored attire. "Right." The duo remain silent as they weave through the statue-infested halls of Radiceft's upper reaches, making their way to yet another ornate door. This one is accompanied by no emotional turmoil for the Chancellor, who steps forward to open it and usher her crippled sister into the room.

  Illuminated only by moonlight, the stained-glass windows at the far end of the room serve to filter it down to the dullest prism of faint colors. Entirely unperturbed by such darkness, the reclining figure of Lilja dei Fiori perks up from her seat upon one of the office's couches as soon as the door clicks open. "Eydis, I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Jy'mar would be attacked over it-"

  Hekla flicks on the light switch, red irises finding their way to Lilja's milky white eyes with an unseen look of disapproval. "Don't be myopic. Attacking Basu-Rahman was the greater sin, your little stunt with Marcus simply reinforces what they were already going to do."

  Throughout this opening of bickering Eydis offers no response, striding across the room to take her seat at the marble desk at its center, booting up the embedded computer system.

  "Or maybe it accelerated their plans! Those Eucrus people, they also attacked Basu-Rahman, but there hasn't been a peep of action against them. Heck, they went after the base on Badal, if there's anyone those Coalition monsters would be fighting-"

  "Enough." Eydis rests her chin upon an arm, itself propped up against the marble surface of the desk. "I've never seen anyone argue so vehemently in favor of being guilty for starting a war..." Wordlessly, Hekla takes Lilja's hand and guides the blind woman to one of the seats opposite the Chancellor, taking up a similar position herself. Once they're in place, Eydis speaks again. "Oskar is away at Soleyja dealing with his psionics project, so we can dispense with the prioritization of Aridyin in the short-term. This-" she taps a button on a keyboard, bringing up a holographic display of troop movements on and above Chonkia. The deserts north of Verdalfheim are a hotbed of activity, with the Jy'mar evacuation and Moonmen incursion highlighted for Hekla's sake (Lilja is obviously confused by the stall in her sister's cadence, but is accustomed to the fact that she can never have the full picture). "-is now our highest priority."

  Hekla shuffles through some reports on a datapad of her own, expression grim. "...I actually met the Purifiers' leader once, when she was young. It feels like yesterday that she was content to run around the Arkhive, having... fun..."

  "No one remains a child forever." Eydis' reply is understanding, yet blunt. "You should know that better than any of us."

  Piecing together the context clues, Lilja chimes in. "Well, the solution seems simple enough, we can't just let polities willing to cave to the demands of pirates operate on our northern flank."

  A stare even more vacant than Lilja's seizes hold of the Chancellor's face as she recalls her own experience doing exactly that. The loss of agency, the reduction to beasthood...

  Luckily Hekla's lament is able to fill the gap. "They're victims, Lilja. We could have been friends-"

  "No." The Chancellor's snap back to the present is as sharp as the crack of a whip. "They handed themselves to the Coalition on a silver platter, and now that they have the means to retaliate they've chosen to subjugate themselves to their would-be tormentors instead." Her red eyes lock with those of Hekla, a stoic firmness to her tone. "You knew the girl for a miniscule fixture of her life and a microscopic speck of your own. Forget her. This projective nostalgia is a weakness that our enemies do not share."

  Thoroughly cowed, Hekla slumps meekly into her seat. Eyes returning to the datapad screen. "Regardless, there are some substantial risks to confronting them..."

  "Security concerns, I am aware." Of all thorns in her side, the Principality's inability to defend itself against covert action is the Chancellor's most persistent tormentor, but paradoxically the absence of uncertainty is a comforting thing. The thought that she could wake up one morning to find any of her siblings dead, however, remains terrifying to consider. "We know of their... tactics, to put it gently. Hopefully our locality and firepower will be sufficient to dissuade them from doing anything irrational."

  "...But they're already acting irrationally." Having not previously considered the potential fallout, Lilja's newfound panic is readily apparent within her voice and expression. "What's to stop them from dragging this out as long as they can? We still have other enemies to handle, what if making another one ends up being the tipping point-"

  "-And that is the reason we're here." Sighing, Eydis turns off the holographic display. "The course of action is already decided; to delay any further would risk Oskar derailing everything. Arni is a mad dog and will be happy to switch targets, while Hinrik's hesitance to fight other Sansarites can be wrung out of him should the situation demand it." The Chancellor rises from her seat, strolling to the window and gazing upon the moon with disdain. "We've been lucky to have minor powers thrown in the path of our existential threats so far, but sooner or later our enemies will outnumber our friends. Unless, of course, we begin reaching out."

  Immediately identifying where the conversation is going, Hekla's pale skin somehow seems to turn an even starker white. "No. Never again."

  Eydis can't stomach the thought of looking upon Hekla's face as she continues.

• In the wake of his critical defeat on the field of court politics, Oskar dei Fiori has once again departed for Veehra on personal business. After a brief stop in Narsai to pay his respects to the now-departed Karla Maronne, however, he is next seen among the Sorcerers of New Kildora, his serpentine demeanor quickly endearing him to local notables. None can say whether he's there to study their magic or if there is some higher purpose to his sojourn.

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: +2 Mil

Actions

1. [Military] Invade Region 101 with many things idk the round is like 22 minutes old I'll do the math later
   fluff
2. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
3. [Military] Raise a Ground Unit
   fluff
4. [Military] Raise a Space Unit
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• I used to be an adventurer like you

Bookkeeping

Fiorid Principality of Verdalfheim (ALF), Round Six
2049-2051

Chancellor Eydis dei Fiori
Dip: 7 | Mil: 7 | Eco: 7 | Fai: 2 | Int: 2

Stat Gains: TBD

Actions

1. [TBD] TBD
   fluff
2. [TBD] TBD
   fluff
3. [TBD] TBD
   fluff
4. [TBD] TBD
   fluff
5. [TBD] TBD
   fluff

Nonactions

• Trade Route with RAT:
  -n/a
• Grant support to Conclave contestants in accordance with their verdicts (not like I actually control the necessary media supports though lol):
  -Support one conversion each from BAF, CUS, and UHS
  -Support attempts to introduce minorities in all owned regions from COE and ARK
  -Support all conversions from HOB and LSP (Specifically LSP conversion in region 36)

News & Rumors

• I used to be an adventurer like you

Bookkeeping