The Aonach of 2040

[volthawk]

Deargabh, Capital City of the Reserve

As the network of alliances, conquered cities, and vassals that spread across the Reserve in recent years coalesced into Eilif Dhaoine, and that reformation was noticed and rewarded by the Empire, it quickly became clear that the nascent country and Elect member would need a capital city. Deargabh was chosen not because it had the largest population - that honour fell to Fairnead, a staunch ally of Deargabh that now contributed much of the lannan in Giomad's armies - or even that it had the widest presence in the Reserve - that was Oirdeas, with its vast network of outposts dispersed across the smaller southern islands of the Reserve - but because when one unravelled the various ties and bonds that made up the Reserve, one thing was clear. When all was said and done, they all led back to Deargabh and gave Clagath, former ruler of Deargabh and now the leader of leader of Eilif DhaoineOficially, his title was "President of the Council of Ministers", but very few used that - shortening it to "President" wasn't that uncommon, but broadly speaking it wasn't necessary, "Clagath of Deargabh" was enough. People who came to be recognised with a name like that, referring to their city rather a surname, tended to be those influential enough in the city that the name alone was enough for most people..

Deargabh itself was broadly the typical Reserve city. If one approaches the city from land (likely after reaching the island it is built on by sea - the city itself is a little inland, on the banks of a river), they would first see the walls - a little low-tech in the modern age of mass drivers, airborne bombers and tanks, yes, but rather useful against the bàscailIf anyone gets a closer look at the walls, they might notice that while weathering has had its impact as it always does the walls were made to be as smooth as possible in an attempt to deny climbing creatures leverage. Inside the city, the areas running up against the wall are often patrolled by lannan, checking to see if anything may have crawled through a previously-unknown weakness in the wall, while up top others watch the skies and the top of the wall, just in case. - hiding the city proper from their gaze, before they see the outer sprawl. A modern phenomena, born of the Dhaoine's increased ability to keep the bàscail away from their holdings, where a curious mixture of people live, some poor and driven out by the costs of living in the protection of the inner city, some wealthier and making use of recent drives to build larger and more comfortable homes outside of the city, and some are like the sealga, revelling in the risk of living out here. Once they reach the walls, the representatives taking this route as quickly ushered inside and it isn't long before they find their way to the halls of government in Deargabh - they're on the ground floor, after allif anyone asks, this is typically how land value works in Reserve cities, as there's a certain value in knowing that the ground is below you instead of more people, this is the oldest part of the city, and of course the simple fact that the further up you go the more likely it is that you're living among some kind of industry or other and so air quality and general standard of living suffers.

Everyone in a Reserve city pays to live there - if they don't own their living space outright, they pay the person who does, and while there is government-owned accomodation providing a lifeline to those forced out of their old home by circumstances, such help has a time limit. If someone can't get things into shape before too long...well, space is at a premium inside the city and there's always the option of living outside of the city, an option that becomes rather less optional sooner rather later.. Those approaching from air, whether flying in from elsewhere on Sansar or directly approaching from space, get a glimpse at the city behind the walls. It's...smaller than you might expect from the population figures given for Deargabh, as expansion in the Reserve is done vertically more often than not - outward growth requires claiming land from the bàscail and either living outside of the walls or rebuilding them, so when possible the Dhaoine simply build upwards. Those that land outside of the city (something the Dhaoine rather insist on when it comes to spacecraft - in recent years they have built landing zones outside for that purpose) have about the same final experience as those that came in by land, but if they land in the city itself, it's hard to ignore the fact that much of the space up here is devoted to industry, and it's rare to see any of the lannan guarding the landing pads not fully suited up and breathing from an internal air supply. With that in mind, those that enter the city by air are quickly ushered into an elevator with a robust air purification system for the long ride down to the ground.

Most of those journeys would be carried out with some degree of lannan presence - at the bare minimum, constant radio contact with them once the vehicle carrying a given representative enters Dhaoine territory - and it's not that hard to get the average lannan talking about pretty much anything that they feel isn't a particularly sensitive topic. That includes this meeting itself, and many seem a little unclear as to why Clagath is doing this at all. The Dhaoine were warriors, after all, and were very much busy with their own battles, so at worst this whole business was something they didn't need to care about, and at best it was an opportunity to join the fighting and take advantage of it all. The most common final answer from this musing is to shrug and suggest that Clagath might be trying to take advantage of Eilif Dhaoine's recent fame and cement them as more than just a bunch of warriors from a harsh part of Sansar. It's an endeavour that the average lannan is vaguely sympathetic towards but broadly doesn't care about. The other topic of gossip is the name that Clagath gave this whole thing - the Aonach. They admit that yes, Aonach is a word that can mean a meeting, although that meaning is a little old-fashioned and has been somewhat co-opted by other eventsIn fact, most people who hear "aonach" are most likely to think of the travelling survivalist-entertainers that don't live permanently in any one city but travel between them putting on fairs and shows. Naturally, it's a profession that has become significantly less dangerous in recent years - some people even claim to have met an old aonach performer these days., but the word has a fair few other meanings too - a steep ridge, the breathlessness you feel after exertion, that sort of thing. Most lannan don't know what to make of it, but a few hazard a guess that the steep ridge definition might matter here, or more accurately the risks of being on one - some kind of metaphor for this tension as a whole, maybe?

The room the representatives are ushered in to is a little smaller than most that have hosted foreign dignitaries in other countries recently - space is at a premium, after all. Still, the room seems to be intended to host meetings involving rather more people than the assembled representatives, so the officials have been able to arrange seating around the large central table in such a way that everyone has a little distance from each other - just in case - and some lannan are kept on hand in the room in case mere distance isn't enough to prevent escalation. Clagath sits at the head of the table, watching everyone file in with a look that the charitable may call imperious as befitting his position, but the less charitable would simply call grumpy-looking. If anyone here had made it to the Mekhala Mad Dash, it's not too far off how he looked there. He was wearing a similar style of clothing to back then too - the practical, almost military clothing combined with a bàscail-chitin breastplate. Once representatives from the major players have arrived, he clears his voice and stands up.

"I'll keep my part short, so that we can get to the problem here quickly. Whatever stance you all and the countries you represent take on what has happened in the Wyrmseer's domain," He pauses for a moment to let anyone with very strong feelings on the matter get out an enraged interjection or two if they're feeling particularly spirited today, before silencing them with a hand and continuing. "It is undeniable that this is a watershed moment in the new history we are creating as the Elect. This is the first time in over two thousand years that a military force from one world has taken territory in another. However, history isn't only about the war itself, but what comes of it, and that's what we each have to decide for ourselves. I have little interest in an interplanetary war at this point, so I called for this Aonach, a place where all involved can air their grievances, have somewhere neutral to discuss the issue, and perhaps we'll see something come out of this. And if, at the end of it all, things still look like war is inevitable...well, we can discuss that too." He gestures towards the assembled representatives. "That is about all I have to say at this point, so...if anyone wants to start, the floor is yours." With that, he sits down, leans back a little and watches things unfold.

 

OOC

Yeah, compared to past events I don't have much of a structure in mind here. There's no games or prizes, just an opportunity to air grievances IC and have characters bounce off this problem and we'll just see what happens from that, right? Also I used some OOC text in the middle of the opener there where I found myself rambling on a topic and making this harder to read but didn't want to kill the ideas there entirely - have a look at them if you're curious about my fluff stuff, ignore them if not.

 

[Kythia]

Gadear of Craobgra, the closest the rapidly growing cult of Coedd had to a leader in the Reserve steps forwards a little uncertainly. His position here was a strange one, he was a citizen of the Dhaoine and ultimately owed his allegiance to Clagath but equally he was, in some sense, representing Coedd which maybe made him an ambassador? He was wary of overstepping his mark but eager to show his worth to the distant and uncaring entity that, he felt, represented all life on the planet. It was a difficult line to tread and struggled to know whether to treat the others present as equals or superiors.

"I've spoken with Coedd" he announces, rather too quietly, then clears his throat and repeats. "I've spoken with Coedd." He had. Had even understood parts of it. "Coedd says that the Jy'mar are from Sansar and we should welcome them home. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do here, not laying down any laws, just telling you all what Coedd said. But Coedd also said that there should be, I dunno, reparations or something. We don't want people thinking that they can just drop an army on Sansar and say 'this is mine now'." He fiddled idly with a chitin armband. "An entry tax to Sansar or something"

Edited February 26 by Kythia (see edit history)

[SerakHawk]

August Iovita and the newly minted First Speaker Paola arrived at Deargabh by aero-ship, a style similar to thier badalian counterparts but adjusted for Sansar atmosphere. Landing outside the city and leaving the majority of the crew behind to tend to the vessel and keep it afloat the two members of the Triumvirate take a token escort force with them in a smaller bouyant transport craft. This craft follows the escort provided by Eilif Dhaoine through the city to the meeting room.

At their arrival several Jy'mar set-up a seating podium for the First Speaker and the August on the table in front of the chair offered for the Utopian representatives.

Silent through the opening statements the two Triumvirates exchange some glances when the floor is opened rather abruptly before Coedd's representative speaks his piece.

Clearing her throat the First Speaker stands to speak, her voice amplified by the speaker attached to her necklace.

"Greetings to you all, I will spare this venerable gathering of representatives the Illumined Utopian's reasoning for our invasion and taking of the Wyrmseer's Hold as I am sure that will be met with recriminations and vilification of Utopian forces. I believe the purpose of this gathering is to move forward and not one to look behind us. What is done has now been done."

At this the August frowns, but doesn't interupt the First Speaker.

"Coedd speaks of reparations - an entry fee to Sansar. Very well, let us discuss what the Sansarites think is 'fair' as a starting point, Utopian is present and listening to resonable requests."

[Rocket Relm]

It was said that Titania should go in her full visage. Something commanding of respect. Clearly, many of her companions thought, the denizens of this world do not see her and the glorious nation she presides over as a peer. Indeed, she could command respect, be terrifying, go and devour everyone there. This is in part why she markedly decided not to do this. She was young, but intelligent, and could command respect all the same. A line was to be had between appearing scary and appearing diplomatic. A monster would merely rally the world against you. Many of the others with her didn't like the industry within this region and were thankful for the purified air. Titania herself, she inhaled deep from the outside less-than-clean atmosphere.

She stood proud, taller than those of the Utopians by dint of not being a tiny critter, yet smaller than nigh every other present entity in the room. The hat she wore was a fourth as tall as her, and the clothes were pressed, shiny, and overbuilt. Using the cane she brought with her as a microphone and linking it up with those provided by their hosts, the first Talandaresque of the Glorious Purifiers speaks.

"Greetings. I want to lay down the facts of the matter a show of good will, to acknowledge we are sticking with only the truth. The invasion into the Wyrmhold has a missing and confirmed deaths and wounded lists as compiled here in my papers. A significant number of denizens of the Glorious Purifiers were integrating and immigrating into the regions, and still are doing so. Every citizen from my nation that is dead at the hands of the Illumined Utopians as of this speech is confirmed to have been enlisted within the Wyrmhold military. Mostly at lower ranks, some within high branches of the government."

"That is to say, I do not believe that the Illuminated Utopians have acted outside the bounds of respectful warfare. I do not presently believe there are undisclosed captives. I do believe that their delegation is here for a good faith, albeit selfish, discussion. I too am here with selfish aims, as are we all. I cannot fault them for that."

She pauses, taking a slow breath, the lava flowing in her eyes dimming for a moment before she rises back again.

"My concerns are thus, presented in no particular order. The domain of the Wyrmhold that was in treaty promised to us. The respectful treatment of the people of the Wyrmhold, especially but not limited to the people that emigrated there from my lands. Both in terms of maintaining position, and in terms of general health and quality of life. The long term stability of the Moonsoul Mountains, Chonkia, and all of Sansar. The simplest answer would be for the Illuminated Utopians to extract their military, hand control of the Wyrmhold over to Purifier governance, and for me personally to finalize our treaties and secure the region, but I have a suspicion that will not be so easily laid on the table. In lieu of that, I have no easy answers, but that is what we are here to discuss."

The girl steps down, with the authority and way she spoke, one could forget that she is a child. Especially since with her exaggerated outfit she looks a good bit taller and bigger than she actually is.

[Kythia]

Desperate to show his two masters he is a valid contributor, Gadear raises an eyebrow and gestures at the lists Titiania has prepared. He flicks through the aimlessly, trying to give the impression he is doing Important Diplomatic Work (TM) but is, apparently, struck by a thought and looks up.

Some of these guys were in the military? You said that right? Seems to me you join the military you're taking your chances by definition. Like, I lost people I knew well in some of our recent invasions but I'm not storming over to General Mushroom or whatever his name is and demanding compensation. You join a military, you take your chance, seems to me. He shrugs

[SerakHawk]

"Hrm"

August Iovita had stayed quiet through the opening, had let the First Speaker have her peace and even listened to the young ruler's points and her 'request' for the region back and then the Coedd representative saying his piece; however, sometimes you had to say the uncomfortable thing. Booming without the aid of an amplifying device the August speaks his piece.

"To lay out some more Facts to her Grace. This land in question was not hers to begin with. The treaty she had is worth less than the paper it is on and the government that signed it is no more. I will make no bones here, I am no politic, Jy'mar lives were shed in the invasion - the lists are long on both sides. The First Speaker politely asked what you want within reason, frankly a demand for the land we took by right is too far."

Huffing the August stops when the First speaker lays a hand on his elbow, pulling him back to a sitting position.

Clearing her throat the First Speaker stands and a little frazzled takes over.

"What August Iovita is saying is that no, ceding the region we rightfully took to forge our closer ties to the Arkhive is not on the table. It is regretable that our planned military manuvers coincided with your work with the local government toward integration, as my colleague pointed out that work was not completed prior to our arrival. The Illumined Utopian was not aware of these overtures, and as I opened with that is the whole reason we are here. To discuss what Sansar thinks is fair recompense for this slight between nations."

Edited February 27 by SerakHawk
Spelling (see edit history)

[Kythia]

Seems to me, apparently a catchphrase of his that claims of taking it by right are stretching the point a little. Seems to me there's only one folk who hold it by right and they're not here. He looks round, confirming the Wyrmseer isn't present. You took it sure enough, and I don't really care that you did. And I'm more certain that Coedd doesn't care than I am that I don't, if you'll believe it. But lets not go throwing arond terms like 'took by right' because it isn't respectful. I'm not saying you should give it back to them because you're not going to and its a waste of my breath. I'm just saying if we're not going to speak the truth here then I don't know why we're here. His confidence was growing as it became clear, at least to him, that people were listening.

Reparations, though, that's something. Coedd wasn't totally clear with me, I got to be honest with you. And I don't think it's right he stares at Iovita for a brief moment for her to decide it any way. But as a starting point I reckon she'd like you to pitch in. We lost good guys over on Chonkia and the Elves lost more and their leader to boot. You got so many troops you can send them half way across the system, why don't you put some of them to use helping your new neighbours.

[volthawk]

Gadear's suggestion seems to get Clagath's attention, and he leans forward again. "So your proposal is...compensation through military aid. So rather than fight each other over the territory the Illumined Utopian has already taken, the two armies would work together to secure new territory for the Purifiers, ensuring that both sides walk away with land. An interesting idea..." He looks over to Titania, and then to the First Speaker, curious to see what their reaction is.

[Rocket Relm]

Titania takes her turn to speak again, smiling all the while.

“While it is usually uncouth to speak so plainly, when the Illuminated Utopian representatives claim that agreements and morals have less weight than paper, and that the one true authority of this world is Might Makes Right by way of destroying the opposing government, they are unfortunately accurate. This is why, while my motivation here is for the friends I have made and the well being of my people, my authority comes from the fact that I have a giant kaiju that is larger in comparison to human buildings as human buildings are to Jy’mar. I have in decency not brought the Titanic Lance to the conference hall, it would eat the conference hall.”

Titania smiles, her face appearing more childish and gleefully ravenous than it has this meeting thus far.

“That said, turning our armies together to secure lands somewhere else, evening out the territory, with the right defensive pacts to acquire and maintain the lands could work. There’s a lot of smaller detail paperwork to handle, but that is, in large scope, a direction I can see things angling to. Provided all the qualifiers, and provided the other denizens of Sansar do not have their own complaints.”

Edited February 27 by Rocket Relm (see edit history)

[Kythia]

Coedd has one. Two, really. A lot of damage was done to the local plantlife by retro burners, off target energy weapons, things like that. Coedd's going to send delegations up there to repair the damage and they'll need to be there long term. I'm asking it as a question but she didn't, if you get what I mean, so my hands a bit tied here on what I can negotiate.

Coedd also wanted me to talk to you guys about any off-world plants you might be bringing. Taste of home and all that. Understandable in its way but, and don't be shooting messengers here, Coedd had some pretty firm opinions on it

Edited February 27 by Kythia (see edit history)

[SerakHawk]

22 hours ago, Rocket Relm said:

Titania takes her turn to speak again, smiling all the while.

“While it is usually uncouth to speak so plainly, when the Illuminated Utopian representatives claim that agreements and morals have less weight than paper, and that the one true authority of this world is Might Makes Right by way of destroying the opposing government, they are unfortunately accurate. This is why, while my motivation here is for the friends I have made and the well being of my people, my authority comes from the fact that I have a giant kaiju that is larger in comparison to human buildings as human buildings are to Jy’mar. I have in decency not brought the Titanic Lance to the conference hall, it would eat the conference hall.”

Titania smiles, her face appearing more childish and gleefully ravenous than it has this meeting thus far.

“That said, turning our armies together to secure lands somewhere else, evening out the territory, with the right defensive pacts to acquire and maintain the lands could work. There’s a lot of smaller detail paperwork to handle, but that is, in large scope, a direction I can see things angling to. Provided all the qualifiers, and provided the other denizens of Sansar do not have their own complaints.”

The August snorts at Titania's boasting about giant monsters and creatures that could 'crush' Jy'mar without consequence.

"I'm not sure what fear you intend to strike in us mentioning a 'giant monster', you all are giants to us, one even larger isn't less of a worry. Vague threats aside the larger one of 'you' are the harder you fall. I did not bring the full 'force' of the Protectorate to this conference hall because this is a 'peace conference'. Threaten the Illumined Utopian again and I will leave this table and prepare my fleets."

First Speaker Paola sets her teeth, the line of her mouth strained as she pulls the August again into a sitting position following his outburst.

"The Illumined Utopian has refrained from throwing insults and threats. We may be small in stature and appear 'weak' to you Giants, but let me remind you we did take Wyrmseer's Hold on our own ability. We do not react well to idle threats as the majority of a world built for Giants is already threatening enough. I wanted this meeting to be constructive and came with an olive branch, I am willing to try and work out a deal that is beneficial to all parties. I only speak for a third of the Utopian Triumvirate in this matter, and the August may overrule me in times of war if a real threat to Utopian lives materializes."

Rubbing the bridge of her nose back and forth, smoothing and unsmoothing the short hair there she presses on.

"With that said, a limited defensive pact with a joint military venture may be agreeable to the Illumined Utopian. Is there a planned 'unclaimed' region this body of nations proposes - or does her Grace have her eyes set on somewhere specific?"

 

22 hours ago, Kythia said:

Coedd has one. Two, really. A lot of damage was done to the local plantlife by retro burners, off target energy weapons, things like that. Coedd's going to send delegations up there to repair the damage and they'll need to be there long term. I'm asking it as a question but she didn't, if you get what I mean, so my hands a bit tied here on what I can negotiate.

Coedd also wanted me to talk to you guys about any off-world plants you might be bringing. Taste of home and all that. Understandable in its way but, and don't be shooting messengers here, Coedd had some pretty firm opinions on it

Nodding to the Coedd representative the First Speaker changes tact.

"Your delegates are allowed, from my understanding Console Prisca came to an agreement of sorts with Coedd, and allowing access to the region for them to approach and interact was among them. Our clean-up crews have been working overtime to repair and assess damages, so any aid is appreciated. As for off-world plants, I have our care-tenders biological reports available to me, I will forward them to you or your office for Coedd's review."

Edited February 28 by SerakHawk
spelling (see edit history)

[Kythia]

Aye, send them to me and I'll make sure they get to the right people. Might be worth doing something similar for any animal life you're bringing? Coedd won't give a sh...Coedd won't care he catches himself but if might make sense, seems to me. As he's talking he's scribbling on a piece of paper and when he finishes he folds it in half and leans forwards to offer it to the closest Jy'Mar

 

[SerakHawk]

59 minutes ago, Kythia said:

Aye, send them to me and I'll make sure they get to the right people. Might be worth doing something similar for any animal life you're bringing? Coedd won't give a sh...Coedd won't care he catches himself but if might make sense, seems to me. As he's talking he's scribbling on a piece of paper and when he finishes he folds it in half and leans forwards to offer it to the closest Jy'Mar

 

The August turns to face Gadear, flashing him a rather carnivorous grin.

"We don't raise livestock..... imports are how we obtain most of our mandated protein supply. There is enough of that on Sansar to go around."

 

[Rocket Relm]

"A lot of this would depend on a long term formation, not just the immediate lasering. Our nations actually have an okay relationship, this incident aside. We could twist this accident into an allyship of sorts, make sure the long term diplomacy works so the region is kept. I'm not in the business of having a region about to be set under siege offered and calling the debt settled. To procure such an invasion target we would need to check a whole lot of maps and targets."

She smiles, gesturing her hand around, and then frowning slightly.

"Do, do we have a projector to bring up maps here? ahem."

"After all, it's not like we could just randomly land right next to your colony the way you did ours, clear out the natives, and do a foreign exchange program."

Edited February 29 by Rocket Relm (see edit history)

[moossabi]

Against the backdrop of discourses large and small, the sound of the door reopening is substantial enough to put a pin in the most vigorous conversations - even if only momentarily. The two pale elves that stride into the room are clad similarly in the maroon fineries of the Fiorid family's attire, but their expressions could not be more divergent. Hinrik dei Fiori takes point, silvery circlet proudly displayed afore his hairline, his smiling face a clear facade that seems to cover the impact of months of stress. The younger sibling, Oskar (though the two look to be almost identical in age), by contrast, appears to not care at all about the proceedings, his bespectacled eyes frequently drawn to live updates on some communication device of his as if nobody else were present.

Propping himself against the door-end of the long table with his artificial arm, Hinrik's well-oiled voice immediately addresses Clagath. "Apologies for our delay, your eminence. These are trying times for our polity, as you may have heard, but we still bear and respect our obligation to this meeting. Acting Chancellor Hinrik dei Fiori of Verdalfheim, second son of its reigning Prince Isak, at your service."

"Oskar dei Fiori, brother to the Acting Chancellor." The younger brother's reply is curt, punctuated by a dignified bow of the head, though his mind is obviously elsewhere.

This seems to matter little to Hinrik, however, as he launches into his statement of intent. "As a matter of due diligence, I aspire to a global order in which good governance may be established over the vulnerable regions of Sansar, to protect them from the depredations of predatory interlopers like the Khylokians. Perhaps I was naïve to anticipate that this great expansion of governance by the Elect could be conducted on fair terms, with mutual respect for the claims of our companion states. This situation..." A brief pause befalls his speech as he glances around the room, practiced smile momentarily wavering as he realizes that the three primary participants in this discourse are tiny rodents, an 11 year old, and a tree's translator. Internally he curses himself for not going with his sisters to the Wedding for some proper conversation, but realistically speaking there would be far too many off-worlders there for his liking anyways. The smile resumes alongside his words. "...This situation constitutes a breakdown of the order I hoped could proliferate on Sansar, not because of the loss of life- though tragic- but because of the harmful precedent it sets. How can a non-Sansarite government properly care and account for the needs of Sansarites? Even if the Jy'mar can be trusted as stewards, what if their colonialist enterprise sets an example for the likes of the Khylokians, who we know for a fact to be unfit?" At this he finally takes a pause for breath, allowing anyone to discuss his points in any way they may choose.

Character Visual Aids

Produced in Heroforge because I'm not good enough at drawing (Respectively: Hinrik, Oskar)