The meeting begins

[Andreas the Wise]

OOC: I don't really have time to do this, but hey, I've been planning it for days ...

It was being held in the Raynor Isles - chosen because it was in the middle of the Barony, would require the least travel, and by choosing it that way, would not be perceived as favouring one county over another. That is to say, it was being held on a large boat in between the coast and the islands in the Raynor Isles, because the Raynor Isles itself was a County Divided. Back before the Dark Age the plague which had caused such strife was said to have originated from here. The people on each half blamed the other one for the plague - one half having abandoned magic and relying entirely on science and genetic engineering; the other having abandoned technology and relying entirely on magic. Each thought the other hopelessly mistaken and that what they had chosen (between magic and technology) had been the one that didn't start the plague, and was how they'd cured it. Picking either side would have caused more disputes, so Andreas had parked the ASC Sakat in the middle, and there the meeting was being held.

They were in the boardroom of the ASC Sakat. The headship of the Atterockian Navy, the boardroom had been designed for occasions just like this - negotiating with foreign diplomats, entertaining allied commanders, relaxing in style after a hard day of issuing orders and recording history ... it was a room for commanders and leaders, and that was who were assembled in it. It was so large that at both ends were windows looking out the side of the ship, letting the warm sunlight enter, and in the centre was a large round table, with many luxurious chairs in every colour of the evening sky. Around the main table were various smaller tables where aids could sit, and papers be examined, and it was indeed being used for this purpose currently, with at least one secretary from each county, and the official Melangian Historian, Kel´Jar, with a table by himself to record the proceedings. At the tail of the table (he had chosen this seat deliberately) sat Andreas the Wise, Baron of Atterock, and quite possibly the most brilliant mage alive. He surveyed those around him.

To his immediate left were the two representatives from Gong Li, the county in question. First was the Hau´Oli, Sultan in the common tongue, in his traditional regal garb - full length silk pants and shirt, large and thin to allow air flow in the hot Gong Li desert. An amber cloak hung on his back, its bottom billowing slightly as if an invisible breeze were constantly blowing it; and on his head was an ornate turban, with a single jewel broach holding it together. Andreas wandered whether the garb had been designed to cover the entire body in the case of plague - if it hadn´t been planned such, it still would have performed the task admirably. Andreas remembered his single visit to Pua Kalauna on his ascencion to Baron, and to the great library there. From what he could recall, the people of Gong Li had dwelt, relatively primitively, on the coast and in the jungles that filled the east coast of the island for most of the County´s history - that is, until the great sailor Sin´Abd had returned from a voyage Sakat knows where bearing great riches and the firsp. Over a century he and his family moved further inland into the desert which had once been thought unlivable, and he set himself up as Hau´Oli, Sultan. His arrogance would have been ignored, no doubt, had it not been for the plague sweeping the shoreline, apparently borne on every ship that sailed. Many went inland to brave the desert and the city of Pua Kalauna grew dramatically. Now, centuries later, the family was well established as rulers of Gong Li, and the Djinn where numerous and served many high posts. There was even one among the Sultan´s retainer, pacing around the table for Gong Li.

Next to the Hau´Oli was the leader of the islanders - those who had stayed on the coast or three islands to the north, and survived the plague. Their people were now again quite prosperous, but sticking to their traditional ways and without either the Djinn or the war machines the Hau´Oli had acquired over time, they were in no position to rule the entire island any longer. This seemed of little accord to them - most were, like their ancestors, more than happy to leave the desert alone and live on the coast - for a small tax, they were left themselves to themselves by the Hau´Oli ... much like Andreas had left him. The leader of the islanders, however, did not look an unintelligent chap - on the contrary, he smiled broadly, but watched the others shrewdly. It was one thing to rule in the desert with Djinn, but quite another to rule in the jungles and narrow waterways, where a spear in the night can spell doom. This chief had led the islanders for a while, and Andreas suspected he would for many more years to come.

Beyond the folk from Gong Li were the two representatives from Old Hallucination - and Andreas was somewhat surprised by their choice. One was a dryad from the Temple of Ryvenna - Andreas could not recognise her from his brief visit, but had no doubt that Hallu (the ent who controlled the temple) would send someone wise and loyal. Also, Andreas suspected, an expert with a protect herself from all the men in the room, beautiful as she was. Her bluey-green skin was covered only by a grass skirt and a small shirt of what appeared to be oakleaves, revealing, among other things, that Dryads had no belly button. Andreas had had little chance to examine the Dryads when he had first ventured into the Temple - perhaps, in the interests of magical understanding (for to his knowledge Dryads were found no where else in the world) he would have to talk to her more after this was over. The other representative from Old Hallucination was a man who, Andreas had it on good authority, was believed to be the descendant of the emperor of the old Halluci Empire, which once stretched across Kildare. He seemed quiet and did not show great signs of dormant nobility, but Andreas knew better than to judge by looks. The nature of leadership in Old Hallucination was ... limited at best. For him to be sent, Andreas decided, he must have the support of a large number of people, though not necessarily a majority of the County or even the leaders of the two major cities, Port Halluci or Bray, whom Andreas had met. Andreas began to regret his hands off approach to leadership now ... the people he would soon have to confide in he barely knew the role of, let alone their names.

Around the table then sat the two representatives from Raynor Isles, divided by the two Norfolk reps, though still shooting eachother dirty looks across the table. Closest to Old Hallucination was the representative from Libertopia, an enchantress named Lucinda. She, at least, was known to Andreas from before this meeting - she was the leader of the mage guild in Libertopia, it's most powerful organisation, and had struck Andreas as a shrewd bussinesswomen, if somewhat overtly biased on the matter of Biotopia. On the far side, close the the Melangian commander, Mel'Kat, sat the representative from Biotopia, Cheif Researcher Harver. Andreas again had had a little to do with this man. He had a great mind, that was undeniable, but logical and rational to an extent that Andreas wandered occasionally if the man had many emotions left, or, even more interestingly, a wife. His rational approach ended when discussing Libertopia, however, and his disgust for magic was clear. Andreas had kept hidden his role as Lord of Magic when first meeting the man - it would have to be discussed now, and Andreas wandered how he would react. Andreas almost wished Prodigy or North were here. They knew how to deal with scientists better.

In between Harver and Lucinda sat the two representatives from the Norfolk Isles. One was the official Second in Command to Count Nick, who had been absent from the Isles for some time. His deputy, a lady named Rhianna, was a hard handed lady who worked hard to deal with the pirate threat that spanned the Isles. She wrinkled her nose with clear disgust for the man next to her, Cap'n Rackham, undisputed Pirate King and Lord of the Seas. Unlike his companion he smiled roguishly, delighted to be invited to such a proceeding, and the displeasure he was causing his companion. He was an honourable gentleman in his own waters, though still a theif, and pirates under his control did not hurt women or children, or even men if it could be avoided. Rhianna tried to control the pirates, but Andreas had easily recognised the significant power they had and chose to work with it, not against it. Besides, as Rackham had once confided to him, a bit of resistance from the authorities kept things interesting.

Which left, on Andreas' right, his own county, Melangia. Next to Cap'n Rackham sat Cla'Udi, Chief Cloud Diviner of the Melangians, and one of their most respected elders. Those his hair was white (a rare sight among only the oldest Melangians), his eyes were as bright as ever, and his attitude that delightful one of grandfathers and old professors - warm and loving, and absolutely delighted to find a young one who shares their interest (and then happy to talk about it at length). And to Andreas' immediate right Mel'Kat, Andreas' loyal and trusted commander, Admiral of the Atterock Navy and a close friend of Andreas'. Five Counties. Ten representatives, and Andreas. Their age, gender, race and profession spanned the full range of Shirithian experience, Andreas expected, but most of all, they spoke with the support and authority of their people, and the hard reforms Andreas would need to bring in would not pass without their support.

Andreas stood up, and began to speak. "Friends, I have gathered you here today, officially, to discuss a Barony-wide position on the matter of Gong Li, and it's illegitimate seizure by the Duke. He has made no actual move to take the island, but still, I fear he may in the near future. But more than that, I want to discuss the position and governance of the Barony as a whole. As you are all well aware, I've taken a largely hands-off approach to leading this Barony. You have all learned and mastered self governance in the years since the Plague and the Dark Age, and seeing you were capable in this regard, I have left you to govern yourselves. This method has worked thus far, but will not for any longer. I do not know whether my leadership has been a discredit to you - where this another land I would have visited every city and written of its wonders to the world at large - but it has caused the Duke to feel that Atterock is not attached to Gong Li, that Atterock is a Barony that can be pushed around. We must show him otherwise. But, I suspect, from now on my leadership is going to have to be a bit more involved, at least to appease the outside forces.

This is, first and foremost, a civil war. And we will conduct it civilly, and non-militarily, for as long as we can. We are a Barony of Learning and Knowledge, and we can do better than to throw ships at our foe and hope they capitulate. But I have asked each of you to come up with 'last chance' plans, should we need to enact them. Harver, I believe you've had some thoughts on this matter?"
"I have indeed," the scientist replied. "Our Duchy, as you will recall, was torn apart by a plague developing from my own County, though not," he said, looking at Lucinda, "from my half ..."
"Slander! Of course the plague came from you, our magic does not have the ..."
"Quiet," Andreas said. "You are both guests and will speak civilly to eachother, and not accuse. Harver, if you would continue?"
"Gladly," Harvey said, smiling smuggly. "In Biotopia we have engineered a virus we believe would be suitable to a plague - and may I assure you it's the first plague engineered in our walls."
"Of course," Andreas said wearily, "nobody doubts that. Do not let it continue to bother your speech."
Harvey looked slightly hurt, but continued. "And unlike previous plagues, we have the antidote and vacinne for this. Within a week, I am confident, we could vaccinate every citizen of Atterock, and then unleash it on those who oppose us."
"And it'll probably backfire on us too," Lucinda muttered, but Andreas ignored her.
"Thankyou Harver," Andreas said. "We'll keep that one as a backup plan. Now, I believe Hallucination ..." he stopped short, not knowing the name of the reps, or indeed, which one had a proposal. She let him stand awkwardly there for a moment longer, then spoke up. "Lady Willow is my name," she said. "I am High Priestess to Ryvenna under Hallu. His suggestion is simple: we threaten to remove the Boomstone."
"Ah," Andreas said, smiling. "Removing the boomstone would cause quite a large explosion, wouldn't it?"
"The explosion would utterly annihilate Old Hallucination," Lady Willow said, "and would probably reach as far as to take out Gong Li, the county in question. But in between a quite considerable portion of the Duke's stronghold would also be removed."
"And the ocean palace?" Andreas asked.
"Doubtless lost," Lady Willow replied.
"Well, I admire Hallu's offer to sacrafice himself," Andreas began, when Lady Willow interrupted, clearly shocked.
"You do not think we would actually remove the stone!" she spluttered. "That would be sacrelige!"
"But if we aren't removing it ..."
"Hallu merely offers the threat of removing it," Lady Willow clarified.
"Ah, of course," Andreas replied. "Probably better that way ..."
"Libertopia has an idea," Lucinda interjected. She had been waiting for another to speak first, so it did not look like she was instantly showing up Harver, considering Andreas' comments. "I'm sure we could engineer a significant magical disaster. There is merely the problem that, after the second binding ... our magic has been sorely diminished. If you could see fit to ..."
"We looked at the possibility of a Kildarian Academy when I ascended the Baronial throne," Andreas replied. "We could not find a candidate suitable for Lorddom, and without such a candidate, the Council would never approve another Academy."
"With respect, your Baronship," Lucinda suggested, "It need not be a full Academy. We need only to be taught the ways of SCM, I'm sure, once we have the basics ..."
"Hmm," Andreas said, smiling again. "MANA could create an outpost ... the Council don't worry about that sort of thing ... we'll talk later," he concluded, with an outrageous wink. It was at this moment that the Sultan stood up. "As it appears our Baron can no longer guarantee complete independence of our counties, Gong Li must announce our price for support has gone up."
Muttering emerged. "What?" Andreas asked, amazed.

"It is very simple," the Sultan replied. "If Gong Li must suffer a Baron who will actively visit us, and consider even interfering in our leadership, then at face value we may as well accept the Duke without protest, and hope, after a time, he will lose interest and ignore us. Alternatively, we could wait on your support and retain Andreas as Baron. Both are the same to us. However, there is something that Atterock could offer us that the Duke could not, and if it were placed into the equation, we would be most delighted to stay here. Our price for support is this."
"Which is?" Andreas asked.
"As Libertopia mentioned, the power of many non-Gralan mages has been diminished under SCM, and will not return unless they are trained in this new system. As much of our power comes from Djinni, we would like that they were fully trained in SCM - we would like them to have a tutor."
"That's easy enough to organise," Andreas began, "I have many Archmages ..."
"We want you," the Sultan interrupted. "With assistants if you feel it would help, but you as the major tutor. Nothing but the best for our Djinn."
Andreas stopped and thought, and did not know whether to smile or cringe at the cleverness of the move. He had said he needed to take a more active role in the Counties - get to know them so he could explain their importance to the outside world. He had not specificed where this more active role would be - though he had assumed he would start by working with the existing leaders. The Sultan, instead, proposed he tutor the Djinn. Not only would they grow in magical power considerably (for he was indeed the best tutor they could get, save possibly Bayen or North, who were far beyond their reach), but the Sultan would get his 'interfering Baron' shoved away clearly in a subservient role, and not interfering in the actual running of the nation. It was masterful ... Andreas almost wished he'd thought of it himself.
On the flip side, Andreas did want a chance to study Djinn up close - and this would give it.
"I would be delighted to," Andreas replied, smiling broadly. He did not know whether he had called the Sultan's bluff or not, but he thought to himself, 'Your move ...'
"It is settled then," the Sultan replied, without skipping a beat. "Gong Li will remain in Atterock as far as it is within our power." Then he sat down. The matter was over.

"The matter of SCM brings me to the second matter I wanted to discuss," Andreas said, standing up again. "Please, make yourselves comfortable - I am afraid you're going to have to listen to a little history first to fully understand this." The Melangians sat up excitedly - the reaction of the others was harder to gauge.
"Harver and Lucinda, it does not surprise me you are antagonistic to eachother," Andreas began. "You are echoing the same comments your respective cities have said since the Dark Age, and I choose the word echo carefully. There is a force moving in our world, that is playing a long game, and I don't know all the rules. There is a force in our world that is opposed to us - opposed to Gralus, opposed to Shireroth, possibly even opposed, long ago, to Jasonia. Only a little is known about them, but more has come to light lately, and, putting together the pieces of the puzzle, I think I can now describe the overall picture. I chose the word echoes," he said, looking carefully at the Raynor Isles folk, "because they are part of this force. Shadows, Reflections, and Echoes, and their queen, Fortuna, queen of the Insubstantial.

Imagine. Imagine a world where every mirror, every icicle, every glassy pool is a possible portal from which enemy can spy, and stream forth to attack. Imagine a world where behind every tree, every bush, every rock, was a possible foe to rise up against you. Imagine a world where you had to watch not what you say, but what you heard, because echoes were everyone, and sometimes they could be louder than the first thing said, drowning out all opposition. This is what we possibly fight.

This is not, let me assure you, how the world is currently - but this is what it could be, if they had their way. The power of reflections is limited - even when active, they can only spy - they cannot cross the glassy barrier between the mirror world and ours. However, when Magic Mirrors are constructed, they can break through and then we're in trouble. In the north, in ages past, people built a magic mirror. But they noticed the reflections looking back at them, and destroyed it before too late. But in time, they forgot, and another was built. This time, they were not so lucky. I have had the ... dubious honour of seeing the result. There is a mountain. I cannot tell you where, for the secret of its location is guarded fiercely by those who showed me. In that mountain, there is an entire battlefield composed of solid glass. To slay your own reflection is to slay yourself. The only way to stop it, without killing their whole nation, was to turn everyone on the battlefield into glass - the northerners, forever in stasis to do naught but dream (for they come from a people who, before they die, lay their bodies down, and, as long as their body is unravaged, may spend the rest of the days until the End Times dreaming), the reflections caught forever in the glass they belong. Let us hope another such mirror is never constructed again ... but even without it, they may be able ot spy on us in ways we cannot expect.

The story of the shadows is somewhat clearer, and of more direct interest to Kildare. For a long time many mages in the north worked with shadows - the shadows were their willing servants, even friends. Everyone had a shadow as a companion. The irony is, we now know the shadows were there not to serve, but to tempt their leaders into creating a number of extremely powerful magical artefacts that, when combined, would give the bearer control of Fate. Luckily, before the last artefact was created this plan was realised, and for many millenia the final artefact went unmade. However, it was not fully traced to the shadows - some were suspicious, but many trusted the shadows, and, in the end, left their old friends and travelled south. Ah, what irony. Their faith was short lived - above Kildare, of all places, the shadows turned on them. Exactly why I still do not know. But they sorely misjudged the northerners - the Shadows were not beaten entirely, but most of them were banished in the Dreaming, and remained there to the present day. However, I now have good reason to believe some escaped into Kildare. They bided their time for two thousand years and then ... I believe they started the plague."

There was instant shouting, most strongly from the two folk from Raynor Isles. Andreas counted to ten, and then muttered "Skidreio Chaeio" There was instant, magical silence. They could still breathe, but for some reason what they said didn't reach to anyone's ears. "Let me continue," Andreas said calmly. Seeing that further yelling was pointless at this time, they all sat down.
"I am not certain of this. It may be the plague did emerge by natural causes and was used by them. But the historical evidence, and recent reports from people who were alive at the time suggest that the Shadow/Reflection/Echo contingent were responsible for the plague. Think of it - who would notice an extra shadow attach itself to the bottom of a ship, to get off in the next port and drop something in the water? Remember the prophecy in Melangia. It was foretold the plague would come - that's why, thank Sakat, a number of the histories were moved there and were safe. It is my understanding that the Shadows engineered and spread the plague. Why? Because truly they did want to plunge Kildare into a Dark Age ... and because there were documents they wanted destroyed. I gather, in particular, a prophecy, though my source here is the one who purports to have done the destroying (though he doesn't know what I overheard, and how much more I guessed) an he may not be entirely reliable. But there was knowledge there that, without the plague, would have spread widely, and the Shadows did not want that.

The Echoes are the last of the three, and then one, I will confess, I know the least of. But I suspect they are around, echoing old biases. I do not know their power or plan beyond that they are in the histories as connected to the Shadows and Reflections, and a formidable foe. But think, for a moment. If the Shadows spread the plague ... then they are still out there. In the dark places in the world, hiding, maybe with Echoes, maybe with reflections, they are there. And that is why I am proposing that here and now we create a new order that will come in across all of Atterock. Brookshire may fight the demons and the darkness - let Atterock fight the shadows. I am proposing a quasi-magical order to seek out and fight these shadows that infest our land. But it will only happen if we work all together. I'm going to release the silence, but I'd like you to each speak one at a time. Harver."
"My Baron, to use magic for good, it is inconcievable ..."
"Harver, I must remind you, if you did not know, that I am Lord of Magic of Novatainia. I am not the one to tell you cannot use magic for good. I understand your people most of all with have trouble bearing this suggestion. That is why I have said "quasi-magical." There will be more than magic in this order - we will need your ingenuity and your inventions. The Shadows are used to magical foes. Let us give them something they are not used to. Is that suitable?"
Harver opened his mouth, then closed it, the opened it again. "It will suffice," he said finally.
"Good, you have shown much maturity in that. I expect it's too early to ask you to make friends with Lucinda again ..." Andreas looked, and both Lucinda and Harver winced at that sentence, "but if this Order is succesful, it will finally shift the blame completely off the Raynor Isles - either half, and perhaps will solve one of the disputes which has been most troubling to me as long as I have been Baron."
Lady Willow stood up. "We will support you in your fight, if you can train us in turn."
"I'm beginning to expect MANA will need an outpost in every county," Andreas replied. "The Land needs its Lord, and with the absence of a natural born Shirithian, it looks like it'll have to be me. We will work to train up the native population to take over."
"We thank you for that," Lady Willow said, and sat down.

There was a pause, and nobody else spoke. "I have but one thing to add then," Andreas said. "Our Barony has been given a task to achieve together, and a new Order to unite us. I think we need now confirm the values of our Barony - and I think we cannot do better than the values on which the Atterock itself was created: Prominent Ancient Races (like the Microns), Dangerous Magical Intrigue (like the possession of Locke) and, of course, Loud, Dramatic Music (the Atterock was made for Rock and Roll, after all). What do you think of this?"
There were many murmurs of support, but it was the other man from Old Hallucination that spoke. "Could there then be ... a return of the Hallucigrad Empire? As part of the Barony of Atterock, of course," he added.
"There could well be," Andreas said, smiling. The man nodded his approval, and fell silent.

"If there is nothing more to say," Andreas concluded, "then I'll fill you in on the next stage of the Gong Li-Duchal battle."
"I'm sorry," said the Sultan, standing up, "but wasn't the meeting to discuss what to do next? We've spent the whole time ..."
"Uniting as a Barony," Andreas said, smiling.
The Sultan paused, then sat down, unable to give a better answer.
"Our next move, in a civil war," Andreas said, smiling broadly at everyone else, "is, I think, a rock concert. At the Atterock. LiveRaid, I think we should call it, to raise awareness of, and money to stop, the possible raid on Gong Li from the Duke. We could have favourite numbers like 'Smoke on the Atterockian Water'; 'You ain't nothing but a Jeremy, crying all the time (Well you ain't never King o' Bosworth and you ain't no friend of mine)'; 'Stairway to Envision'; 'Mango Shoes' and my personal favourite: 'It's a long way to the top if you wanna be Kaiser'"
There was a pause, as everyone considered the move, and then a burst of applause.

[Jonas]

Ow! I love this story!
I will post something too, if I have the time to do so.

[Andreas the Wise]

Just reread it - I finished editing it just now (and by editing, I mean adding the end - I just posted bits earlier to make sure I didn't lose the whole thing, it took an hour or two to write)

[hypatias mom]

Sounds like you have gotten the cooperation you desired from this stirring meeting. I can't wait to see the shape it takes now.
(OOC--This is like the histories of old--very nice workl here. I really love your approach.)

[Andreas the Wise]

Thanks. It's a strange compilation between the development I should have done in my counties ... and the ever evolving magical struggles of Gralus which I've managed to pull Shireroth into (see, the story about the shadows was actually the easiest bit to write as I already think on those lines ...) That it sounds like old Shirithian struggles is wonderful to hear - I won't tread on so many toes that way ...

[Ari Rahikkala]

"My Baron, to use magic for good, it is inconceivable ..."

http://galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=385

[Scott of Hyperborea]

A suitable beginning to an epic story. You clearly don't do things halfway.

As for Gong Li, you mentioned on the Gong Li thread you didn't know enough about them. I can help! Hau'oli 'Ena (in Hawaiian, Red Hot Celebration) was founded by John Sager (founder of the Automatic Republic) in August 2000. John really didn't like Jasonia and wanted a competitor to it. Hau'oli 'Ena attracted a lot of the anti-Jasonian contingent, including Ryan Caruso, and I think they either annexed or threatened to annex the People's Republic of Hell at one point. Their biggest strong point was the economy, which was based around a stock market, and their currency the kala was the most valuable in the micronational world at the time.

When we all decided to merge into the Union of Apollo States, we declared, to minimize pre-existing divisions, that no state in the UAS could be the same as one of the old countries. In order to get around that everyone just renamed their old countries to turn them into states. So Hau'oli 'Ena became Gong Li. I don't know what it means, though I'm pretty sure it's NOT named after Chinese actress Gong Li. Anyway, because it was the economic powerhouse of UAS, Gong Li wanted UAS to adopt its currency, the kala. The Jasonians threw a fit over it and it almost tore the country apart. Afterwards, Sager got involved in some terrorist attacks and lost all credibility, and Gong Li was absorbed into Shireroth's Duchy of Kildare when the UAS fell.

This might also be useful: http://www.geocities.com/apollostates/Atlas/gongli.html

[Jonas]

Thank you, Scott! That site is very helpful!

[Andreas the Wise]

I try not to do things halfway. I often end up with things half-finished ...

Thanks for that Scott. That adds to pre-history stuff and says economy is good to work with (and to add in a Volcano). I've basically decided with Kildare that the plague and Dark Age are a chance for me to do what I want at a time period suitably divorced from previous efforts to not offend anyone ... but I also love to adapt old stuff if I can. I'm a prolific adapter ... So thanks.

[Scott of Hyperborea]

Yeah, the plague was a good idea.

[Andreas the Wise]

Thanks As I said, I'm a prolific adapter, but not a great follower ... so a plague really sorts it for me.

btw Jonas - I am awaiting your response to this ...

[Jonas]

I will write something today. I was busy with making a picture of you for the Kildarian game.

[Andreas the Wise]

Aww ...

[hypatias mom]

Baron Andreas--

I have written a communique to His Grace Duke Jonas requesting that, if he must cross my Kitanus Fields territory, he leave my citizens and their property undisturbed. I am not in conflict in this situation with either of you, and wish to remain neutral in this. Please forgive me for not being able to join you in your battles. I have no personal argument with either you or Duke Jonas. I trust that when this business concludes we may again be united in our Dutchy.

Thank you for understanding our position in this.

Baroness Carol
Barony of Lumina's Light

This is a copy of my communication to Duke Jonas:

My Lord Duke--

II understand you are in conflict with Baron Andreas the Wise, and that you will be confronting him with your naval and army forces. I would like to know if you intend to cross the territory of my barony in the Kitanus Fields. If this is in your plans, please be sure that your troops do not molest the citizens of my barony. We are not in conflict with Your Grace, but we wish to be left in peace, and our property and territory left intact. Your attention and concern in this is most appreciated.

Thank you, Your Grace,

Baroness Carol
Barony of Lumina's Light

[Andreas the Wise]

From the desk of the Baron. On really, really nice notepaper.

Dearest Lady Lumina,

I am glad to hear you are staying neutral. This unfortunate matter can, I hope, be safely kept between the Duke and myself, without the interference of other parties which would undoubtedly cause far larger loss of life than necessary. As it is, I hope nobody loses their life over this. I have no intention of retreating to the Kitanus fields, or, indeed, any part of your realm, and I will do my utmost to ensure no fighting spreads into the Barony of Lumina's Light. I do, however, request that, if necessary, small scholarly expeditions may be sent for specific purposes as their need becomes clear, to investigate the history of features that are rapidly coming to my attention.

Sincerest wishes of health and peace,
Baron Andreas the Wise

[hypatias mom]

Dear Baron Andreas--

I appreciate your position in this current conflict, and I also am gratefrul that you are recognizing our barony's non-combattant status. During the period of hostilities I would prefer that you refrain from using my territory except in greatest danger and stress. After the cessation of hostilties I will be delighted to give your scholarly expeditions access to historically significant locales. If your forces would be using these features in the conflict, I am afraid you will just have to await peaceful times to acquire them. Thank you for your understanding.

Baroness Carol
Barony of Lumina's Light