Spread the Love.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

Yay! Brookshire Uber Alles!

[Yvain Wintersong]

I can always be bribed with a bit of land.

You have two citizens, yourself and Mr. Bekkenhuis, correct? Bring Musica to Brookshire, and I will redraw some borders and make it capital of a Barony, under yourself.

[Malliki]

If my Duke agrees, which he has, and my baron agrees, it's a deal.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Won't be your Baron for long.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

I'd have thought if both Dukes agree, the opinion of a Baron isn't worth a damn...

[Malliki]

You're right about that of course. You both agree, so it's a deal as far as I'm concerned.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Before Ari gets presumptive again, wait. I don't agree if Jess doesn't agree. Jess has been... relatively loyal to me and I owe him that much. In an ideal world I'd like to hear Greg's opinion too but alas he's away.

Edit: If Jess disagrees, maybe he'll learn to think twice before creating new Counties on a whim.

[Erik Mortis]

HEY! That would dismantle Dolor.... I'm not cool with that...

[Jess]

I don't agree, Yardistan needs a mainland um...connection per se. I'd be fine with giving some island to another duchy but, not Musica, it's my mark as a baron to make a county!

[Malliki]

Benkern?

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

It's no one's fault. As Carol said - a group of friends joined, they wanted to stick together, one of their number already lived in Yardistan.

And one of their number lives in Straylight, but that don't mean crap, now, does it...

Anyway, Prodigy and I considered creating a new duchy, but then we couldn't figure out where to put it...

[Noemi_Vassiliais]

Hmm... would it be possible for a volcano to erupt and create a new island? But yet again... that would also cause some problems for the other places. Such as shorelines shrinking some due to a small displacement of water... meaning that some ports may become useless. Just a suggestion though. ^_^;

[Oroigawa Koreyasu]

The MCS would go nuts...They're already trying to get rid of land...

[Noemi_Vassiliais]

Hmm... so then that wouldn't work. lol It was at least worth a thought.

[Erik Mortis]

New islands? It's been tried... I think we nuked it...

[hypatias mom]

And, Corey, I was incorrect when I originally posted that, and was corrected. I do know now I was in error. I apologize for my mistake.

[Yvain Wintersong]

HEY! That would dismantle Dolor.... I'm not cool with that...

Baron Erik, I of course have no plans to destroy your Barony without asking you. But since you seem as concerned about Brookshire's population problems as I am, I hope we can work together on this. Perhaps giving the Musicans Alexandretta plus part of K'Tzuni in exchange for giving Shimmerspring or Crestfall to Dolor would work? Perhaps only giving the Musicans a small southern strip of Alexandretta? If I must, I will make a noncontiguous Barony, Musica plus part of K'Tzuni, but I would prefer not to.

I don't agree, Yardistan needs a mainland um...connection per se. I'd be fine with giving some island to another duchy but, not Musica, it's my mark as a baron to make a county!

Baron Jess, I am prepared to lease you another mainland enclave of equal or even greater size in exchange for your lease of Musica to me. The cities of Fahtepur Sikri or Nee would be acceptable. If you have another suggestion for a deal, please tell me. However, we will be making a deal on this issue.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

I leave it to Jess to make this deal with you, your grace. And though I appreciate your enthusiasm, if Jess doesn't want to for whatever reason, I'm not going to let you try to get Musica in any less-than-completely-friendly ways.

[Jess]

The Isle of Benacia for Musica?

[Yvain Wintersong]

The Isle of Benacia for Musica?

It's a possibility, but I would rather not give up Benacia until I investigate further, because I think it has special significance to some people. It also wouldn't give you the mainland territory you want. I think the city of Nee, near the rest of your territory, would serve you better. I could give you the city, the coastline, and the countryside in a 50 km radius from it, as shown here.



Would this be acceptable to you and the Holy Lands?

[Jess]

The Islands surrounding it and we have a deal.

[Erik Mortis]

Alexandretta is mine, and I will slay anyone who tries to take her from me.... *gets a distant look in his eyes, gets a little misty eyes... then walks away*

*Reals around with feral look to him now*
This wand deal is NOT NOT NOT NTO OTN NOT... what I had in mind and don't approve of it at all.

Leave the borders as they are.

[Yvain Wintersong]

Baron Jess, if you mean the two islands west and the one island east, then yes, we have a deal. I will write up a formal treaty and present it to you and your Duke shortly.

Baron Erik, your concerns are duly noted. However, I remind you that Brookshire is in a crisis situation, far behind the rest of the country in citizens, culture, and activity. I am not blaming you or your government for this, but now that I am back it is my duty to solve it.

This deal is wildly favorable to us, and Baron Jess is proving his magnamity by giving us a great gift. We gain two new citizens, Count Mike Fors and Mr. Bill Bekkenhuis, and a strategically important city. Baron Jess quite rightly is not willing to give all this up for absolutely nothing, so he has asked for a small piece of land as a token price. I do not feel comfortable refusing when his offer is so generous and this deal is so important to the long-term survival of Brookshire.

However, in deference to your concerns, I will frame the deal as a lease rather than an outright cession. We will lease Musica from the Yardistanis, making it technically Yardistani land under Brookshirean control, and lease Nee to the Yardistanis under opposite terms. The colors on the map can stay the same, if you prefer.

If you do not want to abandon any of Alexandretta, I will respect your wishes and create a noncontiguous Barony. However, I had hoped that as the founder and erstwhile leader of Brookshire, that you would have had more community spirit.

If you have any further concerns, you can private message me, or you can wait a few days until I have AIM and talk to me then.

[Erik Mortis]

Crisis?! Wtf? What crisis. We aren't in a crisis. We just are low on cits. Hardly a crisis to warrant such a drastic measure. We could fix it by grabbing some folk next time we get immigrants.

btw.. this has to go before the Kaiser or the Landsraad. Duchies cannot trade land freely, nor sign treaties.

As for Alexandretta, I have STRONG personal ties to that county, and hope to see it restored some day as a twin county to my Monty Crisco... There is a reason I call it Dolor...

[Yvain Wintersong]

Crisis?! Wtf? What crisis. We aren't in a crisis. We just are low on cits. Hardly a crisis to warrant such a drastic measure.

Drastic measure?! What drastic measure? I'm just temporarily exchanging one small piece of land in an unoccupied county with no attached culture in an unoccupied Barony with no attached culture, for a similar small piece of land. And making a tidy profit on it, thanks to a Baron of the Holy Lands who has a good heart and is willing to help his fellow Duchies in a time of need.

We could fix it by grabbing some folk next time we get immigrants.

As I said before, I really don't want this to sound mean. But you have had six months to get citizens your way, and after six months, Brookshire is still a sad exception to the flowering of intra-Duchy culture. You generously gave me the Duchy of Brookshire, and while I am in charge of it I feel it is my responsibility to bring it to the level that the other Duchies have achieved (and then some ). I don't think the tried-and-failed policy of sitting back and hoping some new people show up and join us can do that. I've already told you that you can take the Duchy back from me at any time, and I invite you to exercise that option if you become too horrified with my policy, but while I hold it, I feel I have some responsibility for it and I can't just hope our problems solve themselves.

As for Alexandretta, I have STRONG personal ties to that county, and hope to see it restored some day as a twin county to my Monty Crisco... There is a reason I call it Dolor...

If you have some special connection to the land, I'm sorry. I only know what's happened since I joined in November, what's easy to find on the wiki, and what's in Microscope, and I didn't see anything about Alexandretta there (unless it was the same as the Hegemony of Alexandria). I don't understand what you mean about it being "restored", but if you need me to decree something for you, you need but ask.

btw.. this has to go before the Kaiser or the Landsraad. Duchies cannot trade land freely, nor sign treaties.

I see. Thank you. My studying of Landsraad Law is proceeding, and I hope to be able to start my Landsraad duties next week.

[Erik Mortis]

It's... complicated with Alexandretta....

Well, fuck you too... I'm sure if I had not had other things to do on top of being Duke I could have grabbed us some citizens. Further we had almost no immigration while you were gone and I was duke.

I just don't like the idea of moving land around. It seems like a extraordinary solution to a sub-ordinary problem.

[Yvain Wintersong]

Well, fuck you too...

!%&@@%! I didn't mean it in a mean way! I know you had more important things to do! And I am truly sorry if I offended you. Truly, truly sorry. You helped me when I was new here and I am still very grateful to you and hold you in the utmost respect. But what I am trying to say is that we need a change of policies, and this is an opportunity being given to us on a silver platter.

I don't understand why you think this is an extraordinary measure. It seems perfectly business as usual to me. We lease him some land, he leases us some land. That's hardly nuclear war. In fact, since no one owns Solecsism right now, it shouldn't affect anyone. At all. The Yardistanis don't seem to be acting like it matters either. So although I realize you are older and wiser than I am in most things, I am just completely baffled by your belief that a minor swap of tiny pieces of unimportant land is a 'drastic measure' that an opportunity to cure a six-month long stagnation in Brookshire doesn't warrant.

[Jess]

Erik, even though it may be hypocritical for me to say this but, grow up and just let us switch counties, you say you have to much power, and you do, quit interfering.

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Shush all of you, please? Game over. I do not agree. There, that makes things nice and simple? It's causing such problems, and while the inner workings of Brookshire are not my problem or anything, I don't want to see things go all... awry-ey because of something I can stop.

If Mike and Bill want to immigrate to Brookshire if they believe it so desperately requires their participation to survive, I shall release them from my subjugation reluctantly. They are very Yardistani in their own way, but if they would prefer to live in Brookshire, I only wish for their happiness. Yardistan is full anyways.

(Incidently, same goes for you, Jess. Despite all of what is happening recently, I like your style of leadership in the Holy Lands. I would much rather you personally stay in Yardistan. But if Yvain offers you some awesome Brookshirean Barony that you simply cannot refuse, you can of course go freely.)

While I appreciate Brookshire's... ahem... "crisis"... it has been far worse off before. In fact before you returned, your grace, it was much less active. My comparison the last few days have been very busy and interesting. I don't think this is such a problem that you so desperately need some new guys. You've got Krasniy and Erik, and you yourself O Duke of course. Oh, and I spoke to Max recently - he says Hi. He may return.

In consolation I present your grace with this - the bottom half of a giant mango, measuring 6 feet in diameter, found deep in some jungle on Mar Sara - and the knowledge that, if you want or need my personal assistance in any Brookshirean endeavour, be it a RPG-style raid on a village in Kildare or simply input and discussion on a new idea of yours to get things going, I will.

[Yvain Wintersong]

Baron Jess, thank you for your support. But Erik is the founder and ex-Duke of Brookshire and my political mentor, and I always seek and appreciate his advice in these matters even if I don't always agree with it.

Baron Jess of the Holy Lands gets a free pass, because he is a good friend to Brookshire and has recently dealt with me fairly and more than graciously. But anyone else who insults Baron Erik of Dolor, I will challenge them to a duel. And win.