A Letter from the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia

[Aurangzeb Khan]

From the Office of the Grand Baron
03 December, 2007

Your Grace,

I have the honour to extend the greetings and felicitations of the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia (UBAT) to the Imperial Republic of Shireroth.

It is my utmost desire to resume the formerly cordial relationship between UBAT and the Imperial Republic which unfortunately lapsed during the intervening period when our foreign policy was dictated by the Grand Commonwealth. However the United Baronies seceded from the Grand Commonwealth on 29 July 2007 and as masters of our own destiny it is appropriate for us to open a new chapter in our historic relationship, stretching right the way back to the time of Tymaria, based on mutual respect and dialogue.

To that end I have accredited one Moqtada al-Osmani, aka Ardashir Khan, our resident persona in those parts, to serve as our embedded consular representative at the Kaiser´s Court and the mechanism for the conveyance of our missives from Adelwin to Shirekeep.

You will find attached below the statutorily required information necessary for re-opening channels of communications.

Please note that within the next month the function of Grand Baron, the office I hold as Head of Government will be absorbed into that of Protector, our Head of State. All correspondence therefore should be addressed to the Protector, Sir Lachlan Powers, MRT. I do however request and require that all correspondence be passed through our embedded consular representative until such time as other channels of mutual communication are agreed upon.

May your Grace please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.




[/Signed]
Sir Svantovit von Plettenberg
Grand Baron
Knight of the Skerry Isles


to

His Grace Ari Rahikkala
Duke of Straylight,
Minister of the Exterior,
Ministry of the Exterior,
Shirekeep,
Duchy of Brookshire,
Imperial Republic of Shireroth

ANNEX
Name of your nation: United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia

Preferred means to contact the representative: In reply to this correspondence

Nation's website address: http://www.mncentre.net/unitedbaronies/forums/index.php

Nation's message board address: http://www.mncentre.net/unitedbaronies/forums/index.php

Please describe in a few words your nation's character and culture: Treesian and Aerlish democratic-feudalism

Please describe in a few words (the highlights of) your nation's history so far: The War of the Orchids (2001), The Treesian Apocalypse (2004), membership of the Grand Commonwealth (2005) & independence from the Grand Commonwealth (2007).

How did you hear about Shireroth? Links via Treesia and Babkha dating back to Tymaria

[Scott of Hyperborea]

I would like to remind the Minister that it is the view of the myself as well as several fictional Hyperborean officials that the current government of Treesia are usurpers, and that Ard-Baron Eoin Dornan, who currently lives in exile in the Republic of Ireland, is the area's true ruler. In his last few communications with me on the matter, which were admittedly some time ago, Eoin has condemned the actions of the current Treesian-Aerlig government and re-asserted his rightful claim.

I would also like to remind the Minister that very bad things often happen people who sign treaties with Iain de Vembria, as the Free Republic could tell you.

[Ari Rahikkala]

(note: While I'm not extremely drunk, I am drunk enough to handle a diplomatic "first" contact situation in the proper Shirithian way...)

Allright, let's get this straight. We don't love you. The only reason why we'd enter into a treaty with you is that you're too stubborn to change your mind on the issue of Treesia's existence, and since nobody seems to have managed to convince you that the Apocalypse all the way back in *2004* actually meant something, we're not going to try to do it either. If you just keep clinging to life long after it should have ended by Eoin's opinion then fine, go on and exist, and we'll even negotiate a treaty with you. We still think that Treesia is dead and you're just spitting on its name by using it for your own nation... the only reason why that's acceptable is that the name wasn't Eoin's to begin with

The treaty won't happen today, though, since my opinion on the Shirithian Treaty-In-A-Can is that is that it implies a little bit too close a friendship for what should basically be basic recognition. I'm certainly not going to rewrite the treaty template tonight, and I'm also not going to sign a treaty worded by siriain (lest Shireroth find half of its lands annexed ), but... sure, I don't see any reason not to have a basic treaty of recognition between our nations. You'll just have to wait a little while for it.

[Aurangzeb Khan]

From the Office of the Grand Baron
03 December, 2007

Your Grace,

As Grand Baron of the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia, I, through the Office of the Grand Baron and our Embedded Consular Representative, present my compliments to your Grace, and with reference to our correspondence initiated on the 3rd of December, 2007, acknowledge your Grace´s subsequent reply on the same day which the Government of the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia has given all the due consideration your Grace´s sentiments deserve.

It is the contention of the Government of the United Baronies, therefore, that after the Apocalypse of 2004 the Treesian State, as represented in the person and works of Sir Iain de Vembria, and High Treesian Culture, as embodied in the person and works of Ard-Baron Eoin Dornan, diverged, the former changing and evolving in its nature before being subsumed into another entity, the latter attaining an immortality of sorts, ascending to a cultural Valhalla, or reunion with the Irdia if you prefer.

The United Baronies does not immediately desire from the Imperial Republic of Shireroth any treaty or formal undertaking in regards to bi-lateral relations, still less a generic `recognition´ treaty. Indeed the United Baronies do disavow the use of such tre `basic recognition´, regarding them to be flawed instruments of diplomacy. Instead it is the position of the United Baronies that interaction, such as this correspondence, constitutes recognition, albeit of a basic kind.

The purpose of the initiation of this correspondence was to open up channels for dialogue and communication between our two realms via which diplomatic agreements of a practical nature might be drawn up should future circumstances necessitate them. It was, and remains, the hope of the United Baronies that any dialogue would be of a cordial and constructive nature however it is clear the response of His Grace and of certain other distinguished gentlemen, that the concerns of the Imperial Republic of Shireroth with regards to the circumstances of Treesia itself prove to be an impediment to the furthering of that dialogue and thus represents a limiting factor with regard to future negotiations.

Being mindful of the unease which the continued usage of the name `Treesia´ causes to His Grace and certain other distinguished gentlemen of Hyperborea, the concerns of the Imperial Republic of Shireroth on this matter shall be forwarded to the Protector and the Round Table for further consideration. However it must be anticipated that the domestic constituency in the United Baronies may well have a perspective on the matter that is divergent to that held by the partisans of the Ard-Baron, who currently lives in exile in the Republic of Ireland.

May it also be noted, in order to clear up any misperceptions, that no one will be signing treaties of any kind with Sir Iain de Vembria for the foreseeable future as the Knight for Treesia and Fabon is Minister for Culture in the United Baronies and furthermore is on extended 'gardening leave'.


May your Grace please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.




[/Signed]
Sir Svantovit von Plettenberg
Grand Baron
Knight of the Skerry Isles


to

His Grace Ari Rahikkala
Duke of Straylight,
Minister of the Exteinistry of the Exterior,
Shirekeep,
Duchy of Brookshire,
Imperial Republic of Shireroth

[Ari Rahikkala]

* nods *

(sorry about the late reply, it's just that just because I'm our MiniEx does not mean I'm very fond of talking like a diplomat, or of people who talk like diplomats, so I tend to push back threads like this one in my to-do queue...)

Anyway, now that I'm sober and less eager for conflict... really, it's not your problem that we can't deal with your history, it's ours. It's not like you can do anything about it short of disavowing your Treesian heritage (which, well, would... not be appropriate) or getting Eoin to tell everyone it's OK. Even on our end, I don't think we can really pretend we have a reason to hate you because of things that happened years ago... we wouldn't really be very even if we did that.

[Aurangzeb Khan]

From the Office of the Grand Baron
11 December, 2007

Your Grace,

As Grand Baron of the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia, I, through the Office of the Grand Baron and our Embedded Consular Representative, present my compliments to your Grace, and with reference to our correspondence initiated on the 3rd of December, 2007, acknowledge your Grace´s subsequent replies including the latest written response dated the 11th of December, 2007, which the Government of the United Baronies of Aerlig and Treesia has given all due consideration.

I should le to thank your Grace for the considered and balanced nature of your latest reply. While one should never be shy of exploring the true nature and consequences of past events it is not necessarily appropriate to be always constrained by them, especially with regards to matters of policy and interactions concerning the here and now.

It is my hope that the passage of time will grant us distance from the immediacy of those controversies so that a better perspective of events might be formed, overall, that can encompass the valid viewpoints of the protagonists without falling into the trap of adopting negative and dogmatic positions.


May your Grace please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.






[/Signed]
Sir Svantovit von Plettenberg
Grand Baron
Knight of the Skerry Isles


to

His Grace Ari Rahikkala
Duke of Straylight,
Minister of the Exterior,
Ministry of the Exterior,
Shirekeep,
Duchy of Brookshire,
Imperial Republic of Shireroth