A Proposition
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:47 am
YOUR NIFTINESS, the Kaiser Ayreon not First of the Name, Prince of the Hvalafell Realm, Lord of the Golden Mango Throne and Wielder of the Sword of Vengeance, greeting.
I have a proposition that may bring us both fame and wealth beyond the wildest imaginings of even the most indulgent Babkhan Emir. The journey I intend to take will be both long and dangerous; but even if every evil this land has to offer befalls me, if some vile pox or illness lays waste my crew and all that remains is myself and my faithful canine friend Fido II, if all the gods and angels and devils of the sky rain hell down upon me and all around me is fire and storm, I shall persevere, for such is my determination in this matter. But before I describe my proposition in full to you, I shall introduce myself.
I was born 32 summers and winters ago in the glorious city of Beth Sanaar in Matbaa. I was named first for my father (and his father before him, and his father before him), and last for the continent I was born on. My early years were spent in that great city of old stone and ancient religion, the laws which governed my life being those that were laid down by the Zatriarch, for those were the days of a truly theocratic Matbaa. However, when I was only 14, my parents were forced to migrate from that city; the decline of morals and laws, the rise of corruption and the appearance of loansharks and roaming bands of thieves made life unbearable for an out of work shipbuilder such as my father. We chose Suryo as our new home, which formed at the time the North part of the isle of Mar Sara. It was a good life; the trees were good, the wood was good and many ships needed building. However, it did not last long, for with the dissolution of the Zatriarchate several years later, the lack of central authority meant we were forced to move once more; and, my father, being too ill to travel across sea, suggested we took ourselves and our belongings to South Mar Sara, which was and still is part of your glorious Imperial Republic.
Soon after we arrived at Augustgrad, my father passed away, and my mother not soon after, and I was left alone with nothing but the tools and skills my father had left me. For many years, I dreamt of building a great ship and sailing back to glorious Beth Sanaar, but I knew it was impossible, for the Empire of the Alexandrians had taken the city and it had been left to rot. So I continued to live and to dream and to carry on despite a lack of direction in my life. That is, until I discovered in my house a note inside an hourglass underneath the bed my father died in. The handwriting was messy and rushed, like a spider had crawled all over it with ink on its feet, but despite the occasional illegible word the message was clear, and I knew what my father wanted me to do, and this I shall relate to you know as my proposition. I ask you forgive my digression, but I feel you would be more inclined to accept my plan if you knew what the source of it had been.
If you recall, there was once a Duchy of your Empire named Lothlaria; however, it has long been lost and forgotten, because communication has been rendered impossible due to the fierce currents and storms that now plague the Great Eastern Ocean and the Sunset Sea. However, my father in the note he left for me states that it is possible to get through, with a ship of certain proportions, if certain conditions are waited upon and, of course, if the correct course is taken. The course has already been plotted; the exact dimensions of such a ship have been decided upon; I even have a crew who are reliable and whom I trust ready. If we are able to get across the Sunset Sea and through the Eastern Ocean, not only will we be able to find out what happened to Lothlaria and its Kiwis, but if what my father writes is true, great wealth lies there across those tumultuous and treacherous waters. What I ask of you, Your Niftiness, is your blessing, and enough resources to construct the ship - the Santa Alejia. I promise you you will not regret accepting my proposal.
Yours in faith,
Christopher Cibola
Captain, Navigator, Cartographer and Ship-builder Extroadinaire
I have a proposition that may bring us both fame and wealth beyond the wildest imaginings of even the most indulgent Babkhan Emir. The journey I intend to take will be both long and dangerous; but even if every evil this land has to offer befalls me, if some vile pox or illness lays waste my crew and all that remains is myself and my faithful canine friend Fido II, if all the gods and angels and devils of the sky rain hell down upon me and all around me is fire and storm, I shall persevere, for such is my determination in this matter. But before I describe my proposition in full to you, I shall introduce myself.
I was born 32 summers and winters ago in the glorious city of Beth Sanaar in Matbaa. I was named first for my father (and his father before him, and his father before him), and last for the continent I was born on. My early years were spent in that great city of old stone and ancient religion, the laws which governed my life being those that were laid down by the Zatriarch, for those were the days of a truly theocratic Matbaa. However, when I was only 14, my parents were forced to migrate from that city; the decline of morals and laws, the rise of corruption and the appearance of loansharks and roaming bands of thieves made life unbearable for an out of work shipbuilder such as my father. We chose Suryo as our new home, which formed at the time the North part of the isle of Mar Sara. It was a good life; the trees were good, the wood was good and many ships needed building. However, it did not last long, for with the dissolution of the Zatriarchate several years later, the lack of central authority meant we were forced to move once more; and, my father, being too ill to travel across sea, suggested we took ourselves and our belongings to South Mar Sara, which was and still is part of your glorious Imperial Republic.
Soon after we arrived at Augustgrad, my father passed away, and my mother not soon after, and I was left alone with nothing but the tools and skills my father had left me. For many years, I dreamt of building a great ship and sailing back to glorious Beth Sanaar, but I knew it was impossible, for the Empire of the Alexandrians had taken the city and it had been left to rot. So I continued to live and to dream and to carry on despite a lack of direction in my life. That is, until I discovered in my house a note inside an hourglass underneath the bed my father died in. The handwriting was messy and rushed, like a spider had crawled all over it with ink on its feet, but despite the occasional illegible word the message was clear, and I knew what my father wanted me to do, and this I shall relate to you know as my proposition. I ask you forgive my digression, but I feel you would be more inclined to accept my plan if you knew what the source of it had been.
If you recall, there was once a Duchy of your Empire named Lothlaria; however, it has long been lost and forgotten, because communication has been rendered impossible due to the fierce currents and storms that now plague the Great Eastern Ocean and the Sunset Sea. However, my father in the note he left for me states that it is possible to get through, with a ship of certain proportions, if certain conditions are waited upon and, of course, if the correct course is taken. The course has already been plotted; the exact dimensions of such a ship have been decided upon; I even have a crew who are reliable and whom I trust ready. If we are able to get across the Sunset Sea and through the Eastern Ocean, not only will we be able to find out what happened to Lothlaria and its Kiwis, but if what my father writes is true, great wealth lies there across those tumultuous and treacherous waters. What I ask of you, Your Niftiness, is your blessing, and enough resources to construct the ship - the Santa Alejia. I promise you you will not regret accepting my proposal.
Yours in faith,
Christopher Cibola
Captain, Navigator, Cartographer and Ship-builder Extroadinaire
