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Picking Up The Pieces; Thulean Global Diplomatic Mission
Topic Started: Dec 23 2008, 01:50 PM (934 Views)
East Anarx
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In spite of himself, Lucas was thoroughly enjoying being treated like royalty, and as he was seated at the dinner table to await the arrival of the Emperor, he was in the best of spirits. He had prepared a small gift, and though it was nothing compared to the grand welcome the Empire had given him, he hoped it would please the Emperor. He would wait until the right time, and along with his formal apology for Claire's actions, present it to his gracious host.
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Rhadamanthus
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At the appointed hour, the Emperor entered the dining hall with his taster, his family and the rest of his entourage. He gestured subtly to indicate that he did not require those already present to stand. The dining staff saw this and took note; it meant that their own actions would have to be shifted accordingly. Dining in the imperial dining hall, like most else that occurred in the Great Imperial Palace of Constantinople, was the subject of intricate rituals and rubrics that were immortalized in ancient tomes preserved by the household staff. The life of the imperial court was like a carefully and lovingly choreographed dance. Each person had his own place and his own routine, and when they all came together and performed their parts, a sublime order slowly emerged.

It was a work of art crafted in life, and though it was among the greatest accomplishments ever raised by the hand of man, it was imposing and perhaps even frightening for those who wer unused to it. King Lucas Petrov had enjoyed his stay in the City so far, but coming from as thoroughly unpretentious a country as Thule, he probably felt some anxiety at the formality of his surroundings, the Emperor attempted to put him at east. With him at dinner were the Empress and six children, the oldest of whom were married with their own newborns, and the youngest of whom were near to King Lucas' own age. The Emperor apologized that his younger brother was not present, because he has gone on a diplomatic journey to Brittania just before.

After all the introductions had been made and the imperial household had been presented to the royal guest, the appetizers and drinks were served. The Emperor raised a glass of mead and toasted, "To the King of Thule! May he have many years and may he always be remembered!"

After all the dinner guests, who included many of the nobility present in the city and various high ranking churchmen in addition to the Emperor, the imperial household, and the King, had all toasted, the Emperor began to converse with King Lucas: "King Lucas, we are pleased to recieve you. I hope your journey was pleasant and that your furnishings have been comfortable. Please tell us about your travels and anything in the City that has pleased or displeased you."
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East Anarx
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"I must say, John, that I do believe you have accomplished here a kind of sublime order I assumed could never exist outside of anarchy. The City was a display of Christ's magnificence and the glory of the Church, and my treatment has been as luxurious and enjoyable as one could hope. May the Empire reign in peace and order always. You will forgive me, but I must speak directly of my reason for coming.

"I have hope that the incident at the World Conference in Nagasaki did not threaten what has long been a relationship of good will and peace between our two independent and sovereign nations, and may we always enjoy the fruits of prosperity that the tree of free and mutually beneficial trade provides. In that spirit, I have come bearing a gift. I know it is small, but I hope it will symbolize the continued friendship between the Empire and the free lands of the North."

At this, Lucas reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small wooden sculpture, a miniature crown he had been carving in his spare time during his long journeys at sea. He presented it to the Emperor, who took it and observed it in his hands. It was not quite small enough to be worn on a finger, nor large enough to be worn on the wrist, much less on the head as an actual crown. What Lucas expected the Emperor to do with the little trinket was not exactly clear, but he waited with silent dignity for his host's response to this gift.
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Rhadamanthus
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The Emperor picked the wodden crown up and placed in the palm of his right hand. Quietly, he examined it from each angle as the masses of his assembled courtiers waited with bated breath his verdict.

"You crafted this with your own hands?" the Emperor asked.

Lucas nodded, "Yes, Emperor."

Slowly the Emperor smiled. The working of crafts was honorable; it allowed a man to manifest his intent in a material way, and it disciplined his inner self, uniting it to the outer world. It tuned a man to his own place in the subtle drama of human life in the fallen world - and the world to come. All these thoughts drifted through the Emperor's mind as he contemplated the gift. Finally, he spoke, but he said none of those things. Instead, he said:

"Lucas, I thank you for this gift. It has value to me. I would have you know that I bear you and and your race no grudge for the death of King Ragnar. I will look upon you as I do my own sons, and I will look favorably on you and your nation as long as you reign. Our trade will continue undisturbed. Clergy will journey north and warriors south, and all will be as it has been.

"We have prepared tokens for you to take with back to your home, but we will save those to present before you leave this City. But I would desire that you enjoy this dinner, and that you remain here as my guest for as long as you desire. Perhaps, you can tell me about the progress of the Church in Thule? How is the Archdiocese of Volsunga? Does it require resources, men? Please tell me all.
Edited by Rhadamanthus, Jul 8 2009, 02:55 PM.
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East Anarx
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"The Church continues to gather new converts daily, and is one of the fastest growing religions in Thule. However, new membership via sexual reproduction is relatively low relative to other groups, and this might be because women only make up 30% of The Church's membership in Thule. Why women do not seem to flock to The Orthodox Church is a subject of much debate, but I can speculate only that Thulean women tend to be very independently-minded, and rarely simply follow their husbands' lead."

Lucas did not bother mentioning that heterosexual monogamy wasn't even the most popular type of relationship in Thulean society, or that nearly 35% of women in Thule self-identified as being attracted to other women either exclusively or as much so as to men. He suspected that the Emperor probably knew such things already, (they being well-documented heresies,) and so did not mention them for the sake of politeness.

"To answer your question, I do not believe The Church in Volsunga requires any more men, but it might require more women."

Though it remained ever-present in his thoughts during his meeting with Emperor John, Lucas also politely refrained from mentioning a highly publicized crime committed by a member of the Volsungan Orthodox Church: a rape. The rapist was of course immediately condemned by The Church, but it nevertheless remained an ugly and high-profile incident. Such crimes were extremely rare in Thule, and were punished quite informally and severely. In this case, (and remaining fully true to Thulean tradition,) the victim exercised her right to vengeance, and opted to castrate the rapist. The rapist chose to accept his punishment rather than be exiled and risk vigilante justice.

Lucas hoped that having more women in the Orthodox Church might reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future.
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Rhadamanthus
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The Emperor smiled. Lucas had been right to avoid certain topics, as they would likely have dimmed the mood of the dinner, though had he mentioned the rapist, it is likely the Emperor would have approved the grim punishment. There were many parts of the Empire where, despite the imperial government and its long and respected legal tradition, criminal punishment was largely a private matter. This was very true on many of the Greek isles, and the Aegean coasts where ancient customs often remained undisturbed away from the major cities such as Athens or Thessalonica in Europe or Smyrna or Ephesus in Asia. There it was common for punishment to be a private matter, pressed by victims or their families or friends as necessary. So the Thulean custom would not be entirely alien to the Emperor's mind. But Lucas had not mentioned any of that, and instead, the Emperor's thought was keenly focused on the problem of women in the Church of Thule.

"It saddens me," he said, "to hear of this disinterest in the Church among women, though it gladdens me to hear of the good fortunes of the Church in other regards. Perhaps, we can see if any women or families would like to come to your lands?"

The culture in this part of the world was less libertine in the North, and it was unlikely that many families would allow their unmarried young daughters travel alone to the barbarian lands, as they were seen. But the Emperor thought that there may be some nonetheless, and furthermore, there may be families with marriagable daughters that might like to see their fortune in Thule. And additionally, he knew that some of his Varangian warriors, who had come south to great Miklagard in youth with still new brides, might like to return home after they and their wives had aged and perhaps may desire to bring their own daughters back to their homelands.

Chrysostom, the Oecumenical Patriarch then spoke, "What about monasteries? Has the Church in Thule built any monasteries? They have traditionally been an excellent place for young men without brides, and they have always been the great strength of the Church."

The Emperor responded, "I agree that monasteries are fundamental, but it sounds like what the orthodox of Thule need first are married couples, and thus, women. Tell me, what charity has the Church done in your lands? Does she feed orphans? Does she care for the sick? Does she provide for widows if left without support? Does she offer shelter to women who suffer? Does she educate the ignorant? The Church must do these things if God is to bless her numbers."
Edited by Rhadamanthus, Jul 8 2009, 03:17 PM.
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East Anarx
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"Yes," Lucas replied, "monasteries dot the landscape of the Kingdom of Thule from Elenagrad to Eslov, and men of the faith can be found in all of them, carrying on the work of the Lord. As for the charities of the Church: hospitals, shelters, and schools have all grown up around the Archdiocese of Volsunga and are filled with Christ's laborers."

"How, may I ask, is Thulean trade doing within the Empire? I trust that Thulean merchants are still free to sell their wares without taxation, regulation, license, or governmental intervention of any sort, but what of the products of my countrymen? Do they bring pleasure to you and yours?"
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Rhadamanthus
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"Yes," the emperor replied warmly, "they do bring us pleasure. I am sure that during your time in the palace, you have recognized works of Thulean craftsmanship, and should you take the time to travel to the markets in the City, you will find that the stalls of your countryman well attended. We do not restrict or hinder their activity, and they and their wares certainly enrich us. And for our part, we are proud of our marketplaces, were men of every race congregate for trade and common agreement."
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East Anarx
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Eventually, their discussion turned to lighter matters, Lucas enjoyed the excellent food and wine his host had graciously provided, and when it came time for him to depart, he felt he could not leave without embracing John as a friend. He approached the Emperor hesitantly, uncertain as to whether or not custom would forbid it, but the wine had emboldened him, and he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the Ruler of the most holy Orthodox Empire in a friendly hug. "Friend." was all he managed to say, the alcohol seemingly having sapped his eloquence.
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Telosan
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OOC: Sorry for interrupting. Isn't this an 8 year old kid? His speech is very sophisticated and he's getting drunk. Where's his parents? :lol:
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East Anarx
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Telosan
Jul 12 2009, 09:44 PM
OOC: Sorry for interrupting. Isn't this an 8 year old kid? His speech is very sophisticated and he's getting drunk. Where's his parents? :lol:
OOC: 12 years old actually. :P :lol:
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Rhadamanthus
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The emperor chuckled slightly. The move was out of protocol, certainly, but the old emperor could not help but be touched by the actions of the child king. He returned the hug and answered, "King Lucas, I would be happy to call you my friend."

After this, the young monarch, feeling the weight of the alcohol, was shown back to his room so that he could sleep off the intoxication.
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East Anarx
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After a hangover-curing breakfast fit for a king, and amidst fond farewells, Lucas departed the ancient City and set sail for The Federation of American States.

It was several weeks later, just after sunset one evening, while the king and crew were passing somewhere near the Irish Azores island chain, when a strange, metallic-yellow craft emerged from the waves directly in front of their ship. They scrambled to divert the ship from crashing into the strange craft, and only just managed to avoid hitting it. As they passed, a black-clad figure leapt unnoticed from the yellow submarine onto the starboard side of the king's ship, and climbed stealthily up onto the deck.

Now behind the ship, the Leif Ericson disappeared beneath the deep blue waters as smoothly as it had appeared.
Edited by East Anarx, Jul 18 2009, 12:13 AM.
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East Anarx
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The black-clad stowaway was one Thomas Morehead, 16-year-old pirate and LSD Legionnaire. His mission was simple: Give the monarch a certain unnamed psychoactive chemical, deliver a letter and insure that his majesty would read it while under the influence, and then escape unnoticed as the ship passed Bermuda. What exactly this was supposed to accomplish, Thomas had no idea. Those were his orders, though, and if he followed them to the letter, he was assured a promotion within the ranks of the Legion of Spectacular Discord.

There weren't many places to hide on a ship of such size, so Thomas resolved to drug King Lucas quickly and then find a place to hide afterward. As fortune would have it, he saw Lucas entering his cabin and managed to follow him in without being seen or heard. Lucas was drunk off of sailor's rum and it was all he could do to stumble in and pass out on his bed. Thomas waited quietly by the door until Lucas' breathing became even and steady, and then approached the sleeping boy-king. With the utmost care, he took the small vial of dark red potion he had been given and poured it into Lucas' open mouth. The king coughed, sputtered, but did not wake up. It would be at least an hour until the drug took affect, so Thomas decided it couldn't hurt to read the letter himself before setting it on the king's chest and waking him.
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