Bradford Palace, Karthied
At precisely 3:15 pm every other Wednesday, the King meets with his Royal Council, a tradition that has lasted for over a hundred years. It is a chance for the monarch to meet with some of his most trusted advisors and administrators and discuss current events. Sherwin had religiously kept to the meetings, with the exception of the weeks during the recent Rhuvish conflict where he was unable to meet with his council all at the same time.
This week had quite a few important matters to discuss, among them the settlement that had ended nearly two years of labor strikes in the Ivernian Highlands over working conditions and wages in the Tungsten mines. While there was some bitterness over the terms, both sides had realized there wasn’t much point in pushing their agendas further. Now all that remained was for the terms to pass the Landesgrad, which everyone agreed was the likeliest outcome.
From there the conversation moved to more urgent matters: the recent elections in Tajis and its aftermath. There were already a number of protests over the results, with a good number of people in the northern and eastern provinces claiming vote doctoring. The protests were not uncommon, each election in Tajis seemed to generate them, but what was concerning was the level of organization that some of these protestors were showing as if they had been planned before the results had been reported.
‘There appears to be a group of protestors in Arkuit near the border with Pelhafor that seem to be acting more like a militia than a mob,’ Warden General Nathaniel de Alayn reported. He laid out how they even had posted armed sentries at roadblocks throughout the area and that Tajin Security forces had been turned away.
‘Do they know the identities of any of the protestors? Are they ex-military?’ Sherwin asked. The general just shrugged. If the Tajins knew anything, they weren’t sharing it with the crown. Sherwin ordered Alphius Skywing to have his agents look into it. Nobody wanted an escalation of tensions in Tajis. The Crown was already funneling a large sum of Florents into the rebuilding projects in Ancar, which had proven to unpopular in the Huskanter Court, as well being a divisive subject in the upper court. In fact the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Civil Order who were both present were active opponents to the aid being sent to the crown dependency.
The real problem was that the accusations of vote doctoring by Reynard Anaukshai’s government were likely true. Alphius had presented enough evidence to the crown that Esplandia could easily step in and force him to resign, but the fact of the matter was that Reynard’s agendas of increased trade and his political bent coincided with Esplandia’s, and his opponents were all anti-Esplandia, with the exception of Reynard’s brother Rycho.
‘For now we’ll stay out of the matter,’ the King said. ‘Let Reynard work it out. If we step in now it will only make things more dangerous, however I would put or troops in Tajis on high alert. Let’s make sure this stays a Tajin matter.’
Karthied, Valdonia Province
There's a certain kind of ambience to be found in the Crown and Florent: Rustic and sophisticated. Exposed beams, and a low ceiling give it an intimate feel, but good lighting and bright colored art in the 'nouveau' form counterbalances with a modern atmosphere. Amelia loved the place. It's location in Market Village, plus it's closeness to Southgate made it a good place to come for a quick midday meal or an evening drink.
Her father had actually introduced her to the place, though she couldn't remember him ever coming here regularly. It wasn't a hip or happening place, and the regular crowd pretended not to notice when she walked in, politely giving her a wide berth. They were mostly workers for the Ministry of the Treasury, or off duty members of the city guard. They knew who she was, and knew to let her be. Though she was sure once in a while one of her father's personal guardsmen would be here keeping an eye on her. She of course, pretended not to notice.
Today the crowd was small, a couple men in suits talking loudly and here and their young men and women eating singly or in pairs. Some kind of loud techno pop was playing in the background and Amelia grimaced at the overdone synthesizer. She walked up to the bar and sat down at the counter. Jack, the bartender/owner, came over with a glass of ice water. 'The usual?' He asked, and when she answered in the affirmative, he hollered back towards the kitchen with the order.
She grabbed the glass of water, and a copy of the Herald from the end of the counter, then moved to a table against the wall, burying her nose in the paper. It was a slow news day. The front page had three articles speculating on what the agenda for the next meeting of the Landesgrad would be. She mostly skimmed through it until her meal arrived, and then she worked on the crossword while eating. Her usual was a Reuben, with a healthy serving of sauerkraut and the house's special sauce which was some kind of tangy and sweet concoction.
She was concentrating on a particularly hard word when someone politely rapped on her table. She looked up to see her cousin, Harriet Calder, dressed in her uniform for the Ministry of Civil Order. She gave Amelia a familiar smile. 'Sorry if I'm running late,' she apologized. 'I was stuck in a meeting.'
'Oh, it's fine,' Amelia assured her, gesturing for her to have a seat. 'I didn't know you came here.' Amelia knew that Harriet had never been in the C and F before, which meant she had asked to meet here for a specific reason. Harriet gladly accepted the offer of a seat, and before she could say anything, Jack had come over and taken her order. She ordered the same as Amelia, but with a side of potato crisps. Amelia continued to work on her crossword, though half-heartedly.
'How is your mother doing?' Harriet asked, as Jack returned to his place behind the bar, shouting the order at the cook.
'She's pleasantly miserable,' Amelia answered. 'She's pretty exhausted from the pregnancy, so she's stuck at Rathburg propped up on pillows with cool drinks, good food, and round the clock service.'
'No complications I hope?' Amelia shook her head. Her mother was fifty, and having a child that late in life came with its own complications. But the physicians had assured everyone the pregnancy was progressing normally. 'What have you been up to recently?' Harriet asked.
'Father has me doing some of the day-to-day at Southgate. Making me work for my Barony I guess.' She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, 'between you and me I'm just glad not to be stuck in classes all day.'
Harriet chuckled. 'Hands on experience was always my preferred method of learning. My dad says hi by the way.'
'Oh how is uncle Stuart?'
Harriet shrugged. 'Better than he has been, but he's still getting worse. I don't think he'll be able to run the treasury much longer, but he'll keep going until he can't.'
'I should go see him.'
'That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about,' Harriet said just as Jack brought out her sandwich. She quickly took a couple bites while Amelia pretended to work on her crossword. Finally Harriet wiped her mouth with a napkin. ‘He wants to nominate me for the Aeod auf vi Eras Ra.’*
Amelia smiled. ‘Oh that’s great, I hope you get it. You certainly deserve it with all you’ve done.’ She reached across the table and hugged her cousin.
‘While I’m honored I’m just worried that it’ll be too much to handle. Just another thing to worry about.’
‘Well you’ve got my support and I know my father will back your appointment.’ Amelia assured her.
‘I know he will,’ Harriet said thankfully. She then looked down at her hands and smiled sheepishly. ‘He’s also going to nominate you.’
Amelia was silent for a moment, taken aback. ‘But why, I haven’t done anything to warrant the honor.’
‘Oh haven’t you? I seem to remember you holding your own against Führer Ulrich in Rhuvanland and got us out of there mere hours before war started. You represented the strength and courage of every Esplandian and showed the Sonachists that we wouldn’t be intimidated. Both our parents are proud of you…as am I.’
Amelia grabbed Harriet’s hand and squeezed it in gratification. ‘I think my schedule just cleared for the rest of the day. I’ve really got to go see your father.’
At precisely 3:15 pm every other Wednesday, the King meets with his Royal Council, a tradition that has lasted for over a hundred years. It is a chance for the monarch to meet with some of his most trusted advisors and administrators and discuss current events. Sherwin had religiously kept to the meetings, with the exception of the weeks during the recent Rhuvish conflict where he was unable to meet with his council all at the same time.
This week had quite a few important matters to discuss, among them the settlement that had ended nearly two years of labor strikes in the Ivernian Highlands over working conditions and wages in the Tungsten mines. While there was some bitterness over the terms, both sides had realized there wasn’t much point in pushing their agendas further. Now all that remained was for the terms to pass the Landesgrad, which everyone agreed was the likeliest outcome.
From there the conversation moved to more urgent matters: the recent elections in Tajis and its aftermath. There were already a number of protests over the results, with a good number of people in the northern and eastern provinces claiming vote doctoring. The protests were not uncommon, each election in Tajis seemed to generate them, but what was concerning was the level of organization that some of these protestors were showing as if they had been planned before the results had been reported.
‘There appears to be a group of protestors in Arkuit near the border with Pelhafor that seem to be acting more like a militia than a mob,’ Warden General Nathaniel de Alayn reported. He laid out how they even had posted armed sentries at roadblocks throughout the area and that Tajin Security forces had been turned away.
‘Do they know the identities of any of the protestors? Are they ex-military?’ Sherwin asked. The general just shrugged. If the Tajins knew anything, they weren’t sharing it with the crown. Sherwin ordered Alphius Skywing to have his agents look into it. Nobody wanted an escalation of tensions in Tajis. The Crown was already funneling a large sum of Florents into the rebuilding projects in Ancar, which had proven to unpopular in the Huskanter Court, as well being a divisive subject in the upper court. In fact the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Civil Order who were both present were active opponents to the aid being sent to the crown dependency.
The real problem was that the accusations of vote doctoring by Reynard Anaukshai’s government were likely true. Alphius had presented enough evidence to the crown that Esplandia could easily step in and force him to resign, but the fact of the matter was that Reynard’s agendas of increased trade and his political bent coincided with Esplandia’s, and his opponents were all anti-Esplandia, with the exception of Reynard’s brother Rycho.
‘For now we’ll stay out of the matter,’ the King said. ‘Let Reynard work it out. If we step in now it will only make things more dangerous, however I would put or troops in Tajis on high alert. Let’s make sure this stays a Tajin matter.’
Karthied, Valdonia Province
There's a certain kind of ambience to be found in the Crown and Florent: Rustic and sophisticated. Exposed beams, and a low ceiling give it an intimate feel, but good lighting and bright colored art in the 'nouveau' form counterbalances with a modern atmosphere. Amelia loved the place. It's location in Market Village, plus it's closeness to Southgate made it a good place to come for a quick midday meal or an evening drink.
Her father had actually introduced her to the place, though she couldn't remember him ever coming here regularly. It wasn't a hip or happening place, and the regular crowd pretended not to notice when she walked in, politely giving her a wide berth. They were mostly workers for the Ministry of the Treasury, or off duty members of the city guard. They knew who she was, and knew to let her be. Though she was sure once in a while one of her father's personal guardsmen would be here keeping an eye on her. She of course, pretended not to notice.
Today the crowd was small, a couple men in suits talking loudly and here and their young men and women eating singly or in pairs. Some kind of loud techno pop was playing in the background and Amelia grimaced at the overdone synthesizer. She walked up to the bar and sat down at the counter. Jack, the bartender/owner, came over with a glass of ice water. 'The usual?' He asked, and when she answered in the affirmative, he hollered back towards the kitchen with the order.
She grabbed the glass of water, and a copy of the Herald from the end of the counter, then moved to a table against the wall, burying her nose in the paper. It was a slow news day. The front page had three articles speculating on what the agenda for the next meeting of the Landesgrad would be. She mostly skimmed through it until her meal arrived, and then she worked on the crossword while eating. Her usual was a Reuben, with a healthy serving of sauerkraut and the house's special sauce which was some kind of tangy and sweet concoction.
She was concentrating on a particularly hard word when someone politely rapped on her table. She looked up to see her cousin, Harriet Calder, dressed in her uniform for the Ministry of Civil Order. She gave Amelia a familiar smile. 'Sorry if I'm running late,' she apologized. 'I was stuck in a meeting.'
'Oh, it's fine,' Amelia assured her, gesturing for her to have a seat. 'I didn't know you came here.' Amelia knew that Harriet had never been in the C and F before, which meant she had asked to meet here for a specific reason. Harriet gladly accepted the offer of a seat, and before she could say anything, Jack had come over and taken her order. She ordered the same as Amelia, but with a side of potato crisps. Amelia continued to work on her crossword, though half-heartedly.
'How is your mother doing?' Harriet asked, as Jack returned to his place behind the bar, shouting the order at the cook.
'She's pleasantly miserable,' Amelia answered. 'She's pretty exhausted from the pregnancy, so she's stuck at Rathburg propped up on pillows with cool drinks, good food, and round the clock service.'
'No complications I hope?' Amelia shook her head. Her mother was fifty, and having a child that late in life came with its own complications. But the physicians had assured everyone the pregnancy was progressing normally. 'What have you been up to recently?' Harriet asked.
'Father has me doing some of the day-to-day at Southgate. Making me work for my Barony I guess.' She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, 'between you and me I'm just glad not to be stuck in classes all day.'
Harriet chuckled. 'Hands on experience was always my preferred method of learning. My dad says hi by the way.'
'Oh how is uncle Stuart?'
Harriet shrugged. 'Better than he has been, but he's still getting worse. I don't think he'll be able to run the treasury much longer, but he'll keep going until he can't.'
'I should go see him.'
'That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about,' Harriet said just as Jack brought out her sandwich. She quickly took a couple bites while Amelia pretended to work on her crossword. Finally Harriet wiped her mouth with a napkin. ‘He wants to nominate me for the Aeod auf vi Eras Ra.’*
Amelia smiled. ‘Oh that’s great, I hope you get it. You certainly deserve it with all you’ve done.’ She reached across the table and hugged her cousin.
‘While I’m honored I’m just worried that it’ll be too much to handle. Just another thing to worry about.’
‘Well you’ve got my support and I know my father will back your appointment.’ Amelia assured her.
‘I know he will,’ Harriet said thankfully. She then looked down at her hands and smiled sheepishly. ‘He’s also going to nominate you.’
Amelia was silent for a moment, taken aback. ‘But why, I haven’t done anything to warrant the honor.’
‘Oh haven’t you? I seem to remember you holding your own against Führer Ulrich in Rhuvanland and got us out of there mere hours before war started. You represented the strength and courage of every Esplandian and showed the Sonachists that we wouldn’t be intimidated. Both our parents are proud of you…as am I.’
Amelia grabbed Harriet’s hand and squeezed it in gratification. ‘I think my schedule just cleared for the rest of the day. I’ve really got to go see your father.’
TheAeod auf vi Eras Ra, translated from Quaelech as the Order of the Firmament, is the highest order of chivalry and the third most prestigious honor (inferior only to the Bronze Falcon and the Silver Cross)in the Kingdom of Esplandia. The order dates back to the Duchy of Valdayne and was founded by the Coraligian Duchess Catheryn de Cloyver in the year 798.