Forward towards Darcania

[Prydania]

Anette Rask looked to the islands in the distance.
"Darcania?" she asked as the KPS Eric VI neared the end of its journey.

"It is" Nick Søndergaard replied, eyeing the island through his binoculars. He was uneasy. The carrier KPS Stormurhöfn, recently acquired from the Kanadians, was ready. And yet they had been sent alone.
"We don't want to appear hostile" the Minister of Defence had told him. So now a single destroyer was approaching what very well could be the most dangerous place on the planet.

"Is everything ok Captain?" Rask asked, as the hand clutching the handle on her briefcase tightened.

"Just worried about the same thing you are, Ambassador" Søndergaard replied, before motioning to the Lieutenant manning the radio.
"It's likely they know we're here. Radio. See if anyone picks up" the Captain continued.

The Lieutenant nodded, broadcasting in Mercanti.
"Port of Klarliert, Darcania. This is the KPS Eric VI requesting permission to dock. We come barring a message of peace and friendship from the Bergum Pact."

 

[Darcania]

Spoiler: OOC

While this thread was abandoned when I last left the forums, I am reviving it with the agreement of Prydania. I consider the outstanding invite of the Bergum Pact, seen here, to still be canon. As the other members have OOCly agreed that I should be allowed to rejoin I do not believe this to be any major leap in logic, but any concerned party may reach out to me on Discord should they have something to say about this.

In the distance, surrounding the lone destroyer in a pincer formation, could be seen a ship or two on each side of the horizon, their presence marking Darcania's strong sense of armed neutrality. It was very rare for a ship to approach this close, but after Scian kul Kroning's reign they had become far more common. However, old habits die hard: The Klarlierter suspicion continued, and though the ships kept a safe distance they kept an advantageous position if the visitor betrayed their message of peace.

On the decks of one of the ships could be seen the rustle of wings, easy to mistake for the sails on the ships of old. Yet on closer examination it was clear that the ship was carrying a beast of legend. A dragon. The blue and white dragon kept a wary hunter's glare on the visiting ship as it approached the dragons' territory.

A reply came from the radio, slow at first but gaining in speed as the radioman began speaking his second language. "Permission granted, KPS Eric VI." He gave the ship directions to the port reserved for ships of state, keeping them directed through their many organized port lanes.

An emerald green dragon, dressed as resplendently as any monarch of the era in gold, fine fabrics, and trinkets, stood waiting at the dock, flanked by several other blue dragons and even more human workers of the state. His striking cyan eyes stared out at the ship as it docked, watching the humans disembark with the patient watchfulness of a master hunter.

He continued waiting silently as the diplomatic mission stood again on land. Zephyr, Şeytan Kral, came from a culture of lonesome, territorial creatures, and so it was custom that the visiting party would open conversation. While he would not go out of his way to offend, he would not bend to accommodate his behavior to a foreign culture while he stood on his own lands.

 

[Prydania]

Anette managed to see a glimpse of the wings on one of the ships...

“It’s a...a dragon...” she said, breathless, in awe as she was able to make out the beast.

Captain Søndergaard was far less blown away. His jaw clenched seeing the dragon. They had no armaments that could realistically hurt such a creature.
“You didn’t expect to see dragons in Darcania?” the captain asked, attempting to alieviate the mood.

“I thought we’d negotiate through human intermediaries...”
Anette said, still breathless.
“The Foreign Minister informed me they didn’t like to make themselves known...”

Captain Søndergaard just shrugged, receiving the permission to dock.
“Docking party, be ready” he said over the ship’s PA.
“...Royal Marines stand down” he added after a delay.

“We’re going ashore without the Marines?” Anette asked.

“What good are they going to do if this goes poorly?” he replied dryly.

.....................

Anette was the first one off the boat, followed by the Captain. Aside from them? The retinue was sparse. Just a few of Anette’s aides.

“Zephyr, Şeytan Kral” Anette began, eyes wide as she looked up at the emerald dragon. It took every ounce of restraint to keep from trembling.

“My name is Anette Rask. I’ve come on behalf of the Bergum Pact to deliver an invitation. The Pact wishes to invite the nation of Darcania to join the pact, as a co-equal member of the alliance.”

 

[Darcania]

The humans bent to his culture quite easily, it seems. They acted like prey against his predatory nature; he could even smell their fear. The gaze of his slit pupils moved among the party before him as he examined them closely. They were modestly decorated for people of their stations, though he had expected better from the human nation-states. He could see emblems of a deer among their embroidery, yet another symbol of their prey-like nature.

If they didn't run in terror in the middle of their talk, they would be pushovers to him.

He exhaled lightly as he considered this. These were just envoys, glorified messengers. The true challenge would be the other nations greeting him in numbers on their own turf. Nonetheless, he would be a gracious host to them, as he expected them to be for him. He neglected the smile and wave he had seen humans perform, choosing not to emphasize his fangs and his claws, and instead maintained his poise, acting uninterested in the prey before him and keeping a distance so the humans wouldn't be dwarfed by his stature.

"I thank you for the invitation, Anette," he responded, his accent foreign to even the most seasoned diplomat: a measured melody subtly influencing his vowels as he spoke, and his fangs clacking over some of the rougher consonants. "I would gladly wish to hear more of this invitation, but for now, you must be tired after your journey.

"Please be comfortable," he continued, gesturing for a few human aides to approach. He stared directly into Anette's eyes as he continued. "A discussion of peace should be made free of fear fouling our moods, after all."

The human aides quickly bustled forth, offering diplomatic visas, as well as keys and paperwork for a free stay in the finest hotel Klarliert had.

 

[Prydania]

Anette Rask stared into the yes of the dragon Demon-King, steeling her nerves as best she could.
“Of course Elder” she managed to say with a smile, as she and her aides began to tend to the diplomatic details with the human hosts of Klarliert.

She was a diplomat, and as such she did her research. Yet she new little of the humans of Darcania. How they lived, and how they were treated.
The aides who tended to her own people seemed professional respectable, however.

Captain Søndergaard, however, stood back and observed. He began to question his decision to leave the Royal Marines on the ship. He captained a destroyer, after all. He knew a hunter when he saw one. And he knew how to deal with them.

“Tell Anette she needs to speak to me as soon as we’re all settled” he whispered to his XO. The Commander nodded, leaving to pass the message along.

Søndergaard took a deep breath, figuring out how exactly he planned to train a diplomat to think like a hunter.

 

[Darcania]

He stepped back as the other human aides began bustling about, organizing for a car escort to the hotel and handling the paperwork and assisting the ship in where to dock and unload any provisions the diplomatic party wished to take to the hotel with them. Zephyr stepped out of the way, expressing his pleasure at meeting the party before expressing his regrets at his quick departure due to the business of state. Most of the dragons left with him, leaving the humans in peace, though a couple dragons with harnesses holding various cargo stayed behind to assist with the dock work - a well-paying job for a large and powerful dragon to work should they choose to.

The escort to the hotel was uneventful, the streets bare of any traffic beyond the occasional commercial vehicle, police car, and some smaller vehicles bearing the seal of Darcania on their hoods. Foot and bicycle traffic was plenty high, but there were plenty of paths and trails alongside and between the streets for such traffic.

After a short, efficient drive they arrived at the hotel, a short three-story building that spread wide to accommodate their many rooms. Various shops and attractions surrounded the hotel, bearing signs that were lit from the top down, helping to illuminate the darker corners of the streets as the day began to wane. The diplomats were led along the expansive hallways to their wing of the hotel specially put aside for state business such as this. Various plants and decorations originating from the world over lined the hallways and the rooms.

The human aides pointed out a special outdoor meeting place where they would be meeting with Zephyr. The diplomatic party would have the night to rest and could meet with Zephyr whenever they were prepared to anytime during the next morning.

 

[Prydania]

"Captain Søndergaard, I wasn't expecting you" Anette said as Nick Søndergaard stood in the doorway of her hotel room.
"What can I do you for at this hour?"

"I was wondering" the Captain replied, "if we could talk. About your meeting tomorrow."

Anette nodded and turned, waving for him to come in.
"Come on in, I'm just finishing dinner" she said pleasantly enough, a mostly eaten flank of grilled fish sitting on the plate on the room's desk.
"Hotel desks are never big enough. Not even in the land of dragons" she added with a smile, before sitting down in the room's single chair.

"But what is it you want to talk about Captain? No disrespect intended, but I've been briefed on Darcania's politics, and I've gone over the files I don't know how many times."

The Captain shrugged.
"You looked awfully terrified for someone who is supposedly prepared."

Anette's smile turned sour.
"Pardon me?" she asked. "It was my first time meeting a dragon."

"I hadn't seen one before today either, but you didn't see me shaking in my boots." Anette glared at him, about to tell him to leave, when the Captain spoke up, continuing.

"I'm not a diplomat, Ambassador" Nick replied, shaking his head.
"But I know a hunter when I see one. Zephyr is a hunter."

"And how do you know a hunter looks like?"

"I'm the captain of a destroyer. I was taught to hunt submarines. And I did that, hunting Syndicalist subs effectively, keeping the straight between the mainland and Tempest Holm clear. And I can see it in how Zephyr looks at us. He's a hunter. We're prey."

"We're here on a peaceful diplomatic mission. Assuming our guests view us as prey isn't going to be very productive. Besides. Not every dragon wants to hunt humans."

"And in another life I'd be a happy farmer. But I was trained to hunt down my fellow men and end them. That's never going to go away. I don't doubt Zephyr's sincerity in agreeing to this meeting. And I don't expect him to attempt to eat us. Not at all. He seems like he's willing to negotiate with you in good faith. Still...he'll always be a hunter. Just like I'll always be a hunter, even if I'm being tasked with ferrying ambassadors across the Eastern Sea. It's who I am. And it's who he is. Even when he's not hunting, he's a hunter."

"So what would you have me do? Snarl at him? Show him I'm not prey?" Anette asked, rolling her eyes.

"No, Ambassador. But not shaking every time he speaks will do us wonders. He's king, essentially. And you represent our King. Short of meeting His Majesty? You're the closest Zephyr has to meeting the sovereign of Prydania. And if Prydania is going to convince him to ally with us? We need to show him we're not going to quiver every time he speaks. You wouldn't ally yourself with someone like that. You wouldn't gain a thing."

"You're saying you want me to be firm, confident in our position and conditions."

"Exactly."

"That's among the first things they train you to do as a diplomat."

"Well now would be a good time to start applying it" Nick replied with a bit of a smirk, but just enough of a smile for his comment to not come across as entirely provocative.

"I'll take your perspective under consideration, Captain" Anette replied, feeling a bit more on edge.

"It's all I ask" Nick replied, nodding as he left for the evening. Anette sighed, reading through her files, only to find that they made her more nervous. She set the folder down, pouring a drink before she got to bed.

----------------------

The day, like the previous day, was overcast. Just enough wind to make it seem like it would rain. The air had that certain smell in it, that smell of a restless ocean under grey skies. Still, the weather seemed to be holding.

Captain Søndergaard was there in formal naval attire, navy slack and a navy tunic, badges indicating his rank. His white cap bore the emblem of a wreath of golden oak leaves and an anchor, topped with the stag antler crown of Prydania.

Anette Rask, for her part, was wearing a less flashy yet equally as distinguished, a dark grey pants suit. She clutched her briefcase, containing the necessary documents. She looked up at the sky, looking for the dragon king to appear.

"How long do you think he'll be?" she asked.
"However long he wants to take" Nick shrugged, before adding "besides after basic? I could stand here all day if I had to" with a smirk.

Anette rolled her eyes, eliciting a more sympathetic comment from the Captain.
"Dragon or no, he's a person. Deal with him like a person. Don't be intimidated."

Anette nodded, before turning her gaze back to the sky.