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The Council of the North

Gunnland

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"Perhaps you misunderstand the colonel, Councilor."

Théophile's voice has an ever-so-slightly oily quality that it is difficult to describe.

"Barbarians are barbarians, whether one broke faith with Christ in the sixteenth century or the twentieth. When Colonel MacGarry said that we would be kingmakers on this continent, I believe he meant that we would restore the kingship of Christ. I believe it is unclear to my government who would accept Northern hegemony more readily, Trier or Villesen. What seems clear is that Villesen will more readily attack Lars and Trier than vice versa, and Bourgogne must raise the gates for that conflict to happen. And there must be a war before we decide who the winner will be."

Since Théophile was an imperialist, and because he still hoped to make a land-sale deal with Eschenbach, he left the matter at a point of clarification. But Beata MacBenach was no imperialist. No royal appointee would be. Privately, Queen Julian had nursed a grudge against Grand Duke Charles since he and Sophie had been late to her coronation. Though publicly Gunnland recognized Karl Maria's claim, privately, Her Majesty took very seriously the opinion that the royal line of Serenierre and its suzerainty should be recognized over Bourgogne, and that this title had not yet passed down to Mireille's generation. The Jyskerige-Østveg affair had made her a stickler for legitimism, and she sympathized with the dispossession of the older Valvoisettes.

"The coronation of Karl Maria in Chagny, without notification to the Council, has put a strain on this alliance, as has talk of a revived empire here and abroad..."

She did not look at Théophile, whose face was stony.

"I am issuing a formal complaint to Eschenbach on behalf of Her Majesty's government. Bourgogne's arrogant and reckless eastern foreign policy has plunged this continent into war, lastly provoking Kadikistan just this year. We remind Eschenbach of Article 6. Bourgogne lies south of the 53rd parallel. We are not obliged to defend Bourgogne from an attack or assist Elben in defending Bourgogne, simply because the King of Elben has collected a throne without informing the Council. If our national security interests dictate that we reach an understanding about Bourgogne with the Neustrians and Sereniens, this body has no grounds to protest. A word of caution: do not presume that this Council will make a Southern policy averse to Gunnish interests, or keep Gunnland from pursuing an independent foreign policy in the South, because you pick favorite... what did you call them, Théophile... barbares?"

Windhaven Treaty of Non-Alignment and Mutual Defense
Proem. The ancient realms of the north have lived in peace with one another for centuries. None will divide and conquer the north.
Art. 1. The parties to this treaty will henceforth settle disputes among themselves in the Council of the North (hereafter: "Council").
Art. 2. The parties will both by self-help and mutual aid maintain individual and collective capacity to resist armed invasion.
Art. 2a. Mutual aid includes, but is not limited to, intelligence sharing, joint training exercises, peacetime military bases.
Art. 3. The parties will consult with one another when, in the opinion of any one party, the security of any of the parties is threatened.
Art. 4. The parties will consider any attack upon any one party to this treaty an attack upon all parties to this treaty.
Art. 5. The parties will not allow permanent peacetime military bases of countries not party to this treaty in their territory.
Art. 6. Articles 2, 3, 4 and 5 will apply only to the territories of the parties north of the 53rd parallel and west of the 63rd meridian.
Art. 7. The parties establish a permanent Council, so organized as to meet promptly at any time, to implement the treaty.
Art. 7a. The Council will be a standing body with civilian and military representatives from each party located in Windhaven, Gunnland.
Art. 8. The parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite new members to become parties to this treaty.
Art. 9. After this treaty has been in force ten years, any party may quit the agreement one year after depositing notice of its withdrawal.
 

Elben

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"Of course. Your complaint will be relayed to Eschenbach, have no fear. It is not our intent to stir the pot, merely to arrange matters for lasting security in Gallogermania."

Mellenthin inwardly shook his head at the Gunnish. The Elbener was getting just a little tired of the musical chairs on the Gunnish side of the table. First that 15AR guy with his agenda and now Theophile along with Beata and the colonel. There was a reason why he and he alone represented Elben at this point. But then he reminded himself of the different factions, Thing, Queen, Army Council, almost-rogue intelligence agency, the clans... God help us.
 

Natal

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Taaniel could not but smile at the whole scene. He knew that Virumaa, after being humiliated by Azraq and Natal to leave its imperial domains and having much of its external intelligence dismantles by the defections of some of its agents to Kadikistan, it was a joke of a country on the international state, even if recently the State Elder was working much, too much, to see its glory back, so it had to accept Gunnland as the head of the Council of the North. Even so, he was amused to see how... schizophrenic, if he may call it that way, Gunnish politics really was. One could see how the feudal origins of it all were still more important as the national ones, as no representative coming to the council was really fighting for the interests of the whole Gunnland, but rather of his own faction.

"Precisely my idea, Colonel, even if we saw it from different points of view. What would one prefer, to defeat an agitated and nervous enemy now, while its still possible, or to wait and let him gain more and more power? That is Serenierre. As for Eiffelland and the Germanian liberals, I think that diplomacy might be actually enough to see them in a potential revived Tiburan Empire, as they aren't really the fighters one can imagine..." he said.
 

Gunnland

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"The Sereniens may be more useful to pave the road to Northern hegemony over Gallogermania, precisely because they are willing to start a war." Colonel MacGarry shrugged. "We gave Eiffelland the chance to fight the communists during the Seven Days' War, and while in that case the 15AR went..."

He looked over at Councilor MacBenach and did a little laugh.

"...a little beyond the bounds of their authority, the fact is that the Kingdom is prepared to act decisively in a crisis."

The colonel was a little embarrassed that his colleagues, well in this case MacBenach, had chosen to voice internal disagreements about the resurrection of the Tiburan Empire, which he regarded as a fanciful notion at best.
 

Elben

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Count von Mellenthin looked down at his notes as the colonel spoke. Mellenthin didn't show it, but he was actually a little confused what the current discussion was supposed to be leading to, what with complaints about His Majesty inheriting Bourgogne and Virumaa vs. the commies and now things circling around once more to Eiffelland, always Eiffelland it seemed...

The count absentmindedly shuffled his papers and asked, "Gunnland is engaged in negotiations with Crotobaltislavonia and others. We hope to see our first shipment of gold arrive in Windhaven by this weekend." He looked over at Theophile and added, "The Thing can do this under the authority granted it by the Book, yes? Will losing your land border with CBS affect your deal?"
 

Gunnland

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Théophile's eyes widened and for a brief second he did not look like the very image of composure. Two things happened at once. First, he checked his iBone, and learned that The Advocate had confirmed that he would soon be the subject of an Azraqi duke and a bigamist duchess. His head spun. The empire! Who will want an empire with a line of crypto-Jewish Mohammedan imperial electors with bones through their noses? The second thing was Mellenthin mentioning the land sale deal.

The land sale deal was supposed to be a secret, proposed by Théophile to the Thing when the time was right, which meant working on Queen Julian and Countess Mary (whose fiefdom it was). But Countess Mary had been delayed in Himyar. Apparently fucking everything up in every possible fucking way. Now that Mellenthin had let the cat out of the bag, the empire would be his only hope. Théophile faced the prospect of the clannish Gunns, the ones most loyal to their queen anyway, running him out of Windhaven.

"Er, it will require the approval of the entire Thing, first, um, for one. And, well, er, there are many factors to consider. Please, um, please excuse me."

Théophile did not look at his colleagues as he skipped out of the room. Councilor MacBenach and Colonel MacGarry exchanged glances. Glances that clearly accused the marpesienne of treason or something like it. Another ambitious Gunnish politician with alternative foreign policy ideas had flamed out of the Council, it seemed. It occurred to MacBenach that perhaps Mellenthin was publicly outing a double agent in this way, and disposing of him as a sign of goodwill, in hopes for a more stable Gunnish diplomatic stance.

There was a long silence. Then Colonel MacGarry gave a little laugh.

"If we can't agree on how the war in the south should go, and whose side to back, perhaps we can contact our friends in Pohjanmaa and agree to partition the Two Kingdoms to put Joachas on his rightful throne."
 

Elben

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Actually, Mellenthin was confused once more and this time he showed it. It was a lot of gold being amassed for the purchase and this sudden departure of the architect of the deal on Gunnland's side did not bode well.

Mellenthin was briefed on every facet of Elben's relationship with Gunnland, except intelligence assets. Amt kept its assets close to the vest at all times. He probably would have been informed if it had been known that Theophile was going to show up in the council chambers and start taking part.

Looking at Beata and MacGarry, Mellenthin tried to read what had just happened by their expressions and the impression he got was that Elben had better hold onto its gold for the moment.
 

Gunnland

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Suddenly the Council of the North took on an added significance. It was one forum where Gunnish and Elbener representatives were in constant contact. The coming months would see imperial elections, the consolidation of new imperial courts and bureaucracies, and possibly the added strain of a Gallian war. There was much to discuss.

The impeccably dressed Théophile Gladstone-Pape had just written an article predicting that Queen Julian would be in firm control of imperializing Gunnland, but the first signal that came from Windhaven was otherwise. Beata MacBenach resigned the councilorship, and was replaced by a Bowerman man, the lawyer Peter Keith Quincannon, whom everyone called Lefty, and who specialized in trade law. A frumpy and discomfited-looking Colonel MacGarry sat between them. Rumors were already beginning to spread that Queen Julian was preparing to ask for Foreign Secretary Larkin's resignation. A countermove to take back control of the imperialization process?

Quincannon stacked papers on the desk with an air of impatience, to the visible annoyance of MacGarry.

"The Kingdom of Gunnland votes aye on the accession of our friendly neighbors in Salen to the Council of the North. I believe a vote must be unanimous."
 
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