The Nikaia Conference [ATTN: Aresura, Cyrene]

[Pelasgia]

Nikaia, Free Polity of Pierrheia, Carian Confederacy

From its seat atop a hill at the very heart of Old Nikaia, the Despotic Palace, also known as the Palace of the Conqueror, stood out like the crown atop the head of a sovereign. Across the entire Nikaian skyline, only one other dome surpassed the Palace's: that of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Hagia Pronoia (Divine Providence), whose piers were said to be able to hold up to 10,000 faithful. By contrast, the dome of the Despotic Palace appeared rather tame; it had one significant advantage, however: its beautiful gilded dome, atop which stood a spire topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary, Panagia as the Carians called her, the city (and Caria's) patron.

Inside the Palace, right under the dome, stood a massive equestrian statue to the Palace's namesake: Anaxander the Conqueror, father of the the Pelasgian Nations, King of Pierrheia, father of Attalus the Besieger, the founder of the Nicene Empire. The statue's bronze shone under the light of the hundred windows lining the surface of the tower under the dome; its surface reflected the coats of arms of all Pierrheain Dynasties, as well as those of the two other Pelasgian Nations Anaxander's descendants and heirs, the diadochi, had founded: @Aresura and @Cyrene.

It was fitting, then, that, following a reception at the great hall housing the statue, First Archon Notaras would receive the leaders of the two other Pelasgian nations in the adjoining room, which once served as the Privy Council chambers of the Nicene monarchs. There was, of course, no better person for that role other than Ioannes Notaras--he was, by ancient right and by a claim recognised by most Pierrheians and other Carians, the rightful Despot of Nikaia and Monarch of Pierrheia. A tall order to meet, given the credentials of his predecessors and judging by the statue just behind him--and yet, one that guided his every move. As his gaze veered off toward the empty throne at the edge of the great hall, he caught himself and focused on the task at hand. "The purple is a matter of actual power, not of apparent formalities," his father, the late Soterios Notaras, had always said.

Ioannes readied himself, and not a moment too soon--the two Sebastokratores had arrived. In the midst of all the fanfare and the ceremonial celebrations to mark their arrival, Notaras went over the greet them and welcome them to, what was after all, his home. "Welcome, Your Excellencies," he said. "I hope you had a pleasant flight?"

After these pleasantries were dispensed with, he would guide them to the Privy Council chambers and sit them down to begin by outlining his hopes and desires for this meeting. Nonetheless, he hoped to evaluate the mutual chemistry of the other two leaders first; the Aresuroi and the Kyrenes were, by general admission, anything but friends. Moreover, they were quite distinct from their more distant cousins who had remained in the native land of the Pelasgians almost a millenium after Anaxander's demise. This was a rather peculiar family gathering; that much was certain.​

 

[Natal]

Chrysanthos Fotios Samaras was usually a pragmatic and prudent man, so it was to his very own surprise how quickly this summit was organised and how much the Carians have gone to see it succeed. It was him who openly said it the first that Pelasgians need to unite and come together, but he was a realist. When he said it in the Boule, he thought it would end up being just a random statement that nobody would care of. Yet, here we are, the whole thing blew up in the most unexpected way and he was flying to Nikaia, the city was pretty much was the symbolic capital of Caria, even if Nauplia was the official one, as it was the center of gravity of the Carian and even Pan-Pelasgian culture and history. He was joined not by the minister of foreign affairs, Markos Makris, as the minister of foreign affairs customary was seen as the 2nd in command after the Sebastokrator, and thus he needed to remain in Cyrene and lead the cabinet as he was away, but rather, Samaras was joined by two state sub-secretaries: Minas Rinelis, a man in his early 60s, quite jovial with his omnipresent smile, always having a joke set aside to relax any tense situation, and Savvina Bareli, a young woman, in her very early 30s, very well read and prepared, probably the person that had the fastest career growth in the history of the Cyrenian state. The former was the sub-secretary of the Gallo-Germanian Affairs, brought in to deal with the Carians, and the latter was the sub-secretary of the Himyari Affairs, brought in to deal with the Aresurans. Samaras will be doing most of the talking, but they were there for advice.

The Summit was something that unnerved him. He knew that there are probably about 90% chances that the summit will be derailed as the Aresurans will be the stubborn bastards they always are. Yet at the same time, he knew that if he won't at least mimic being a stubborn bastard, there would probably be riots in Cyrene against supposed surrendering of Imperial Sovereignty to those goat herders up north. Even more so, he knew that this was a huge chance. He will probably play it hard for a bit, but will do his best to make the Aresurans understand that with Post-Delegationists and the Pressburg Pact to the North, the Azraqi, Nationalists and Communists in Western Himyar and the WOTO in Westernesse and Occidentia, the only was for the Pelasgian nations to survive all this will be through cooperation. So he will do his best to make the Aresurans see this and hoped the Carians saw the world in the same way he did.

"Kýrie Notara, always a pleasure to come to Caria, as your homeland has always been the epitome of hospitality. It is my honor to finally meet you. The flight was... decent, but I must be honest, quite long," he said, smiling, as he waited for the hosts to welcome and seat the other guests. ​

 

[Josepania]

Nikaia, Free Polity of Pierrheia, Carian Confederacy
30/12/2021, 0811 hrs

Sebastokrator Adamantios Ioannou Papandreou, the head of both the Ergatikó Kómma (Labor Party) and of His Majesty's Imperial Government, made sure to take a noticeable pause looking up at the equestrian statue of Anaxandros the Conqueror, with a reverence that bordered on worship, before he approached the Carian First Archon. It was theater, and leaned into the international stereotype of Aresura's worship of the man, but it put the point across rather nicely: they were here because of this man they so admired, and were willing to do whatever it took to make his dream of a unified Pelasgian people a reality. He, like his party, recognized that the traditional view that this would be achieved through brutal military conquest was unrealistic, and that creativity and alternative methods were needed to achieve this goal, though he had doubts centuries of quarreling and fighting between the two Diádokhoi (successors) was unlikely to be anywhere close to resolved here at this summit. At best, it would be a first step to further summits, nothing more. Ultimately for Sebastokrator Papandreou, it was red meat for the masses at home to show they were the reasonable ones willing to bring peace to northeastern Himyar, unlike the warmongering opposition parties and especially the Cyrenian sand snakes to the south, who he expected would whine about past grievances and attempt to extract as much as they could from their big brothers to their north. He would ensure that the Holy Empire would not be taken advantage of at any point in this summit.

His companion, Megas Logothétēs (Imperial Foreign Minister) Nikolaos Christakis-Zografos, a member of the Laïkó Kómma (People's Party) who were in a power-sharing governing coalition with the Ergatikó Kómma, also took the time to send a silent prayer to the statue of Anaxandros, though his views on this summit were somewhat different from his superior. True, the same doubts remained, but there was far more opportunity here if his cards were played right to, simultaneously, make progress towards fulfilling the Dream and bringing the Laïkó Kómma more prestige and, thus, more seats in the Aresourán Koinovoúlio (Parliament). After all, the Basileus Autokratōr (Emperor) Iōséph XV Anaxandros-Konstantinos himself expressed optimism and support for this effort in a recent statement prior to their departure, and with the Basileus Autokratōr's favor came electoral support for his party in upcoming elections next year, ideally at the expense of the opposition but also from their coalition partners. He was ready to take this more seriously and gain the favor of both the monarch and the people.

Still, for now, Megas Logothétēs Christakis-Zografos would let Sebastokrator Papandreou take the lead in initial negotiations and greetings, his official role as advisor to the Head of Government in place. "Eiríni tou Christoú se sas, Sevasmiótate." the Aresuran Sebastokrator responded to First Archon Ioannes Notaras, "It was indeed a pleasant flight, little more than a simple hop over the strait. I must thank you again for hosting this summit, and I pray both the Savior and the Conqueror smile upon our efforts here today."

With that, the Aresouranoí took their seats, opposite to their Cyrenian counterparts who they greeted with somewhat cold neutrality. It was admittedly a step up from hostile silence, perhaps a sign of good things to come for the especially optimistic, but the tension remained. These two parties did not trust one another to negotiate in good faith, at least initially, and only a skilled mediator could navigate the troubled waters ahead. Privately, both Aresouranoí representatives hoped the Carian First Archon was that man.

"And if not..." Sebastokrator Papandreou pondered to himself as he set his papers in order, "We can always blame the Cyrenians for their duplicity and stubbornness."

 

[Pelasgia]

"I know," First Archon Notaras started, "that this conference brings together nations which, despite their close bonds, are not characterised by relations of trust. I know that there are long-standing and legitimate reasons for that on all sides. However, trust is not a thing that is built in a day; as it took centuries for mistrust and distance to develop, so will it take for trust and proximity to take its place. I know that this is a gamble for both of Your Excellenies, especially given public (and official) sentiment at home. And yet, with the world coalescing around us into different camps, if we wish to avoid subjugation to any one of them, we've no one to look to but one another.

"There must certainly be a whole plethora of issues that divide the Pelasgians and which we could not hope to regulate here even if we tried our best. Let us then, in the best faith possible and with as much fortitude and honesty as we can muster, try to lay the foundation of amity and trust with those things that we can work on. Indeed, were we to survey such issues briefly, we would find that they, too, are legion. From the most arid deserts of southern Cyrene to the snowy peaks of northern Caria lies a vast expanse, inhabited by people speaking rougly intelligible languages, believing in some version of southern Christianity, and claiming common descent from the greatest empire in the history of Europe.

"One would expect such an expanse, called home by some 146 million people--146 million Pelasgians--and boasting every resource, centre of industry, learning, commerce, culture, and industry that one could wish for, to be a prosperous whole. One would indeed envision it as a bountiful brotherhood of nations, through which men and their goods can flow rather easily. And yet, instead of such a vision one finds our current predicament; but I ask you, need it be so? I've no delusion that we will, in one single day, form a confederacy or even a regional union of sorts. I do, however, honestly believe, that we can bring ourselves closer to the dream of free interchange between our peoples--culturally, economically, diplomatically, individually--with some very basic steps today.

"Furthermore, might I add, such a solution could allow us to resolve the differences that set us apart as they develop. So, to you, Your Excellencies, my brothers in Christ, I propose this: the Pelasgian Community, the Pelasgian Koinon or League as our ancient forefathers would have better said in their own version of our common tongue. As the nations of Europe are free to conduct diplomacy and openly resolve disputes in the European Forum, why should we not choose a common place to send our delegates to discuss and iron out any issues between us as they develop, rather than having to rely on ad hoc summits? And if those delegates unanimously choose to enter into agreements to bind us, all the more the better; if not, that is equally as well. This is, after all, merely a forum for our discussions to become more permanent.

"Moreover, why could we not accompany this permanent discussion forum with common pacts affecting those aforementioned areas? Why not enter into agreements to exchange students and facilitate joint research? Why not host museum and other cultural exchanges between our three countries on the basis of a regular rotation? Why not agree to lessen trade burdens and reduce entry requirements for temporary visitors or passing businessmen entering one of our countries from any of the others? Why not agree to cooperate to ensure better safety and policing of our countries through common databases of wanted criminals? Why not create common trade arbitration tribunals to settle our disputes and agreements to more easily recognise decisions from each others' courts in civil matters? Those, my honourable colleagues, are mere suggestions, the modalities of which we can modify at will and as much as we want to. Pray, nonetheless, do retain the underlying sentiment--that through small yet bold steps such as these, we can lay the foundation for a more permanent, amicable relationship between what are, after all, three brother nations.

"This much, I hope, we can all agree on."​

 

[Natal]

Chrysanthos Fotios Samaras closely listened to the Carian Archon Notaras and a part of him was weirdly proud of how well he managed to organise his thoughts and speech, so as to present ways of bringing together the Pelasgians while also not touching points that would be problematic, something that he himself would have thought nigh impossible, especially if that process of coming together ought to have some substance too. He shared glances to his left and right: Minas Rinelis has his usual jovial face that was weird as it didn't give you a change to actually observe what he was thinking of, as it made you think more that he was a dimwit, while Savvina Bareli has a somber poker face, and didn't look so impressed. He then decided to speak.

"Excellent words, you excellency First Archon. The unity of the Pelasgians is something that we have all talked about since Anaxandros the Conqueror died, more than a millenia ago, yet it hasn't been achieved. My grandfather was a career soldier. He was a Major in the Imperial Army, part of the council that brought forth the administration of Colonel Christopoulos, who is the father of modern day Cyrene. I must probably start my speech in a very somber and dreadful way by saying this, but my grandfather died, killed by Aresuran bullets, back when Christopoulos had his own attempt at what we all used to call as 'unity'. I am, of course, not pointing fingers now, it is not my goal," he said looking at the Aresurans.

"But it makes me think, how many Aresurans, Cyrenians and even Carians, have a family member that died horrible deaths for the ideal of reuniting Anaxandros' Empire. I for one, am not those idealists who imagine that history can repeat itself and then we'll just have a 2nd Anaxandros to solve anything. Far from it. I would say that something destructive like that would pretty much annihilate our peoples. No, I am a realist. An idealist realist, if I may. There have, sadly been extreme quantities of blood that were spilled in the centuries of feuding on the Gihon River that makes me think it's a miracle that the river isn't running red. Even so, as much as I understand that the ideals some have of militarised unification are aberrations, I still know that it is impossible to put aside centuries of bad blood and countless generations of martyrdom on the altar of the national service," he said, making a short break, glaring at the Carians and Aresurans, just to make sure that they are still following.

"Even so, the realist in me comes out on top. And it makes me wonder, how much we lived in this bubble, still squabbling for centuries, while the world around us changed. Up north, the influence of the Tarusan Empire extends over Gallo-Germania, and their lack of scruples towards servicing their national interest has been shown in the way they created the regimes in Csengia and Pojazerna. Their alliance with the Serbovians and the Justosians show that nations can be different, extremely different and at times hostile with each other, but they managed to come together. Look to our south-west... we have for some decades, communism being fostered there... And it's not the kind of pink socialism you find in Occidentia, but rather outright communism. This Himyari Socialist state has now passed its disastrous stage where it barely manages to set itself up, but rather it starts to foster communist movements allover the continent. I do wonder when would the Pelasgian peoples observe that the world around us is slowly caving in upon us and only through a Koinon, like in the ancient days of yore we would manage to keep ourselves relevant," he said, as this brought him to the final element.

"I do agree that a Koinon is the best way to go forward. Rather than summits, have a forum where we will always have permanent representation, and thus we can respond nearly instantaneous to any crisis coming our way, rather than such summits. Current generations must still carry the wounds of centuries of martyrdom on the altar of the recreation of the Anaxandrian Empire, but with the elements proposed by First Archon Notaras, such as common cultural and educational projects, the new generations coming together might observe that the way the ancients did it, would be the best way for the modern people to do it too: a league of the Pelasgians, rather than an Empire, would have probably overjoyed Anaxandros too. Let us not forget that he started his conquests first by uniting the Carians in such a League and that is a legacy we must keep up. As for the rest, a common police database and cooperation in policing will aid us all in keeping our peoples safe, while easier commerce and transport will provide a boost for the prosperity of our nations. As of yet there is nothing I do object. But let us not forget that what we build here is a memorandum for our future meetings. Details will need to be hashed out as to how and why and how much this easing of travel and commerce will be implemented so as to keep everything equitable for all of us," he said, concluding his part and allowing the Aresuran or Carian delegate to comment.​

 

[Josepania]

Sebastokrator Adamantios Ioannou Papandreou observed the speeches of both the Carian First Archon and the Cyrenian Sebastokrator, and marveled at their civility, restraint, and overall realism that tempered the idealistic high hopes surrounding the long-term goal of Pan-Pelasgian Unity. At various points, he shared glances with Megas Logothétēs Nikolaos Christakis-Zografos, who seemed equally impressed that First Archon Notaras refrained from sparking any ill-will between the Cyrenians and Aresurans thus far, and that Sebastokrator Samaras restrained from uttering the whining Cyrenian nationalism the Aresurans fully expected would tumble from his mouth, save for fleeting references to mutual blood spilled in prior conflicts. The focus so far was with one eye firmly on the future, and another on the looming threat beyond the Pelasgian world from extremist movements in Himyar and Occidentia and Gallo-Germanian-led imperialism. It was clever, a pretty paper-thin covering over the centuries of hostility and mistrust that still festered beneath, a festering the Sebastokrator was quite aware of.

For a brief moment, he conferred with the Megas Logothétēs, and came across an issue he felt needed to be addressed:

"Prótos Árchon Notaras, your words and the words of Sebastokrator Samaras inspire hope that this summit will be no folly, that there is real potential here for the Pelasgian world to put aside their differences and protect one another, as brothers and sisters of a venerable and noble family should, against hostile forces who seek to tear us apart and engorge themselves upon the fruits of our labors and, ultimately, the labors of Anaxandros. The Holy Aresuran Empire is not opposed in principle to the establishment of a Pelasgian Koinón, with permanent delegates of each of our governments empowered to address issues as they appear, resolve disputes, and propose new aspects of unity in the spirit of cooperation, compromise, and deescalation in order to bring about a diplomatic environment of tolerance and mutual benefit among our realms and peoples."

"There is, unfortunately, a question I feel compelled to put forward before we proceed any further with ambitious plans of setting up cultural exchanges, easing of travel restrictions, and sharing of sensitive information in future negotiations: where shall this Koinón meet on a regular basis? To my knowledge, no neutral ground with sufficient prestige to match the goals of its establishment exists within any of our territories that would be equally satisfactory to any of the parties assembled here. That logically leaves our respective capital cities or some equally economic or prestigious city as a candidate for hosting on a perpetual basis. Therefore, I propose that Anaxandroupolis is the most logical choice of any of the potential candidates within any of our territories. Geographically, it makes the most sense, being relatively equidistant between Cyrene to the south and Nauplia to the north and thus allowing for easy travel for our representatives to this proposed Koinón. Hosting in the former would provide undue hardship upon Carian delegates, and hosting in the latter the same for Cyrenian delegates. Speedy travel and communication is key to ensuring speedy resolution to whatever issues crop up, after all. In terms of established facilities and infrastructure, Anaxandroupolis also possesses these aspects in excellent quantity, for our Imperial State has the resources to lay down the foundations for a grand meeting place as well as ensure it is maintained to impeccable standards, worthy of its inherent prestige, both in terms of buildings for the actual meeting area with sufficient technology and supplies, as well as residencies up to the standards of our esteemed delegates. Lastly, on that note of prestige, I believe it is hard to argue Anaxandroupolis does not possess a significant quantity of such to ensure the viability of its candidacy. It was a city built by the order of the man who inspires us all to meet here today to surpass the majesty of Tibur, it was the city where he wisely governed his vast empire while he drew breath, and it was where he was laid to rest after taking his last breath in Cyrene and lies in state to this very day. What better place to resurrect his dream in the modern day than in Anaxandroupolis?"

"The Holy Empire is prepared to make this noble, substantial contribution to the cause of Pan-Pelasgian Unity against divisive forces from without and within, and I pray to the Savior and Conqueror alike that the arguments I have presented to those assembled here today are logical, reasonable, and without substantial objection, so that we may seize the opportunity for unity while it lays before us, before it is too late."

This was, without question, a serious gamble by the Sebastokrator, though he viewed it as a test. How serious were the Carians and, more importantly, the Cyrenians to ensuring this was a successful summit? Were they truly willing to swallow their pride and accept a permanent hosting of this Pelasgian League within Aresura? The Carians perhaps, they had already garnered some prestige through hosting this very summit, the Cyrenians not so much, even though they had the prestige of first seriously proposing a summit in the first place. If they denied Aresura any equal and rightful claim of prestige to the creation of a version of Anaxander's Dream, a United Pelasgia, then to the Sebastokrator their true intentions would be laid bare and this summit would be put into serious peril. As he promised from the very beginning: the Holy Empire would not be taken advantage of, and would not be surpassed while in pursuit of unity with those once (and in some circles still) considered mortal foes.

 

[Pelasgia]

First Archon Notaras was rather surprised at how well the summit had been going thus far. Both of the other Pelasgian nations, who had some real bad blood between them, had kept the same tone he had used, avoiding references to conflict and animosity under the guise of looking to the future and uniting the counter greater, outside threats to the Pelasgian world from the Barbarian world.

For his part, Notaras also understood that, though this animosity could be masked here, it was still very real back home--for the Carians, this was an idealistic enterprise of uniting with their distant brothers, with whom they had neither particularly bad relations nor far too amicable ones. For the two Sebastokrators' states, however, this was a matter of pride. They needed some tangible wins to bring back home.

Trading glances with Foreign Secretary Thalassinos, Notaras knew that the Aresurans' request could not be refused. Not that the Carians minded not having to host the summit at Nikaia all the time. In the corner of his eye, Notaras caught Superintendent General Evagoras Kypselides practically sweating as he calculated the cost of having to host an international organisation in such an old building. Upgrades to infrastructure, security, maintenance, renovations, building a new seat for the Pierrheian cabinet... Not to talk of selling this to the West Carians, those Catholic nuisances who thought they were closer to the Radillans than to the other Pelasgians.

"For our part, Caria has no objection to Anaxandroupolis as the seat of the Pelasgian Koinon," Notaras said. "Though we offered Nikaia as a convenient neutral meeting ground for the first summit of our three nations, I think that Sebastokrator Papandreou hit the nail on the head when he outlined its mutual convenience for all of us. If the Aresuran State is willing and able to undertake this duty--something of which I have no doubt--we are more than willing to help in whatever way possible."

He paused to take a folder from one of his aides, copies of which were distributed to the other Pelasgian leaders.

"If our Cyrenean colleagues are in agreement, of course, I think that, once we have chosen a seat, we can try to agree on a basic charter for the Koinon incorporating that and the other terms we have roughly outlined thus far. Such a statement would include notes of all our nations contributions to the formation of this Koinon to highlight its character as a joint venture--for instance, it would mention that the meeting was first proposed seriously by the Sublime State of Cyrene."

In drafting the Charter thus, Notaras hoped to assuage both of the Empires: the Cyrenians would get their bragging rights over first recommending the summit written into the Koinon Charter's preamble, and the Aresurans would get their capital as its seat. The Carians were content with the fact that the document would be marked as having been concluded in Nikaia. Notaras turned his gaze to Sebastokrator Samaras. It was the Cyrenian's response that would make or break this summit. ​

 

[Natal]

Damn him! I hate him so much with his shitty arrogance and faux superiority, thought Chrysanthos Fotios Samaras as he heard the Aresuran representative. He puffed his nose a bit when he heard it all. Of course, Aresura will have the main prestige come out of this, should they get Anaxandroupolis as the headquarters of this new Pan-Pelasgian organisation, even if them, in their arrogance gave nothing but their puffed noses in a symbolical way for this. It was the Cyrenians who first came with this idea, stepping on their pride so as to try to turn around centuries of hate, and of course Aresuran cunts gave no shits to that. They only know how to steal the spotlight and present themselves as the special ones.

"I was ready to propose that a neutral place like Nikaia would probably have been a better position, especially when it is an ancestral homeland of Anaxandros and the place from which the Pelasgian Empire stemmed, but of course, Anaxandroupolis is also a very important symbolical place, so that can work too. The issue is, that Aresura gets the main headquarters, Caria gets the prestige of the first summit and the fact that should the accords be signed, they will be forever cemented withing the halls of the Nikaian Conference. Compared to that, the simple fact that the Sublime State was the one that proposed the Pelasgian cooperation, feels a bit... puny..." he said, pausing a little.

"I am ready to accept Anaxandroupolis to be the place where the Pan-Pelasgian Forum will have its headquarters and it can be seen as the spiritual centre of the unity movement, as a tribute to the way ancient Anaxandros intended. But I want to propose, that should this work, and we will manage to bring our three countries closer together, and should other institutions be created withing this Pan-Pelasgian body, their headquarters should be shared between Cyrene, Nikaia and Anaxandroupolis," stated Samaras, waiting to see what the others will say. He was positive that they should accept it, because in the end it was naught but a promise for the future, while he delivered the Aresurans what they wanted the most, but even so, one thing was known regarding the Aresurans: give them a finger and they will not even take your hand, but rather your whole arm.​

 

[Josepania]

Sebastokrator Adamantios Ioannou Papandreou didn't bother to mask the rolling of his eyes as Sebastokrator Samaras complained about the relative lack of prestige the Sublime Cyrenian State was extracting from this summit. In his mind, even being explicitly named in the future charter as the first to call for Pelasgian unity was more than they deserved, and all they were doing now was begging for scraps like they have throughout the centuries. He was about to deny their silly request right then and there, when Megas Logothétēs Nikolaos Christakis-Zografos took him by the shoulder and quietly conferred with the Aresuran Sebastokrator.

"Your Excellency, please consider their request carefully. We are on the verge of a breakthrough here, and we will have the prestige of permanently hosting the Pelasgian Koinón. What is the harm in allowing for sharing of secondary institutional headquarters throughout the Koinón?" Megas Logothétēs Christakis-Zografos whispered under his breath, barely intelligible even to the Sebastokrator.

The latter repressed an exasperated sigh, and whispered back, "Because, my friend..." he lingered notably on that mode of address, highlighting his real feelings towards his partner, "When you give the Cyrenians a centimeter, they shall take a kilometer. Must we dilute future prestige for initial prestige?"

Megas Logothétēs Christakis-Zografos remained patient, "Yes, because it's diluted for them as well. They shall possess no sole prestige, only shared prestige. Of the three realms here, Aresura has the most to gain from this deal, the main headquarters is what matters most. I beg you, sir, do not be consumed by greed."

Sebastokrator Papandreou paused, then shrugged in resigned acceptance, and turned to respond to his Cyrenian counterpart, "I am glad you see the wisdom of our proposal of Anaxandroupolis being the permanent, primary meeting place and legal, spiritual center of this unprecedented Pelasgian Koinón, so in turn I shall see the wisdom in your proposal of future, secondary institutions having regional headquarters distributed equally in Anaxandroupolis, Nikaia, and Cyrene. If Prótos Árchon Notaras is also in agreement, then let us move forward with drafting an official charter that solidifies the monumental achievement we have managed here today."

Megas Logothétēs Christakis-Zografos silently sighed in relief. True, the overall expressed arrogance and rubbing in of Aresuran 'generosity' by Sebastokrator Papandreou was objectively unnecessary, but it was a small price to pay to get that stubborn man to agree to this whole thing and not derail what they achieved. Plus, there was future political dirt to be had in the future, where the Megas Logothétēs saved the Sebastokrator from himself. So long as the Prótos Árchon also agreed and the Cyrenian Sebastokrator refrained from further complaint, this summit was on the verge of unprecedented success...

 

[Pelasgia]

Notaras traded glances with Foreign Secretary Thalassinos; neither man seemed particularly surprised that the Carians' two cousins had already gone back to their traditional bickering. The two men's glances revealed a thousand words, but Carians considered small talk during a diplomatic meeting impertinent and so did not voice their frustration.

"If this will satisfy our Cyrenean colleagues, we offer no objection," Notaras said with a smile. "I believe that Sebastokrator Papandreou's reference to drafting the Charter of the organisation might help us more particularly in figuring out what these institutions are to be." He paused to read out from a document handed to him by Foreign Secretary Thalassinos.

"To me, it seems that we need three main institutions: a permanent headquarters, including the meeting place for our delegates; a dispute resolution body to resolve trade disputes and other issues arising under the Charter or any treaties that might emerge from the Koinon's operations; and a body to administer cultural, academic, business, and other exchanges and permanent initiatives to strengthen bonds between our countries, as well as any bureaucratic functions related thereto. The character and location of the first has already been determined. As for the dispute resolution body, I recommend that it consist of impartial experts nominated by our countries' governments at an equal share; I further recommend that it seat here, in Caria, as most disputes would likely arise--with all due respect--between the other two members of the Koinon, and so the body handling these disputes should likely be on neutral ground. And as for the final body, which will handle most of the actual operations of the Koinon's treaties--and its most substantial effect on the daily lives of our citizens--I think it fair that it lie in Cyrene, to serve the legitimate demands named Sebastokrator Samaras. In this way, Aresura gets its permanant forum, Caria hosts the one organisation that might see the most disputes between Cyrene and Aresura, and Cyrene gets the majority of the bureaucratic and daily administrative bodies."

Notaras looked up at his colleagues. "Does this sound satisfactory?" He had started to tire of their antiques, and, now that the brinkmanship was over, hoped to at least move to some more constructive steps toward a concrete agreement--reflected in a formal treaty.​

 

[Natal]

Samaras sighed. He was a bit surprised that in the end, the conference ended in a surprisingly positive manner. "Yes, all those stand in harmony with the wishes and the interests of the Sublime Cyrenian State," he said. He knew it was impossible to work with the animals the Aresurans are, but still, the Carians proved decent in keeping everything civil.​