Trattato del giardino di Monte Cervino (attn: Sarmatian Nations & Franken)

[Vittoria]

It was a beautiful day. The sun shined through the nearly leafless canopy provided by the oak trees. Spring was in full swing and little leaves could be seen failing in their general purpose, or at least the general purpose they served for the Tsarina who sat on a chair beneath them. An umbrella was ushered in as her guests gathered in the garden with her. Full delegations were brought in but officially only the leaders or heads of state and/or government were invited. She reviewed the letter that was sent out earlier this week.

Dear friends,
I, Tsarina Emilia Cappelletti II of the Vittorian Tsardom invites you to the proceedings of the the foundation of the greatest political entity of our modern era. The accompaniment of nations will include the Commandry of Kyiv and Novgorod, Coronado and Ferezanno, Oltremare, Większy Sarmatska, Životinje, and of course Vittoria. Listed nations that fail to arrive are assumed to have chosen to remove themselves from the process. Additionally, the Kingdom of Franken is invited as an esteemed delegation to proceed over any treaty signing as an observer.

Regards,
Your Friend,
Emilia Cappelletti​

She smiled looking over it and began to look at the others in attendance at what was essentially her backyard in Monte Cervino. She wasn't even sure if the Franconians would arrive, but if they had they would be entertained in the Corridoio dei tedeschi, or Hall of Germans, where Germanic artifacts stood from various wars of conquest. In this room they'd sit with endless food and beverage, but hopefully the name of the room might sting a little. Not that the Tsardom had ever really fought the Franconians in history, but small Duchies of German states had been absorbed throughout the Tsardom's history. Never enough to demand a title of Empire though. Such narcissism was saved only for the Wiesers.

Her staff were escorting the delegations to their seats where both glasses of white and red wine were on the tray tables next to them. Thus would be the beginning of alliance talks, and thus would be the beginning of a new central European authority.

"My friends, I would like to begin by saying thank you. I am glad you are all here and I believe it was said best by the rightful ambassador of Životinje at the Council of Nations. We in Samartia have a common bond, and while we are not all alike, we are united in purpose. It is why I have brought you all here to finalize an alliance. A formal alliance that will not only proclaim our unity openly but also our faith in the ideals that bond us together."

 

[Thaumantica]

Class-A or formal refined uniforms projected an image of desperate yearning for respect and legitimacy, neither of which the Sindikat Maresal of Životinje spent time without. He dressed himself in standard officer fatigues like any commissioned union man would wear down to a butter barred lieutenant, though is rank was definitively unique. One hawk poised for the hunt filled the center, it clutched a cracked egg with one claw and a ball of fire in the other, on either side and just above three stars were carefully embroidered to represent the three Captaincies of Životinje's Blue Union.

Dionis Huszar, the Maresal, immediately took a first strike at the wine selection while badgering the staff for an answer on whether or not he could smoke in this hall, having no respect for the surrounding German artifacts. Životinje's artifacts were muskets and later rifles, economic necessity meant that each generation recycled an stripped the resources of those before them. Huszar still possessed his father and uncles rifles from the Great War, which he regularly maintained by personally detailing with meticulous cleanliness.

"First let me commend the Vittorian Tsarina, who has not failed in exhibiting both radiance and tact by inviting us here today. Vittoria is a Swan to Životinje's Buzzard like behavior" Dionis proclaimed with sincerity. His uniform was much lighter then usual, all cellular and paging devices had been left behind so he could effectively focus on the task at hand. "Mister Ciganek, our Ambassador to the Council of Nations and also my religious mentor, consistently reports productive cohesion an communication with all Sarmatian representatives in Augsburg" he added somberly.

Huszar smiled and peered towards his Kasjopejan equivalent "My administration as well as myself personally have rightfully been titled a: 'Snarling Wolf'. It should be no surprise by now that I am not afraid to bare my teeth when I feel my pups are in danger, if you will excuse the analogy. We're going to be both concise and deliberate, when Sarmatia needs a Predator - Životinje shall fight to finish. When Sarmatia needs a loyal asset, consider this man, this administration, and this Union to be a willing member of the pack.".

OOC: Channeling the Hangover - "You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when my sister brought Doug home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later. And six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?" And now I know for sure, I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together, in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast!"

 

[Großlausitz]

For the elder diplomat and royal it was a truly delicate mission. In his brother's and the Ministerpresident's eyes there was he was best candidate for the job: Getting as much diplomatic pretext to strike as possible. Prince Uwe von Franken, Duke of Abensberg, was the king's younger brother and could look back on a long period of service to king and country. First as an air force officer - an unusual choice for a royal - and then as a special envoy for his country. The Duke of Abensberg had been sent to arbitrate in various crisis regions on behalf of his mother-country. When his brother Alfred had explained the objectives of his mission to Prince Uwe, he hadn't hesitated. "My dear brother, this sounds like a challenge I have never faced before. Our beloved Franken will benefit from me being silent while being discreetly belittled. This is some novelty.", he had answered his Sovereign and sibling.

Depending on how far the Vittorians would go, the respective Staatskanzlei and Royal Household officials had already prepared press bulletins, which would certainly incite public opinion against Vittoria. Franconians were known to be fond of their royal house. If it came as worse as some feared, the Duke even had two special documents carrying the king's personal seal in his personal briefcase. For now, Prince Uwe and his delegation would see what the Vittorian cuisine had to offer.

As their hosts' representatives casually explained the background of the Hall of the Germans, the Duke astonishingly amiably commented: "We Germanians fear God, but nothing else in the world; and already that godliness is it, which let us love and foster peace. So could you show us around, please? Past defeats are very useful study objects."

 

[Congress Aresura]

The physical exhaustion of the Doge of Oltremare, from a distance, seemed non-existent. Closer inspection would note very subtle bags under the eyes that seemed to have a hint of glassiness, a lack of focus. Doge Francesco Ceretto VII was, plainly, not having an uneventful reign so far, and it had only been a couple of months so far.

'Thanks to one terrorist, I have achieved worse relations with the Catholic West, indeed most of Europe, than my father ever managed to do on purpose. One terrorist has managed to mobilize the ire of Sarmatia to this point. And God help me, it may not yet be over...' he thought to himself as he took another gulp of his wine, attempting to dull the pounding headache he'd been experiencing all day.

Aside from his tiredness, his appearance was almost perfect. Pressed suit, appropriate sashes and medals to indicate his position as head of state and government of Oltremare, cleanliness in hair and on skin, his delegation of Oltremaren representatives had immediately begun socializing with all the other Sarmatian representatives, notably steering well clear of the Franconian representatives. Francesco himself, on the other hand, kept to himself for most of the proceedings so far, save for those occasions where he had no choice but to keep up a conversation.

He, fortunately, had an official retreat he was needed in the next day, with the Aresurai nomads that roamed his lands. It was a ceremony that lasted a month, and would require his presence throughout it all save for the most dire of emergencies, and while he would still be bombarded by paperwork and issues of running a nation, he would do it in the open plains of Aresurai Oltremare, rather than the stuffy Palace of Doges. It was something he was looking forward to...

Then the speeches began, the official part of this whole gathering. First the Tsarina of Vittoria, then the Sindikat Maresal of Životinje, welcoming everybody and expressing hopes of a good result to this meeting, and he politely applauded along with everyone else. Sooner or later, it'd be his turn to say something positive about the whole thing.

'Might as well be now, while the pain is down and the alcohol hasn't conquered all of my mind...' Taking a final sip and stepping forward, he began with an energy summoned from within the deep abyss of his exhausted body.

"For almost two millennia, the people of Oltremare have struggled to find a place in the unforgiving world of Europe, a place they could call home. In the year 1000 AD, we made our claim, and fought for it against the forces of intolerance, fear, and hatred. We survived, but not without great cost for each battle we won, be it military, economic, or political."

"We survived, because one region, one group of people embraced our presence, supported us in our darkest hours, and made our existence not just a hope, but a reality. That region, is Sarmatia."

He lifted his glass and turned to each nation's delegation in turn, "We have bilateral agreements, some of them alliances, with all Sarmatian nations here. It not only makes sense to the Oltremaren that we must all make our multilateral ties official, it is crucial, in dark and uncertain times such as these, that we must come together and loudly proclaim to Europe that Sarmatia is united in our ideals, in our goals, and that we will stand and fight for one another without hesitation, with all our energy and resources, no matter the cost or the odds. You have had the loyalty of Oltremare in all our bilateral agreements, and you shall have our undying loyalty, in this alliance."

Cheers and roars of approval came from the Oltremaren delegation as Francesco retreated back into the crowd. 'My part has been played in this first act, now let me rest, and let me pray for the end I hope shall occur.'

 

[Caelia]

Artem Rakovsky, General-Adjutant of the Commandry of Kyiv and Novgorod, remained silent as the Frankish entered the hall. Preferring instead to concentrate on his fine glass of Vodka. It was not that he was not paying attention, merely that he had nothing constructive to say.

This alliance was curious one. When he had first heard of it like most officers he had scoffed and he had expected the Generalissimus to do the same. But Generalissimus did not, he had addressed the proposal with severity and now he had dispatched his second-in-command (Artem himself) to finalize it. As always the Generalissimuses true motivations were opaque to him, but Artem had his orders and he fully intended to carry them out.

 

[Vittoria]

OOC Note: Only Franken is in the Hall of Germans. Everyone else is outside in the Garden to discuss a few things before Franken is invited outside.

 

[Beautancus]

In his tenure as head of state- and government- of the Most Serene Commonwealth of Cassiopeia, and now Greater Sarmatia, Patrycjusz Mniszech had been afforded very few occasions to travel abroad with any real sense of security. Quite happily, he found that this was one of those very few. Mniszech found the climate here was far more agreeable than that which he'd left at home, further elevating his opinion of the Tsarina's country.

Before allowing himself to focus on the business at hand, the slight clamminess in Mniszech's palms notified him that it was time for another cigarette, and another pain killer. With a rasp, and a quick pull from the goblet of intensely aromatic grappa that his Royal Hostess had so kindly provided, both were accomplished. He lingered for a moment on the intensely aromatic flavor of the grappa, entirely different from his usual choice of sipping whiskey...but still, perhaps worth importing home, for the girls in "the office," if nothing else.

Satisfied that the nagging pain in his lower spine, and the possible opening of his lungs were sufficiently snuffed out, the Prince of Greater Sarmatia stepped away from the tree he'd been using for support, out of the comforting gloom.

The Tsarina, Huszar, Coretto, and Rakovsky were already milling about in the, quite appropriately, serene garden. The first two men were already well-known to Mniszech, Huszar more so than Coretto, only relatively recently elevated to the Doge's throne. Rakovsky was not a complete mystery to Mniszech, as there were more than ample dossiers available on him...but Mniszech had never had the opportunity to sit and pick at the brain of so highly placed a Rus'. Perhaps now was the best time to remedy that lack of experience?

The Tsarina herself was an intriguing challenge to Mniszech. Her poise, and the absolutely effortless manner in which she projected an aura of absolute authority had gone a bit further than simply piquing the Great Sarmatian's interest...with a visible jolt, Mniszech put that thought of his head. For now.

Taking another quick drag from his cigarette, the Sarmatian Prince pressed on, into the midst of the other leaders. "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Excellency, General- quite a lovely day for such a fortuitous meeting wouldn't you say? I must admit that I haven't looked forward to many meetings, of any sort, with this level of excitement for quite a while...though I do wish that I could perhaps play the part of a fly on the wall while our most gracious hostess' representative puts the fear of God into whatever sniveling shemale the Szkopy saw fit to send. I imagine that no amount of royal coaching could prepare him to hide his horror when those particular realizations slip home."

Genuinely amused at his own, admittedly base, humor, Mniszech took a careful moment to size Rakovsky up. "General. I must admit that it is quite a surprise that the Generalissimus saw fit to send one of his best to these talks. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

 

[Caelia]

It took Artem a moment to realize someone was speaking to him. "Ah Mr... Mniszech is it? It is a pleasure to meet you as well. My greetings on behalf of the Commandry." He put down his glass.

Mentally he was furiously working to summon all his memories of Patrycjusz Mniszech. The Military Intelligence Directorate had, as usual, briefed him at excruciating length on every major figure that it believed would be attending the conference. He appreciated their thoroughness but actually digesting the enormous amount of information they had compiled for him had proved challenging to say the least.

Artem was not a born diplomat. Over his career he'd acquired a practical understanding of it's principles but the kind of skilled dance some practiced was simply beyond him. What he prided himself on was being a competent administrator who excelled in handling the finer details, freeing the Generalissimus to concentrate his full energy on the greater tasks of ruling the nation. That the Generalissimus had ordered him to attend this meeting had come as no small shock to him. Though he supposed it made sense, he was after all technically the second highest ranking officer in the Commandry. Sending him was a way of showing Kyiv took this meeting seriously because for the Generalissimus to go himself... well that simply was not possible.

Realizing he had allowed his mind to wander he abruptly refocused on the Sarmatian conversing with him. "I am here because the Generalissimus wishes to show the Commandry view this matter as being of grave importance to our future, and to Sarmatia's future. On the subject of Sarmatia I believe congratulations are in order. I heard the declaration of your prince on the flight, this is truly a great day for you for you and your people."

 

[Vittoria]

The Tsarina liked that she saw thus far. Honestly she didn't have much to say until her Foreign Minister returned from speak with the Franconian Prince. As a result she struck up small talk. Small talk with at least some sort of purpose at least.

"So, I believe we should probably work on establishing a common point in which to coordinate ourselves. First of all being our goals, next of course being what our first priority is..."

For the elder diplomat and royal it was a truly delicate mission. In his brother's and the Ministerpresident's eyes there was he was best candidate for the job: Getting as much diplomatic pretext to strike as possible. Prince Uwe von Franken, Duke of Abensberg, was the king's younger brother and could look back on a long period of service to king and country. First as an air force officer - an unusual choice for a royal - and then as a special envoy for his country. The Duke of Abensberg had been sent to arbitrate in various crisis regions on behalf of his mother-country. When his brother Alfred had explained the objectives of his mission to Prince Uwe, he hadn't hesitated. "My dear brother, this sounds like a challenge I have never faced before. Our beloved Franken will benefit from me being silent while being discreetly belittled. This is some novelty.", he had answered his Sovereign and sibling.

Depending on how far the Vittorians would go, the respective Staatskanzlei and Royal Household officials had already prepared press bulletins, which would certainly incite public opinion against Vittoria. Franconians were known to be fond of their royal house. If it came as worse as some feared, the Duke even had two special documents carrying the king's personal seal in his personal briefcase. For now, Prince Uwe and his delegation would see what the Vittorian cuisine had to offer.

As their hosts' representatives casually explained the background of the Hall of the Germans, the Duke astonishingly amiably commented: "We Germanians fear God, but nothing else in the world; and already that godliness is it, which let us love and foster peace. So could you show us around, please? Past defeats are very useful study objects."

An attendant showed Prince Uwe around as on display various busts, swords, shields, and other artifacts littered the room. After what seemed to be about fifteen minutes a young well dressed woman walked into the room.

"Hello Prince Uwe von Franken. I am the Countess of Brescia, Bianca Ciabatti. Please have a glass of wine. I will take one myself, and I do not wish to seem rude..."

She took two glasses of red wine from the table and motioned over to another table for the Prince to sit with her.

"The world works in funny ways does it not? You see right now there are several men of scandalous origin waiting for me to stop speaking to you. Odd considering the fact that it is they who are writing an alliance for you to see and look over. It is entirely a ploy to insult you no doubt, or at least it may seem that way on the surface... but don't be alarmed, your nation is held with some regard by my Tsarina with your royal origins and she would not insult a distant cousin at any rate. Or at least not in such a deliberate manner. I know our nations do not see eye to eye at any rate. Now where am I going you may ask? Why are you really here? Well the answer to these questions rests with me. No doubt you know the tensions with Wiese and Samartia. War looks to be on the horizon, the mobilization and war games in Wiese seems to have placed the writing on the wall. This leaves the big question is if the EDF is part of that war or not, additionally, if Vittoria is part of this war or not. I surely hope you didn't put Vittoria into exact same camp as Samartia. We are different and I hope you will see this by the time our time together is over."

 

[Großlausitz]

Being a seasoned royal diplomat, Duke Uwe stood up and bowed slightly to the young minister. "Enchanté, your excellency. The obvious difficulties of understanding between Franken and your esteemed guests shouldn't prevent us from forgetting our manners, should they? A nation which abandons its manners is a lost one. You haven't been rude at all, Countess. In fact you are a refreshing sight and apparently boast a sharp mind."

As the Prince sat down again, he took a sip from his glass of wine. He was glad he wasn't the wine connoisseur his brother was. Otherwise the Duke would have realised whether the Vittorians wanted to pinprick him with an average wine. "In our eyes the nations of Sarmatia and Vittoria are sovereign ones. Who would be foolish enough to deny a proud nation's sovereignty, Madam? It would be likewise naive not to carefully look which company one nation keeps. I think the technical term is 'close partners' or even 'allies'. Wiese is independent in her decisions, as is Vittoria. Of course Wiese listens to well-founded advice by her allies, as I trust does Vittoria. Despite aforementioned diplomatic disputes I'm confident: Es wird nichts so heiß gegessen, wie es gekocht wird. (1)"


(1) things are never as bad as they seem

An attendant showed Prince Uwe around as on display various busts, swords, shields, and other artifacts littered the room. After what seemed to be about fifteen minutes a young well dressed woman walked into the room.

"Hello Prince Uwe von Franken. I am the Countess of Brescia, Bianca Ciabatti. Please have a glass of wine. I will take one myself, and I do not wish to seem rude..."

She took two glasses of red wine from the table and motioned over to another table for the Prince to sit with her.

"The world works in funny ways does it not? You see right now there are several men of scandalous origin waiting for me to stop speaking to you. Odd considering the fact that it is they who are writing an alliance for you to see and look over. It is entirely a ploy to insult you no doubt, or at least it may seem that way on the surface... but don't be alarmed, your nation is held with some regard by my Tsarina with your royal origins and she would not insult a distant cousin at any rate. Or at least not in such a deliberate manner. I know our nations do not see eye to eye at any rate. Now where am I going you may ask? Why are you really here? Well the answer to these questions rests with me. No doubt you know the tensions with Wiese and Samartia. War looks to be on the horizon, the mobilization and war games in Wiese seems to have placed the writing on the wall. This leaves the big question is if the EDF is part of that war or not, additionally, if Vittoria is part of this war or not. I surely hope you didn't put Vittoria into exact same camp as Samartia. We are different and I hope you will see this by the time our time together is over."

 

[Vittoria]

Bianca smiled, "Well, things may not be as bad as they seem, yet things are not so good either. As you may have heard, there is an alliance being being discussed outside. I need to know from you whether or not your nation would defend the current order of our continent even if it did not directly threaten your alliance or nation. I believe it is no secret that this bloc gathering here today is not entirely pleased with the order of things in the Council of Nations and this is where today's diplomacy is fought." She took another sip of wine as she continued to smile in the direction of Prince Uwe.

Meanwhile outside the Tsarina began to speak about the terms of alliance and the notion of a separate economic union of sorts. "My friends, I believe we must come to a formal agreement of alliance in terms of our nations committing to not only the defense of each others nations, but also mutual offensive capability. Unwavering support that I believe should also be accompanied by an separate economic agreement that may be expanded not non-alliance members to increase the power of our own economic sphere... might I ask the opinion of you all?"