Court of the Caliph: BC Hotseat Council Thread

If offering to negotiate terms of peace between the Muslims and the Christian nations is a sign of war, I know not what peace means to you.

Truly the nation of Armenia feels threatened by your provocative actions. But if they have not made that clear to you by now, then I suspect treachery. In either case, one nation is seeking conflict over peace.

We have reason to feel provoked, as there can be no other way to view the situation. Either lies have been spread on behalf of Armenian interests, or you do indeed threaten Armenia. In either case it concerns the Turks.

Whether that means Armenia is conspiring against us, or Jerusalem is, or both, that remains to be seen. But both nations would do well to remember that the Turks desire peace, but will act swiftly in the defense of allies, and even more swiftly to dispatch conspirators.

We can sit here and banter politely or impolitely all day, but if the words are hollow and meaningless then war is approaching. If we actually seek peaceful division of lands, then perhaps we would not feign indignation when one side offers peaceful negotiations.

What are these "provocative actions" you are babbling about, heathen?

If you truly do not know, then Armenia is spreading lies about you. Hopefully I will be able to determine what is going on here before it is too late.

The ambassador's colour changes rapidly to red as he jumps to his feet and delivers a scathing look towards to cowering Armenian representative before calmly, but forcefully, asking the Turk

And just what have they been saying?

A messenger in Ghazni colors runs in, looking as if he'd ridden all night. He whispers something to the Ghazni representative, whose face reflects both shock and anger. The Ghazni representative gets up to address the Court.

It appears that the Seljuks finally show their true colors. Without cause or even warning, they have attacked and destroyed a Georgian army and laid siege to a Georgian castle. Not content with their already ample lands, they seek to take those of others.

The Sultanate of Ghazni officially declares war on the Seljuks. Any who seek to aid the aggressors in this matter also risks war. I call upon the Council and the Caliph to show their desire for peace in these lands by opposing the Seljuks.

The Turk calmly addresses the honourable delegate from Jerusalem and speaks the truth:

They claim you mean to invade them from the east, and then you have designs on the lands held by the Turks. I think they suggest you are in league with the Romans.

I tire of all this doubletalk. Let us speak plainly, and perhaps we can expose whomever it is who is sowing seeds of mistrust here.

For if Armenia seeks to play the Turkish ambassadors like puppets, they will find us most uncooperative when their borders are filled with invaders.

Still red in the face, the ambassador waves off the Ghazni representative

Jerusalem will not join the war against the Seljuks. We fear war on our northern borders looms between our neighbors, so we keep our armies close to the Kingdom.



Turning back to the Turkish delegate

We have no desire to attack the your Sultanate, nor control any lands in Anatolia. The honour of this kingdom is behind that statement.

This news from the Ghazni representative is old news to us, the Rum Turks.

We have known about the attack on Georgia from the beginning. But as we've said repeatedly, from the beginning, the Seljuk is not to be trusted. After they claim Georgia they undoubtedly have designs on their former brethren, the Rum Turks.

Unfortunately with the crises between us and the Romans, we cannot assist. And since someone is stirring up trouble between myself, the Armenians, and Jerusalem, I cannot turn my backs on them either.

I am paralyzed by the misdeeds and shady dealings of rogue states around me. Are there left any honourable allies?

Crises between yourself and the Romans? What crises is this?

I do not accuse you of false incredulousness, but almost all public and private diplomatic contact between ourselves and the Romans has been hostile.

I fear there is nothing I can do to prevent these aggressors from seeking more lands in Anatolia, and placing their vast armies on our border. This is old news as well, honourable delegate from Jerusalem.

I cannot restate any more clearly the Armenian allegations against you, perhaps now it is warranted that you ask them yourself? They claim you seek to invade them, and then us, and that is why you march all your armies forward.

Maybe I am just being paranoid, but Georgia was caught off guard by the Seljuk when marching their armies towards our border. Rome has sent armies to gobble up all the territories on our border. Armenia claims Jerusalem and Georgia and Rome all desire Turkish lands. And now Jerusalem claims that they have their massive armies near Armenian lands for... humanitarian reasons?

When the Seljuk arrive to crush the Rum Turks, I may welcome death, for my existence seems doomed to be surrounded by traitors and conspirators and belligerents.

Do as you will Jerusalem. You will hear no more from us on this matter, as I grow weary of discussing events which have yet to happen.

Before you retire for the evening, I suggest you consult a map. Tell me, where are Antioch and Aleppo located in regards to the Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Armenia?

They are BOTH on Armenia's border, and you know this. Antioch and Aleppo border Sia and Adana.

When the vast might of Jerusalem's army has managed it's 'goal' of taking these provinces, how tempting might it be to march one province to the west... you suggest Armenia has no cause for alarm, nor the Turks?

Very well. I have to take you at your word.

Then every nation that borders another should be fearful. Should I fear Armenia, the Ayyubids, the Turks and the Abassids simply because we share borders? Living in fear will get you nowhere.

Marching one province to the west would mean crossing the mountains in Anatolia, something which we pledged not to do.


Changing the subject, we would wish to hear the Caliph's response to the Seljuks unwarrented attack on Georgia. His words will carry great weight in the forthcoming war. What does he say on this matter?

A man wearing a blue cape decorated with the white bow and arrow over his armour enters the room.

' The Sultan sent me here to defend his decision to invade our neighbours, the Georgians. A large army of Georgian warriors, mostly cavalry, was found close to our borders. This was clearly a threat to Seljuk territory and we needed to act. You may see us as the aggressors, but in truth it was the Georgians that forced us to this. A large army on our borders can have no peaceful intentions, so the Georgians should by no means by seen as the victims in this conflict. That said, the great Sultan is not forgiving, and the Georgians can not be forgiven lightly for this act of war mongering. '

He then turns towards the Caliph.

' Mighty Caliph, defender of all that is holy in this world, on behalf of the Sultan I ask you to stay out of this. We Seljuks are acting in defence of our lands, and our faith. If Allah is willing, we shall have the strength to fight off these heathens. I hope you will not let the heretical talk of the Ayyubids cloud your mind. They are in no position to judge us. I have heard that you are a wise man, Caliph. If so, let you wisdom lead your path. '

Now bowing before the Caliph, he adds:

' I also wish to inform you that I, Teghrul, will be the permanent ambassador of our great nation in this council. I regret some of the words spoken by the former Seljuk representative here, but I hope to make amends for it. As for the Ghazni, if your decision to declare war on us is based on what the former emissary here said, you should know that those were his oppinions, and not those of the Sultan. After he got word of what he spoke here, he took appropriate measures. '

He walks over to the chair left empty by his predecessor, and sits.

The Vizier rises as if to speak, but as he opens his mouth a gauntleted hand is clapped on his shoulder and the Caliph himself rises, glowering at the Seljuk emissary.

In a voice like thunder, he speaks.

Cower on your stomach you Seljuk dog lest the righteous anger of the Prophet himself descend upon your worthless hide!

Your master the Sultan must be a fool indeed to think that these feeble excuses and flimsy pretexts can disguise his naked ambition for territory!

By this odious act of aggression your Sultan has cast aside any pretense of peacefulness, and with these weasel words he has sent with you, his vessel, he has insulted those who might have been his friends.

Let all who attend this chamber bear witness to the rage of the mighty Caliph An-Nasir, Defender of the Faith.

But let them also testify of his pragmatism and reason in the face of heinous provocation.

This war should go no further - let the Seljuks and the Georgians join the Caliph in private and speak openly of their ambitions in the region, that they may come to some agreement that will avoid further bloodshed.

And let the Ghaznavids stay their blades for now, and not pour oil on the flames.

The Maharaja would make it known that he condemns the Seljuk attacks on the Kingdom of Georgia. You say that an army of Georgia was near your border, but the question must be asked, so what? Near your border is not across it, and to attack them you crossed their own border.

It is clear who is the aggressor here, even if one were willing to set aside the history of the Seljuk people. The Maharaja wishes his friends from Ghazni great success in their offensive! At least if the mighty Caliph cannot bring about peace, which remains to be seen, then a people who have shown a willingness to accept peace can turn back the Seljuk threat.

:egypt:

The shahdom of Khwarezm would like proof that a georgan army was across the seljuk's border before the shah passes judgement so rashly on the Sultans actions....
Though, he does wish that terms of peace can be agreed upon quickly, so no further blood is shed in this matter.




OOC: this may be a good time to open up that story/AAR/battle report threat, I know if I was georga, I'd wanna know how and where my army was beat.

A Roman envoy enters the court. By the looks of him he just got off his horse.

Following the glorious victory of the most Christian Kingdom of Georgia over the blasphemous infidels that would threaten her peace, Basileos Manuel Megas Komnenos has ordered for a punitive strike to be led against the warmongering Seljuks. Though the Empire's forces stretch thin to protect our borders from our own turkish neighbor, a field army will be assembled in Trapezon and sent east. May all who welcome peace with Rome let our forces pass and carry on with their mission.

Having delivered his message the Roman exits the court. The seat of the Roman ambassador remains empty.

' I am greatly saddened by this turn of events, and as such, I cannot linger here. I am disappointed that the so-called wise leaders of nations in this region can't see two sides of a coin, but must blindly choose a side, without understanding the massive threat that the large Georgian host posed. Even if it was on Georgian soil at the time, it could have killed many honourable Seljuks if we hadn't acted. That said, talks of peace might be entered, if the Georgians show a will for it. We are not unreasonable, and we would greatly appreciate the Caliph to join the negotiations of a cease-fire between us and the Georgians. I feel no need or will to stay here and listen to the loathing that you all express towards me and the Sultan. Farewell, for the time being. '

A Nubian slave helps the heavy Ayyubid ambassador to rise off his inappropriately small chair

The Seljuk emissary had a point this council should not dismiss: why were the Christians of Georgia massing an army near the Seljuk border ? And why is the Sultanate of Ghazni so quick to declare war on its Muslim brothers ?

May the prophet forgive our sins ! May Allah prevent this senseless bloodshed !

Salah al-Din and his honorable council believe the Sultanate of Ghazni should not involve itself in what could simply be a misunderstanding between the Seljuks and the Christians. He is concerned with the cooperation between the Christians of Georgia and the Muslims of Ghazni.

The Ayyubids would like the honorable Caliph, may Allah bless his children, to listen to the peace talk proposal of the Seljuk emissary. I will personally try to convince the Seljuk emissary to return to this council, so that peace may be possible.

the Khwarezm ambassador stands, bowing to the Ayyubid ambassador

Indeed, I would like to hear both sides of the argument before passing judgement, surely one of the nations involved had a map of where the army was!
Scouts reports concerning its composition and the depth of which it could strike into seljuk lands would also help us decide who is in the wrong here, as would knowning the position of any rebellious settlements.

Whose fault this is aside, the shah would call again for peace in the region, and as he considers himself a trading partner of both (and therefore neutral), he would volunteer to oversee the peace talks should the Calph be unable to do so.



OOC: this would make a good 2 sided AAR, plots, trechery or big misunderstanding?, and maybe a conspiracy thoery involving Ghanzi.... preferably screenshots of where the army was..... I wonder if barcamartin and the flax have took the hint yet....

The Ghazni emmisary stands, briefly glaring at the one from the Ayyubids.

I thank the Maharaj for his kind words. It seems likely that he is the only to remember some other words said by myillustrious counterpart from Georgia just a season ago.

Quote:

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In order to maintain our sovereignty we have entered in a defensive pact with the Ghaznavid Sultanate. The Great Seljuks should be warned that an attack against either of our country will amount to a declaration of war with both countries.

---

The unprovoked Seljuk attack on Georgia is, as the treaty says, to be treated as a declaration of war on the Sultanate of Ghazni. We are not a nation that would abandon it's obligations, nor its allies to voracious wolves like the Seljuks. If the Seljuk Sultan negotiates a peace that Georgia accetps then we will respect the wishes of our ally. Otherwise there will be war.

Teghrul, the latest Seljuk emissary to leave the council, returns through the doors followed by a man in Ayyubid colours. He walks straight to the Ayyubid ambassador seated in the council to hear what has been spoken of during his absence. Turning away from the Ayyubid, and towards the others in the council, he clears his throat.

' I apologise for my rash decision to leave this court, as it is my place in this world to attend it. I also thank the Ayyubid for his patience and the fact that he sent one of his men to bring me back. He atleast is willing to listen to both sides of the case. He also informed me briefly of what was said here during my absence, and it warms to see that also the Shah of the Khawazi has showed wisdom and understanding, may Allah be with him. Here my kind words end. '

He glares at the Ghazni representative, and sighs.

' You, man of the mountains, speak of an "unprovoked attack" as a justifaction for your war-mongering Sultan to declare war upon us. The fact is that there has been no such thing and although our attack might have been a bit rash it was no where near unprovoked. We did what we thought was best for the safety and well being of our people at that time, and ridding our border lands of a large army whose leaders have spoken of nothing but hostility towards us seemed like the right thing to do. I agree that threatening the city of Telavi might have been going to far, and we are therefor open to peace negotiations, but only if the unfriendly attitude here in this council changes. Lastly, I will now stay in this council and answer to everything regarding the war. '

Turning his back to the Ghazni, he moves his head in a barely noticeable nod towards the Caliph and then moves his chair back into the light, near the Ayyubid delegation. Sitting comfortably, he crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes.

The Georgian ambassador returns after a brief absence.

Greetings lords. It has been brought to our attention that the Seljuk claim we were massing troops at their borders and preparing for an attack. I would ask you all to think for an instance about this claim. Why would we, with aple unclaimed land around us, seek to attack a powerfull opponent such as the Seljuk? The fact is, our army was heading north into the steppe and was located in a pass north of Telavi.

Now, unless overnight the territories to the north of Georgia have become Seljuk possessions we cannot be accused of massing an army at their borders, since our army was moving away from known Seljuk territories. I would ask also of you noble lords to consider this. The Seljuk had an army ready to intercept our army and besieging Telavi, such a fast response could not have come from the heart of Seljuk territories, thus they were doing exactly what they accuse us of doing.

For the sake of peace, Georgia will overlook Seljuk hypocrisy and the cowardice which they demonstrated by using a sneak attack. Indeed, the Seljuk never contacted us once on this matter, never asked to remove our armies from their borders. Maybe because our army was not at their borders, or maybe it was just a convinient excuse. Either way, their attack has failed and we are ready for peace if for once they could be true to their words.

With these last words, the Georgian ambassador bows to the assembled council and takes back the seat he had left no so long ago.

A man enters the room and walks forth to the Seljuk, giving him some papers.

' Bah ! Georgian scum, I can't sit here and tolerate your lies. This man brought me a map were the position of the army that was the cause of this conflict is shown. From what I can see, it is no where near a "pass NORTH of Telavi". Your words seem constructed afterwards to load the blame on us and conceal your true plans. Obviously, we can't prove that attacking us was your intent, but lying in the council seems suspicious enough. And by the way, our army was garrisoning the border city of Ganja. '

https://img390.imageshack.us/img390/199/bevis1nk4.png

Quote:

---

Greetings lords. It has been brought to our attention that the Seljuk claim we were massing troops at their borders and preparing for an attack. I would ask you all to think for an instance about this claim. Why would we, with aple unclaimed land around us, seek to attack a powerfull opponent such as the Seljuk? The fact is, our army was heading north into the steppe and was located in a pass north of Telavi.

---

Word has not yet come from the Maharaja, but as a man with eyes I feel free to comment on the fact that the road on which that army is camped does in fact lead directly to a pass north of Telavi, which I took as the Georgian's meaning. Indeed, what this map makes clear is that this army is quite distant from the Seljuk border, and encamped in clear view, as one would hardly expect of an invasion force.

You do not appear to have aided your case, emissary of the Seljuks.

:egypt:

All we see are scribblings that do not take into account the larger picture. We had foreseen this and so we brought maps of our own. First all, in good faith we will concède one point. Since our army's destination was the pass north of Telavi, I though it had been attacked there, apparently I spoke too hastily and apologize for it to my Seljuk counterpart. Our army was in fact attacked and destroyed exactly were it is shown on their map.

Yet a closer look at the movements of our army will better reveal its intention. Also, I hope you will notice noble lords that when these orders were given Ganja wasn't under Seljuk control!

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._Flax/Map1.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._Flax/map2.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._Flax/Map3.jpg

Mocking the childish bickering in front of him, the Ayyubid ambassador stands, again helped by three nubian slaves.

Drawings... Drawings ! Will the fate of thousands of good men and women be decided by these drawings ? What a mockery !

We say enough, enough with this dispute.

The Seljuks have made clear their intention to resolve this misunderstanding with peace. Their new emissary holds much less aggressive comments than his predecessor, and we believe Allah will forgive the Seljuks for their past comments about slaughtering other Muslims.

May Allah plant the seeds of peace in your kingdoms. May the Caliph continue to promote peace. Praise be to the children of Allah !

The Ayyubid Emissary speaks with the wisdom that is the trademark of his master. The Imam Sultan agrees wholeheartedly. Blood has been spilled, but God will be forgiving if we stop this slaughter.

The Caliph is absent from the chamber. The Vizier rises.

This Court welcomes the support of the Ayyubid and Omani delegates in the search for a peaceful outcome.

If I know the Caliph's mind he would be most displeased at the opportunism of the Romans in sending an army to intervene in a dispute so far from their territory.

Like the Ghaznavids, let the Romans wait longer in camp before deciding there is no chance for peace in this dispute and eagerly launching their forces into the fray.

As the Vizier sits he claps his hands and the Ayyubid ambassador is presented with a large embroidered cushion which is placed precariously atop his disproportionately small chair.