French Court (IC Thread)

[TinCow]

This is the IC Thread for the Test Game. Since we won't have any 'Diet' sessions at all, there's no need for this to take place in some kind of voting body area. We'll just call it the 'French Court' for convenience, and we can assume it's in Paris.

Please remember that as of this moment, army compositions and precise avatar placement are not yet known, so it would be best to avoid talking about those topics.

[Ferret]

Bonjour mes amis.

[_Tristan_]

Bohemond Chanteur :

Messeigneurs, un grand boujour à la noblesse de France assemblée ici

Que Dieu vous garde

(I had to do it... Now reverting to English )

[_Tristan_]

Bohemond Chanteur :

Bowing to Guillemot de Lyon.

I would answer here and now but I would not speak out of turn and will let my liege tell you how things stand between our Houses.

Sit down to wait for the arrival of his liege.

[Privateerkev]

nodding to Bohemond, Guillemot is seen at his desk writing many letters.

[The Lemongate]

Uneasy silence follows. There is clearly tension in the air.

Suddenly, from the back of the room, a man starts clapping his hands. Slowly. Deliberately.

The tension rises.

"BRAVO!"

Marquess Poitevin walks up to Count Guillemot. Claps his shoulder, smiles and turns towards the assembled nobles:

"Bravo, mon ami! You show great courage on this day. You make the House of Gascony proud. Non, par Saint-Denis, you make all of France proud! Such a show of character, such a display of righteous moral strength when a drunkard can leave the bottle long enough to declare war upon his own kinsmen! And he didn't even bring any girls with him this time! Truly Count you surprise me!"

With a grin, the Marquess looks at the de Lyon's reddening countenance before turning again to the assembly. Leaving behind the sarcasm, he takes on a more serious tone:

"Truly the House of Gascony has fallen low to resort to such antics to get the King's notice. War between Frenchmen! We shall defend our cities against your naked aggression count and we shall defend France against the Germans enemy. And if the Moors and the Arabs do threaten la mère patrie, our arms will join yours to defeat them as well!

All who love France and her King will stand tall and condemn your opportunism! May this war be quick and may God grant Anjou justice. Vive la France! Et vive le Roy!"

[Privateerkev]

Count Guillemot de Lyon walks into the court. With purpose he strides to the center to speak. Serious yet sad, he addresses the body.

Fellow countrymen,

It is with great regret that I come to inform all of you that House Gascony has declared war upon House Anjou. Our grievances are simple.

While the King's father, God rest his soul, saw the importance of the Iberian theater, his son does not. The Moors are at the gates of Europe! And who do you trust to stop them? The Spanish? The Portuguese? No! It should be us!

House Gascony has served loyally and has protected France for years! And what do we get? How are our sacrifices rewarded? By neglect...

I'm sorry but this can not continue. We will re-balance the power of the Houses. And then, and only then, we will get back to the business of conquering Europe, as is our place as Frenchmen.

I wish it to be known that those in House Anjou will be given full quarter. Any who wish to be left out of the current hostilities will be given asylum in my House. I wish for this war to be short and quick. No need for great amounts of bloodshed. But we do wish to let it be known that we are to be taken seriously.

Let every other House, here and in the future, take notice! If we, loyal sons of France can be treated so badly by the King, so can you! We fight to show that while we are loyal, loyalty is a two-way street. If the King can get away with treating House Gascony such, then it is only a matter of time before House Normandy, House Albion, and yes even House Anjou are treated the same way.

Thank you my fellow countrymen and may God save France.