Lords of the East - Council Chambers

[Ramses II CP]

The Roman diplomat, having remained calm throughout the troubles, watches the proceedings impassively. When they are complete he sniffs deeply from his pomander and addresses the Seljuk diplomat in a wry tone,

"One presumes Christian representatives will still be welcome in Baghdad? The Emperor has little concern for which faction rules here so long as trade continues to flow, so for my part I acknowledge your accession and congratulate you on your conquest."

The emissary then issues a formal bow before resuming his seat to await an answer, sniffing from his scent ball perhaps just a little more often than usual.

[Quirl]

I believe I'm with the Roman diplomat on this. I, too, care little for who owns this city--and I also congratulate you on your victory, mighty Seljuk masters. The Qara-Suu hope we can share wonderful business opportunities in the future...

She bows.

[Merlox]

This city will be ofcourse opened to non islamic diplomats. My brother is a conquerer, not a holy soldier. He cares little to expand any more west than he has, That is why he so generously offered Georgian settlements to the Kypchak, and made a peace agreement with the Crusaders, to insure that there would be no "Provoked" reasons. As it is, Our empire is strict on borders, but we will allow trade of silk and such to resume to the west. We appreciate buisness from any nation, as long as they do not provoke us in any way with hostility.

[Quirl]

Yes. We do so appreciate your willingness to negotiate with us concerning those territories bordering the Black Sea.

The woman laughs slightly, looking around at the dust from the fires and smoldering debris rolling in from the city outside.

And perhaps this is a good time to bring to light certain occurrences, Seljuk masters.

She coos.

So, sorry lords. We mean no offense in this news we offer to you; but I'm afraid the late Caliph hired us to war with you. We were preparing our armies for the offensive (3 stacks), when the Caliph... perspired.

She smiles.

But, rest assured masters, we owed no loyalty to the Caliph; only his coin. But now... with his coffers in the delicate hands of our Seljuk masters... our loyalties have changed.

She bows once more.

[phonicsmonkey]

Young Orloomo Bland has remained unflustered throughout the commotion, retaining his usual composure and betraying no emotion in his unusually handsome face.

Having watched the Caliph dragged from the chamber and received the addresses of the Seljuk Sultan, the Roman ambassador and the Qara-Suu, he flicks a lock of dark curly hair away from his face and rises, nonchalantly, to say his piece.

We welcome the Seljuk Sultan as he takes control of this court. In doing so he has demonstrated his strength and gained the fear and respect of all.

The Caliph was decadent and complacent and his overthrow represents the end of a long history of decline from the days when his predecessors (and betters) the Ummayads held sway.

We are pleased to confirm our acceptance of the Sultan's offer of peace. He will find us true to our word, so long as he is true to his.

[Thanatos Eclipse]

The sounds of the Seljuk’s victory celebration still filled the streets of Baghdad, and it all comes flooding into the court chamber as Captain Amr bursts into the main hall. With excitement and joy emanating from every ounce of his being, he shuts the door behind him and addresses the court.

“Rejoice and praise Allah! I bring joyous news, the “great” Imam Murshed has fallen to his knees at my lord’s feet. The Imamate has collapsed and the Omani Admiralty has risen from the waves. Grand Admiral Walid now leads his people as it always should have been. In his wisdom, he has left the ruling family intact as the ceremonial figure heads of Omani. He believes they are still important as spiritual guides to the people and as his generals on the battlefield, although Murshed himself has been banished to our most distant colony.”

At this point, Captain Amr pauses for a second, his overjoyed excitement fading into a more serious manner. He continues,

“Although the Grand Admiral does not approve of the Seljuk’s attack on the lands of those faithful to Allah, he feels that, since the past can not be changed, as long as the Seljuk truly do not wish to continue to attack the lands of other faithful, then he would like to welcome the great Sultan and the Seljuk to this humble court of diplomacy and peace.”

Once finished addressing the court, Captain Amr goes over to celebrate with Femr Ushem and the two sailors. He pulls out a container of hard Omani navy liquor from inside his coat and passes it around. The four party late into the evening, drinking with anyone who would join them. At one point in the evening, Femr made a toast to the whole court. He raised his glass and said, “Here’s to the Omani Admiralty and the overthrow of the oppressor.” “And to our gracious new host,” Amr added with a smile, “May they fair better then the previous.”

[Quirl]

The old woman receives a letter. A few in the room notice the bright red blotches—shaped like an eye—etched onto the scroll. She hands it to her young servant boy, who whispers the message into her ear. Then she nods, smiles, and addresses the Omani

This is truly wonderful news, our Omani masters. We hope your new found sovereignty enjoys many years of peace and prosperity in these lands.

Then she turns to the general court.

Though many in this room have become acquainted with them already, for those who do not know, the Stygian Eye are an assassin and spy guild internationally based throughout these lands.

Currently, it spans kingdoms and many of your brothers and sisters here today are in its service…

She smiles.

But for those who are not… and for those who are… I would like to announce that the guild has grown to such an extent that it is now officially accepting bounties. A Poet has arrived in Baghdad to take your requests. I will relay any messages to him myself, if you wish to remain anonymous. Or, you can simply write him yourselves.

The Poet represents any and all factions within the Stygian Eye. He is anonymous… as you are to him. And I know he looks forward to hearing from you all soon.

She bows low before taking her seat.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

“The Poet” represents our member factions. If you wish to remain anonymous, PM me first and I will then PM The Poet.

Requests are taken on a simple commissioned basis. We handle spying and assassination. Base costs are 50 gold per settlement revealed, 50 gold per agent/army revealed, 500 gold per building sabotaged, 500 gold per agent killed, and 1,000 gold per family member killed. However, the higher you raise your bounties the more likely you will get a quick response. The choice is yours.

Preferably, when you post a bounty, please include a name, target's faction association, last known location (along with the turn # he was spotted there), and perhaps a screenshot of him/her.

The Poet may also contact you and ask you for information. If you help him, you are automatically inducted into the Stygian as an “Outer Circle” member. Outer Circle members are periodically contacted for paying jobs. The more you assist, the closer you get to the “Inner Circle.” Inner Circle members gain access to The Poet account, receive regular commissioned jobs, and gain the additional benefits of being a Stygian.

We hope to do business with you soon…

For now yours,

The Poet