Court of the Caliph: BC Hotseat Council Thread

[barcamartin]

The Seljuk ambassador stands.

' It has come to my attention that my Sultan has recieved contacts from your Emperor, and he is preparing a reply as we speak. It seems there will be peace, after all. '

[Redemption]

Indeed, it seems peace will finally settle over the West. If this deal works out, a new era will begin for the people of Anatolia who have suffered much destruction in the last decades.

[Ramses II CP]

Just as the man from Ghor is standing to speak the emissary of the Rajputs rises and cuts him off with an imperious gesture,

Yes, yes, you have betrayed your vows once again and declared war on your peace loving masters. Anyone not see that coming? Anyone?

Of course the Maharaja, may his soul be elevated in it's next cycle, foresaw it and planned against it, which is why I can sadly annouce the fall of Kolachee and Devapala castle in formerly Sindh lands, and at the same time joyously proclaim the recapture of Somnath, Uch, Ghor, and Peace Treaty Castle. If only the Ghorid armies will consent to trade two provinces for four every year then India will be back in the rightful hands of the Rajputs in under a decade!

There has been much rejoicing in India of late, and soon there will be much more I am sure.

Bowing derisively to the court the emissary returns to his seat with a rather dry smile.



P.S. I expected the game to be over before we could run through another round of this, and with almost all the same details in place even...

[rossahh]

I am slightly confused, is the man from Ghor going to speak or are we allowed to go back to bed?

[Quirl]

The doors to the Caliph’s court open and two men in chainmail make their way through. They wear the royal colors of the Ayyubids, but their faces are covered as if mere Ghulams. One man follows them in. He wears no armor, but decorative silk. His beard is long and his stride is soft. His hands are behind his back as he examines in awe the wonderful architecture of the Caliph’s court. As if remembering himself, he turns his attention back to the other ambassadors and smiles.

Greetings nobles of the court. And to you, honorable Caliph. Please accept my presence in Baghdad.

As he bows, behind him can be heard a brief dispute between the guards and the former ambassador. There is a muffled slit, a gurgled gasp, and the guards quietly carry the man out.

My king has instructed me to be a man of few words; but because I have only now come upon you today, I must introduce you to the recent events which have taken place in Egypt.

The previous Sultan is dead. No longer could his servants stand by and watch as Egypt was increasingly desecrated by his inept leadership. There has been a second Mamluk uprising in Egypt. Togrul al-Avidan, former Mamluk and Khassaki, has been at its reigns. He personally strangled the former Sultan with his bowstring. Not even his guards intervened to save the foolish man’s life. Truly, he was hated by all his peoples.

My King has chosen not to take up the official title of Sultan, however, because Sultan means “ruler of the east and west.” But my king has not inherited such an empire. He rules over a land whose past rulers have caused Allah to turn His back on us. When war besieged the Holy Land, Egypt’s old kings held feasts. When the Protectorate of Acre amassed armies at its borders, Egypt’s old kings fiddled with merchants. May Allah forgive our foolishness.

The Mamluk King has these words to say:

He pulls out a scroll and reads...

To the Kingdom of Jerusalem: we would offer a truce to you, but know you would not accept it. The lust you have is apparent to everyone and we know you desire to rape our lands. But this is a war of attrition. Slaves now rule in Egypt and we are much used to such hardships. The Mamluk King would also like you to know that your forces besieging Alexandria have been routed. Also, al-Avidan himself has lead a great host into the gates of Qahira, destroying your main army there and recapturing the capital. Your prince and three other generals were amongst the slain. He would also like me to tell you, and forgive my king's impetuousness, that he "did not think the pale skins could be any paler until he drained them of their blood."

To our Muslim brothers: forgive us our past decadences and weaknesses. Pray for us in these times of trouble. Likewise, we will pray for you. The world is dark as of late, but may His light guide our paths.

To all other parties: Allah bless you. We have no qualms with you. That is all.

He puts away the scroll and bows to the Caliph and ambassadors, before taking his seat.

[rossahh]

After a slight frown at the news of the fall of Cairo, the man from Jerusalem stands to welcome the new party to the court with a minor correction

Actually, we would have happily accepted a lasting peace in exchange for Alexandria. Maybe you should have asked first.


Your predecessors were the first to attack, we have just simply taken the wars from our lands back onto yours. However, we relish the challenge in the south. It has been too long since we have had a real foe there.


So we welcome your Sultan, may your reign be longer than some of the recent Sultans. Perhaps in time a dialouge can be opened between us and the conflict ended. Perhaps.

[Quirl]

Before taking his seat, the new Ayyubid ambassador turns to address the Frank.

We were aware of the previous terms of peace you offered to the former Sultan. But we were also aware of your reputation to holding to such peace treaties, Protectorate of Acre. Know that the we intend on entirely expelling you from the Middle East. There is simply no other way to insure our own safety from you, a people who hold to peace treaties as the wind holds to one direction. Yet, whether we live or die, we merely seek to atone for the sins of the past. Allah be willing, we will survive; lest his anger still be fixed upon us and, in which case, come what may.

The man once more starts to take his seat, but stops suddenly and turns around again, this time to face the Roman ambassador.

And, while we are on this subject, we are aware of the alliance between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Franks. Egypt still remembers the fair rule of Byzantium and there is much sentiment to Orthodox Christianity there. But the Frank’s interpretation of Jesus’s teachings are an affront to this land and need to be expelled from them. We mean no harshness towards your peoples or your religion in this personal, redemptive Jihad, and we hope that the state of peace between us will continue throughout this struggle.

The man bows one last time and finally takes his seat at the corner of the room…

OOC:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- Actually, I genuinely do appreciate you being easy on me since I just arrived, Rossah, by offering terms of peace, but I just think peace is so boring in a war game.