Conseil du Royaume

[AussieGiant]

Alain shakes his head in frustration and begins to leave the chamber. Before he departs he turns and says;

"I will return zis season with a solution."

[Vladimir]

Gontran turns to his squire.

Get to work on that translation. Pronto!

[AussieGiant]

Striding back into the council sometime later Alain throws down an official looking document for the scribes to note.

"'ere, ze seal of Caernarvon!! Ze castle is taken!! We shall see what ze English pig dogs do now!

Never let it be said zat Alain de Ro'an duc of Bretagne was lacking in courage or fortitude!!"

[Ramses II CP]

Louis, in Paris to see his wife and family while the siege of Valencia drags on, leaps to his feet on the news,

Any who did say such a thing would meet the derision of a Prince in answer!

Let the Council debate this; William declined a fair offer of coin for Anger... would he decline a similar offer of land? Caernarvon now belongs to our King and the English dogs are repaid for their treacherous occupation of our lands in kind! All should praise our mighty Seneschal for securing King Phillipe this position of strength from which to negotiate!

[OverKnight]

Hugues brightens.

A cunning suggestion Dauphin. Considering the great mob they have camped outside the castle, it seems they value Wales.

Though I would never underestimate English stubborness.

[AussieGiant]

The young Duc is clearly pleased with the Dauphin's support. His young age is seen briefly at the pride he shows at the words of the Prince and fellow Duc.

[_Tristan_]

A herald comes forward into the Conseil and hands a parchment to the Speaker upon which those near enough can see the Sceau du Roi. The herald mumbles a few words to the Speaker.

The Speaker then breaks the seal and quickly scans the content of the letter, becoming paler with every word he reads.

He then stands and reads aloud

"Mes Seigneurs,

Fleur de la Chevalerie Française,

I call upon you in these dark hours...

We are at war... The German dogs have broken the precarious truce that existed between our Royaume and the so-called Empire Romain.

It seems they have fallen to decadence as those former Romans before them. I was having a meeting with an envoy from Sa Sainteté le Pape who wished to have our support, for Sa Sainteté wished to excommunicate the Emperor lest he redeemed his heathen ways and recognized the supremacy of Rome.

The meeting was held in the abbay of Saint Thierry near Reims, where you may know that some German soldiers had been known to be marauding... Finally, we know what they were doing there... Someone in our midst had heard about my meeting, however secret I had managed to keep it, and that traitor has fed the information to the Germans who soon tried to raid the abbay, trying to kill me or take me prisoner for ransom.

Hopefully, that has not come to pass... I managed to rout them... I even managed to catch some of them who agreed to pay a ransom for their freedom, money that came from their payment from the traitor who gave them word of my presence in these holy precincts.

All I will tell you for now is that the money was neither French nor German...

I followed them at a distance, hoping that they would run to their master but their spirit seemed to ahve been broken and they have fled over our border towards Antwerp.

Now, I will ask all the nobles of the Royaume to prepare for a bloody war against the Germans.

Let it be known that this will be a war both in defence of our Royaume but also in defence of Rome and Sa Sainteté le Pape.

Montjoie St-Denis !!

Par la Grâce de Dieu,
Philippe
Roi des Francs

[Ramses II CP]

For France mes amis! I have asked the Seneschal to set my men riding north as hard and fast as possible immediately! (OOC: Had already uploaded the save before I read this and didn't want to take it again just for that)

It is God's will that we find victory in this war!

Given that we are now at war I ask the Seneschal to begin recruitment at Toulouse immediately and in all available quantity.

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

Foolish Germans then. We shall crush the Heretics!

[TinCow]

How... convenient for both Bourgogne and Lorraine that this 'treason' occurred just as all possibilities for their expansion were exhausted. Perhaps our great King should look to his own Lords to find the cause of this most unfortunate war.

[econ21]

Bourgogne - and I am sure Lorraine - has no wish for war. To insinuate otherwise is to obsess on narrow intra-Duchy politics when the life of the nation is at stake. We must unite around the King! I look forward to serving again under the King in the Company of my brother knights. Vive le Roi! Vive la France!

[Vladimir]

A herald arrives at the conseil with a hurried missive from Gontran de Linars. The herald presents the missive to the presiding noble, bows, and hurries away.

[OOC: My arms are so tired it's hard to type. Bear with me here .]

The missive reads:

Gentlemen, scholars, and warriors of blessed France. We are at war with our savage yet determined cousins to the East. Our Roi's love of the decedents of Clovis is such that he could not let the drunken, sausage eating savages defile our lands or mother Church. As steward of our only castle I will do my best to ensure we possess the military might to defeat this threat.

It's true that we have many valiant and noble knights. Our knights and their companions may be enough to carry the day on their own. But at what cost? I fear many noble lives will be lost in the process. Brothers, rely on us as the bastion of chivalry in France. We will provide you with the fleetest and noblest horse dans le monde. For while our enemy is fierce on foot, we are unbeatable in the saddle.

WE RIDE TO WAR!


At the end lies a heavily flourished

Gontran de Linars, steward of Touluse, vassal of Prince Louis de Aquitaine, humble servant au Roi, and loyal patron of mother Church.

[OverKnight]

Hugues face blanches white as he hears of the newly declared war.

Mon Dieu! I had thought this day would come eventually, but not so soon.

The Duc spares a glance for Christophe.

Oh yes, I convinced le Roi to declare war so I could conquer the Reich with my mighty four company army. For Lorraine, at least, the timing of this declaration puts us in a bit of a pickle.

Hugues looks like he might say more on the matter, but he glances at the empty throne and then Hermant and holds his tongue.

I must gather my men and see to my Duchy. To arms!

[Ignoramus]

Gaspard, again in Paris, rises, visibly shocked at the news.

"We are at war with our brethren to the east? Mon Dieu have mercy upon us!"

Turning to towards the Conseil, he begins to speak.

"I do hope la Roi knows what he is doing. I do not dispute the insult of them swarming around Champagne, but I fear we will be bested in this conflict. Should the Normans declare war upon us, we will be in grave trouble.

Nevertheless, I will make ready mon retainers, and will march with the Order to defend Lorraine."

Gaspard rushes out of the Conseil.

[AussieGiant]

Alain speaks while seated.

I can certainly ensure we try and broker a peace deal as soon as possible.

I must admit that the King did not even mention this in his seasonal letters to me.

I need to be clear my Lords, we are wholly unprepared for this either economically or militarily.

[TinCow]

Christophe glares at Mauvoisin and de Champagne.

The King has stated that there is a traitor in France. This is a serious charge and must receive our utmost attention. If this traitor was capable of getting hundreds of Germans to a secret meeting of the King, he is more than capable of mounting another attempt on the life of our Most Glorious Philippe. Those who ignore this most serious of charges are either irresponsible or traitorous themselves.

I find it curious that Mauvoisin, of all people, appears eager for war and unconcerned about the traitor. Tell me Mauvousin, is your chivalry simply a convenience for you, or do you perhaps know something that I do not?

[Andres]

Thierry enters the Conseil.

It's good to be back in Paris for a short while.

He sits down and sips from a goblet of water while listening to what the other noblemen are saying. He frowns and then shrugs and says calmly:

Traitors should be hanged.

[OverKnight]

Hugues turns to respond to Perrone. He appears about to speak with some heat, but holds at the last minute. He instead winks dramatically at him.

Oh yes, you've found me out young Sir. This is all a fiendish plot launched by me and my cabal of black cloaked brethren. I wanted to trigger a war where I would immediately be out numbered five to one. And I would have gotten away with it except for you lousy kids.

Do you have anything to offer besides snide insinuations Chevalier? Or does this dog only howl when his master is away?

[AussieGiant]

Alain settles one hand on his chin and another absently stroking Medoc's head. He seems quite entertained at this time.

[TinCow]

de Perronne glares at Hugues and starts to open his mouth, but then pauses as if in thought. When he finally speaks, his voice is obviously intentionally subdued.

I... apologize... for any insinuations against your honor Duc de Lorraine. I hope you will excuse a lowly Chevalier such as myself for letting his passions get the better of him when he is told that a traitor has made an attempt to kill his King. It is a most serious situation, and I often speak before having fully thought through my words. Please excuse me, and forgive any insult I have given.

de Perronne bows his head towards the Duc.

As this war makes Lorraine most vulnerable to invasion, I am pleased to know that you will surely join me in calling for an immediate end to this war through whatever means are possible.

[AussieGiant]

Alain looks on rather disappointedly at de Perronne. He shakes his head turns to Medoc and shrugs his shoulders.

"I will endeavour to 'ave a meeting wiz ze German's zis season. Ei do not zink it should be too 'ard to accomplish."

[econ21]

The King has said that there is a traitor, it is true, but he also mentioned that he was using funds which were neither French nor German. That implies the real instigator of this crime is not a French lord. The traitor himself may be some lowly cur; the King said nothing to lead us to suspect a fellow Council member. While it is regrettable that within France there is a man capable of treachery, it is hardly shocking nor surprising - particularly given that almost half the country until recently has been declaring its loyalty to the English or to rebel lords. I do not ignore the serious charge of treachery, Perrone. What I ignore is your witless slandering half of France - Bourgne and Lorraine - as traitors based on no evidence whatsoever.

As to my eagerness for war, Perrone, you misread my statements. I am eager to defend France in a war that has already started. My earlier protest at our provoking the English is evidence of my reluctance to start a conflict. A reluctance that seems more prudent now than ever. But once a conflict has started, we must be the ones to finish it. Whether this is through negotiating a peace or through victory on the field depends on the wisdom of the Holy Roman Emperor and failing that, the grace of God Himself.

[Andres]

Thierry raises an eyebrow when he hears de Peronne's words. He coughs silently and sips from his goblet.

[TinCow]

Nothing to suspect someone a fellow Council member, Mauvoisin? The King's letter stated that the traitor was "someone in our midst." I was not aware that there were foreigners and "lowly currs" present amongst us. As for the presence of foreign coin, that means nothing. If you were to dump out the purses of most of the men here, you would find foreign coin in their possession. Gold and silver remains valuable regardless of whose face is stamped on it.

War between nations is not engineered by those who have an interest in small profits. I know better than most in this room how easy it is to raise a tidy sum if one is so inclined, certainly better than anyone in your Order. No, the traitor would never be a common criminal or a lowly noble. Such men never embark on schemes as grand as this. If there is indeed a traitor who has allied with the Emperor, it is a man who stands to gain far more than a little coin.

[OverKnight]

Hugues smiles.

I will accept your apology in the same spirit that is given Sir Perrone. Please forgive me for my own harsh words. I am still recovering from the surprise of all this.

The bloody Germans seem to cross the Rhine at the drop of a hat. While this war is unexpected, we must take this oppurtunity to strike back when we can. If we are to make peace, we will need bargaining chips.

Hugues sits to begin working on a short letter. A page is dispatched with it a bit later to the Seneschal.

[TinCow]

de Perronne stares flatly at the Duc de Lorraine. After several moments of silence, he stands up and leaves the Conseil.

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

In all honesty we should not be particularly surprised that the Germans have Declared war on us. But the timing could have been better..... Let us just hope that our relations with the English do not fall apart until we have managed to beat back the Romans and gotten a peace treaty.

[GeneralHankerchief]

*Raynaud de Xaintrailles watches these most recent exchanges in silence. Those sitting next to him can make out muttering, perhaps "fighting the wrong enemies" under his breath, but he says nothing aloud.*

[Ramses II CP]

Prince Louis speaks,

Gaetan de Rethel has slunk off to a tavern and called me, the heir to the throne of France, a coward behind my back. Is there any man here who will defend him? Perhaps one with at least the courage to speak so to my face?

[ULC]

"If you want to Louis, I'll just simply say it to you - word for word."

Gaetan enters and throws his cloak across his chair and seats himself, pulling out a tome and begins to write. Without looking up, he continues.

"But, considering my Duc is currently being attacked, the latest word from the front, and I have to Organize the Order to properly defend both Paris and Bruges, time for me is not in great supply."