Lords of the East - Council Chambers

[Quirl]

Something is amiss in the courtroom. There is a change in the air, but it carries with it the scent of something old—something familiar—thought destroyed. The new Caliph has yet to be announced by the Seljuks and there is a mysterious dissension within their ranks. The Sultan's brother has been absent for several days and the court is growing restless.

All await the news of this new culling in Baghdad, and the air is thick with speculation, gossip, and expectation...

[Quirl]

A Seljuk guard turns sideways to see the old woman waving her finger to him. There is a smile on her face as her gnarled fingernail beckons him over. He lets loose his position and starts towards her. Standing in front of her table, he claps his halberd on the floor and lowers his head, “What is it, woman?”

She smiles and turns to the young boy beside her, “Up, boy.”

Suddenly, the scared young boy who has been by her side all this time changes. His eyes become feral. His teeth form into a horrible maw. He growls once as he leaps at the guard, an impossible strength in his young body propelling him forward. He draws a dagger around the man’s neck and at the same time slams his head into the table in front of the witch.

The guard screams but his companions stop once they see the dagger hanging low at his jugular. The boy behind him pants and shakes, drooling slightly from his chattering teeth—inching the dagger just closer to the man’s throat—drawing just a bead of blood from his sweaty skin.

“Can you tell your absent masters,” the woman says, leaning in close. Behind the guard, the boy continues to rock and chatter—rock and chatter. “that unless we receive Kutaisi and Ani this season, our ghūl will leave the north and cover your lands beneath the hoof prints of our horses and the cries of your children?” She leans in closer. "Can you, my male master?"

The guard nods his head and as soon as he does so, the boy on top of him throws him away and crawls into the woman's lap. The man hits the floor with a thud and his companions gather around him to help him up.

The boy on the woman's lap hisses at them all—the old woman above him stroking his fur—cocking her head—continuing to smile.

[Thanatos Eclipse]

The Omani delegation breaks out in laughter at the sight of the guard being easily handled by the small boy. They start to discuss amongst themselves the value and many ‘uses’ of such a ‘pet’, but when the conversation turns to the magic behind a creature like that, Captain Amr just snorts and goes back to sifting through his pile of letters. Femr and the other Omani spend the rest of the evening discussing magic and myths of old. There was even a subtle hint of actual respect coming from Femr whenever he mentioned the Qara Suu witch.

[MerlinusCDXX]

A man in old style Caliphate regalia steps into the room

I regret our late absence from these chambers, as we have just dealt with the details of finalizing the recent regime change in the Caliphate. We are pleased to announce the new Caliph Tegin Toghrul, upon him be peace. The Caliphate announces the absorption of the Seljuk army into her ranks. As of now, the Oghuz Turks and the Arabs of Mesopotamia are as one. The faithful in the Oghuz lands were dissatisfied with the renegade former Sultan Arslanshah's aggressive misinterpretation of Islam. With the help of the foremost among the Seljuk General Staff, Arslan has been deposed and arrested. He is currently being transported to Baghdad to face the judgment of the Ulema and the Caliph. We hereby reopen diplomatic relations with all peaceful and reasonable nations that wish them. To the Qara Khagan, we have ceded Ani and Kutaisi as agreed by our predecessor, though we take dim view of the threatening posture shown by the Khagan's representatives. We advise that you do not do so again, for you may not enjoy what you unleash. The Caliph deems this instance as if it never happened, but will not suffer such insolence in his own court again.

Inshallah, and may a new era of peace grace our nations.

[Quirl]

The woman bows.

Oh, forgive me, masters. But your predecessors seemed to only understand threats and violence. We were unaware of this regime change. But with the faithful at this empire's helm again, we look forward to more peaceful negotiations in the future...

[MerlinusCDXX]

It is of no import. We were unaware that you were addressing whom you thought to be Arslan's representatives. We shall consider this a misunderstanding, and hope we may come to a more perfect understanding, that we may keep the peace.

[barcamartin]

A man silently enters the room, suspicisouly glaring at the guards and frequently tossing glances behind him. He is short and dressed in unremarkable grey and brown tunics. Overall, he looks like a perfectly ordinary man.

I come here on behalf of Ayyub, governor of the Holy City of Al-Quds and humble servant of Sultan Salah ad-Din of the Ayyubids.

My purpose here is to enquire about the state of this city and it's rulers. Is it true that the tyranny of the Seljuk mongrels has been overthrown? Has the vile creature calling himself a sultan been disposed of? Are opposers to the brute Seljuk invasion once more welcome?

If the answers to all above are yes, I shall send word to my masters and take my place here as the new ambassador of Sultan Salah ad-Din.

Sliding to his right, he places himself near the corner of the room, presumably to have at least two sides safe from any unexpected violence from the council hosts.

[phonicsmonkey]

Orloomo Bland sniffs haughtily and turns to the recently arrived Ayyubid diplomat, saying under his breath,

It is impossible to tell, my friend, exactly what is going on around here...

With that, he stands to address the Court, a bored expression on his face as he reads from a scroll in a monotone voice,

Lords of the East, the rebel Takavor of Armenia has been subdued and his lands subsumed into the Crusader States. Let this be a warning to those who would openly threaten and defy the mighty Crusader King Baldwin.

He sits once more and resumes filing his delicate nails.

[barcamartin]

I see, I see. I can only hope for the best, and at least be treated with respect and dignity as the diplomatic representative I am.

Sending a message-boy running out through the doors, he moves to the main table, takes a seat and gestures for some water and food.

Meanwhile, the aggressive expansion of our northern neighbours continues, and this time it is our former allies, and always brothers, of the Turkish that have been assaulted. However, on behalf of my master, I can naught but sigh and accept this fact. The Turks have been unwilling to commit to any diplomatic relations, except the alliance we offered them several years ago. The Turkish Sultan's lack of proper leadership has lead his people to this, and there is nothing my nation will or can do about it. We remain friendly and neutral to the Franks.

[Quirl]

The woman nods.

Yes. The silence of the Turkish Sultan is tragic. Had he been more willing, the Qara-Suu would have been happy to lend their services to them.

But perhaps with Rome on the rise, better business opportunities await still...

Welcome back, Egyptian masters.

She bows.

[TriforceV]

the sounds of footsteps echo the hall for a few moments before a crash of the door is invited by a new young Kwarezem ambassador dressed in full warrior attire he is accompanied by a dozen entourage of bodyguards with hands on sheathed swords.

"I am the new Kwarezem ambassador sent by our people to exercise the wishes of our Shah in regarding matters of foreign policy"

the bodyguards clear a path for the Kwarez diplomat, as he takes a seat on the council chair, lean backs and puts his feet on the table in front of him

"I apologize for my late arrival, but our Shah was still very upset over the death of his good friend and previous ambassador to this court, who was murdered by the Seljuk invaders. "

The young diplomat slowly unsheathes his warrior knife, and examines the blade as he continues to speak

" But there was more of a practical reason why I was sent here, one that propelled our Shah to finally send me to discuss most urgent matters...."
" Specifically, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to Captain Amr of the Omani, Our spies report, that one of these Omani armies have been sited, relinquishing the previous siege of Bam so that they can besiege instead Zanja, An area that they suspected the Shah's interest to lay, and yet instead of capturing Bam, they got greedy, and wanted Zanja for themselves.. Tisk tisk!"
"I will warn the good Captain and his sea smelling people to inform his leaders to lift the seige of Zanja and gently remove their forces from the area, If you do not then do so at your own risk, the Shah does not simply turn his eyes away from lands he wants, whoever may own it at the moment...
You have been warned..."
"... that is all"

[Thanatos Eclipse]

While the rest of the Omani delegation is taken aback by the Kwarezem's rude return and accusations, Captain Amr remains stoic. He rises slowly and then calmly addresses the court.

“Ah, it is good to see the Kwarezem have returned to the court, but there is no need to return in a foul mood. You should be happy that the blood-thirsty dog of the Seljuk has been overthrown by ones that he once thought crushed. The Caliphate has risen again.”

Amr pauses, focusing his address on just the Kwarezem ambassador now.

“Since the loss of your brave predecessor, we have had no contact with Kwarezem and no way of knowing where your interest might lie. In regards to Bam, we never besieged it, the locals were just hindering our progress around it. Now, our maps of the sea and coast might be the best, our maps of the mainland are quite lacking. Our cartographers had figured your nearest boarders to be much farther north, so we did not consider that we might be encroaching on territory that you already assumed was yours. Our intent had been to take Zanja for its river access, surely not to offend your sultan.”

Amr smile to the Kwarezem ambassador.

“As an act of good will we shall let you have Zanja, but I do hope next time you have a problem, you will not be so quick to jump to conclusions and go about solving it in a more civilized manner. This is after all a court of peace.”

[TriforceV]

While the rest of the Omani delegation is taken aback by the Kwarezem's rude return and accusations, Captain Amr remains stoic. He rises slowly and then calmly addresses the court.

“Ah, it is good to see the Kwarezem have returned to the court, but there is no need to return in a foul mood. You should be happy that the blood-thirsty dog of the Seljuk has been overthrown by ones that he once thought crushed. The Caliphate has risen again.”

Amr pauses, focusing his address on just the Kwarezem ambassador now.

“Since the loss of your brave predecessor, we have had no contact with Kwarezem and no way of knowing where your interest might lie. In regards to Bam, we never besieged it, the locals were just hindering our progress around it. Now, our maps of the sea and coast might be the best, our maps of the mainland are quite lacking. Our cartographers had figured your nearest boarders to be much farther north, so we did not consider that we might be encroaching on territory that you already assumed was yours. Our intent had been to take Zanja for its river access, surely not to offend your sultan.”

Amr smile to the Kwarezem ambassador.

“As an act of good will we shall let you have Zanja, but I do hope next time you have a problem, you will not be so quick to jump to conclusions and go about solving it in a more civilized manner. This is after all a court of peace.”

The Kwarezem diplomat observes the Omani Captain inquisitively

"Good Captain!,
You must understand, I nor my government meant any rudeness on our part, It just the way in which we conduct our foreign policy..."

The Kwarezem diplomat proceeds to thump the tip of his sword and gaze at jagged blade longingly

"Some may not understand our ways, Captain.. We wage war with the sword, but we also make peace with it too.. in other words, while we feel there is a place for diplomacy with speech, we prefer more action as its effects are often louder than words..."

The Kwarezem diplomat then sheaths his knife and leans back, removing his gaze from the Omani Captain

"I'm pleased that you have agreed with our terms Omani, the Shah will be delighted that he need not commit himself to more ugly endeavors.
Whats more, your quick response will earned you his respect and will address you as such in the future as you are deserving."

[Quirl]

*deleted*

[Zim]

Three men walk into the Council chamber. At either side is a tall man in the prime of his life, with hair closely cropped and practical clothes in muted colors. Both are of obviously military bearing, although neither is wearing a sword. In between them strides a man of less than average height, struggling to keep up to the others. He is slender and slightly balding, wearing fine clothing but with unmemorable features. The three men walk up to the Roman diplomat where the balding man exchanges words with him. The diplomat starts to argue, but at a look from one of the soldiers sighs and lets himself be escorted out. The balding man then steps to the center of the Council Chamber

Greetings, I am Akakios ek Rhodos. Due to a debilitating illness, the Emperor Manuel has decided to retire for a time, leaving the empire in the hands of General Koulianos Kalananos until he recovers. We do not expect any major change in Imperial policy to occur due to this, however, some of the Emperor's papers have been lost so a private reminder of any especially important treaties the current administration might not know of would be appreciated.

With the rogue Turkish faction that occupied our lands defeated and dispersed we expect this to be an age of prosperity for the Empire and other nations, as well as one of peace.

The Empire must stress, however, that the provinces of Komnya and Amasia are staked for Imperial takeover from remnants of the Turks, and any move on them by another nation would be met with force.

[Quirl]

The woman smiles and bows.

We hope the best for our Ally's emperor, and are happy to hear of the Turk's final destruction. Their bloodline ended, their armies disbanded... and I hope the blades of our assassins and the strength of Roman arms will work on the field of battle again.

[Quirl]

The boy who not too long ago seemed mentally conditioned to be an animal rushes back into the courtroom. He seems unaware of the event which last occurred with the Seljuk guard and has since then returned to the young, quiet messenger/translator he had been from the beginning. The woman receives a letter from him and pats him on the head, beckoning him to read it to her. When he is finished, a dark smile slithers up the old woman's cheeks. She turns to address the court.

There is a state of war between the Qara-Suu Khağanate and the new Seljuk Caliphate. The ghūl are merely answering the calls of our invisible employers and we mean no ill will towards the Muslims or their great Caliph...

She smiles.

Nonetheless, I ask that the empires here keep watch over this conflict in the coming seasons. Consider it a... demonstration of our services... services which you may one day like to pay for.

She holds her hands up and bows.

The will of the Khağan. The will of the contract, sadiqs. Blessed be this courtroom.

She takes her seat.

[phonicsmonkey]

The young knight Orloomo Bland has not been seen at Court for some days. His chambers in the Palace are empty and his whereabouts are unknown. It appears that, along with the rest of King Baldwin's delegation, he has simply left the city of Baghdad altogether.

[CiviC]

Deleted

[Quirl]

The ghul woman bows low.

We are happy to hear of the wonderful successes of the Maharaja and the joining of his and the Shah's great armies!

She coos.

But please understand before you leave, master. We have eyes and ears all over these lands. If we wanted to chart the territories of your mighty empire, we would merely speak to a Poet. So, in the exchange of map information, we have very little to gain, sadiq.

And besides... what is most unknown has most power, no?

She smiles.

[CiviC]

Deleted

[Quirl]

The Qara-Suu woman reviews the letter for a moment, then slowly brings it up to her nostrils.

Ew... is this paper actually made out of Opium?

She turns to whisper to her servant.

Can they do that?

[Quirl]

Not too long afterward, another Qara-Suu messenger enters the courtroom. He unfolds a scroll and reads quietly to Kamelya. Then the old woman nods and shoos him away. Finally, she turns to address the court.

For those looking on at our humble war with the good Caliphate... it seems a number of cities have fallen to the swords and hooves of the ghūl. These cities are as follows:

Tbilisi
Yerevan
Dvin
Shamakha
Ganja
Ardabil
Tabriz

And it appears a large Caliphate force outside of Kermanshah was also destroyed. And now I hear Kermanshah, Amol, Qazvin, and Rayy are under siege.

She holds her hand up and bows.

For the contract Sadiqs, and may we one day work for you.

She takes her seat.

[CiviC]

Deleted

[phonicsmonkey]

The ambassadors and dignitaries of the Court had been aware for the preceding weeks of the Crusaders' advance through the lands of the Seljuk Caliph. First Mosul, then Kirkuk and Samara had fallen, and refugees from these battle zones had been streaming through the gates of the capital, first a trickle, then a flood of displaced humanity leading livestock and bearing with them the scant possessions they had been able to salvage in their hurried retreat.

Then, it was rumoured that the Crusading armies marched on Baghdad itself and sure enough one morning their blue and gold banners were sighted on the horizon and Mahmud of Gorgan was sent by the Caliph with a mercenary army to defend the city outside the walls.

All who watched from the city walls were dismayed as his makeshift force were utterly defeated and fled back inside the city. Even the great walls of Baghdad were to provide no refuge for the Seljuks, as great siege engines were brought to bear on them, shattering the stone and ripping open a gaping wound through which poured the armies of Christ, seeking out Mahmud and his garrison and cutting them down to a man.

Then the crusading forces withdrew to a camp outside the city and word was sent to the denizens of the palace that their new rulers bade them attend a meeting at the former court of the Caliph.

So here they all are, gathered in the court room in small groups, whispering and speculating about what is to come next.

With a fanfare of trumpets, the doors of the Court are flung open, and in comes Orloomo Bland, resplendently attired in a set of purple silk robes in the Arabian style, that the courtiers could swear they last saw draped over the Seljuk Vizier.

Madames et monsieurs, I welcome you to the Court of the Crusader King Baldwin. His majesty sends his warmest regards and regrets that he cannot attend in person this morning to greet you all personally.

As you will have noticed, our former hosts are no longer in control of the great city of Baghdad. In fact it is the first time in history that a Christian King has raised his flag over this magnificent burg.

Many of you will be rightly concerned at this development but let me assure you that the right of the people of Baghdad to worship as they choose will not be interfered with; and what contents there are in the Great Library will be retained for posterity.

It is King Baldwin's aim, like the great Alexander before him, to rule his subjects in a style permissive of their cultural differences and not to impose his own strongly held beliefs upon them.

Should the benighted peoples of this land choose not to see the glory of Christ, that is their own concern and while opportunities will be presented to them to make the right decision it will not be forced upon them.

So with that, I present myself to you as the King's representative at Court - a Vizier if you will.

Bland sits down looking self-satisfied.

[Quirl]

Kamelya rises and claps.

Welcome back, Orloomo. You're looking tidier than ever. And your friends have certainly entered this city in much less a ruckus than those Seljuk brutes did—pillaging a religious capital and murdering a holy man... not even we would do such a thing...

She shrugs.

... for free.

She smiles and bows low to the court's new host.

Welcome, sadiqs. Long live your reign here...

She takes her seat and whispers to the boy beside her:

...'cos I'm tired of this wretched city constantly changing hands.

Then she turns to courtroom, waiting to see the others' reaction...

[CiviC]

Deleted

[phonicsmonkey]

Orloomo looks puzzled.

Why I've no idea sir - where is this sandy throne of which you speak?

[CiviC]

Deleted

[Quirl]

The woman bows.

We are happy to hear of the Maharajah's successes in the far east. And should your fledgling empire ever require aid, sadiq, we hope you will never think us too far away to look to the North.

She smiles and then turns to the general court.

Two matters. First....

She turns to the Roman.

Roman masters, Boyan Inal of House Kurtoglu has offered his aid to you at the siege of Erzurum. Should you wish to continue to Van, he will accompany you there as well--offering to bring even more soldiers should you like.

We value our partnership and hope it will continue, sadiqs. And we wish your good emperor well during his illness and hope his Steward, Koulianos Kalananos, will look well upon us... as Manuel did in his time.

She turns back to the general court.

The last matter is this:

You have seen our capabilities against the Caliphate and have seen our tenacity to The Contract. Yet, for those not wishing to hire us, but who wish to keep themselves safe against us, know that we are willing to discuss tribute deals with any such party. We do not wish chaos to ensue and mad paranoia to sweep these lands. We will not accept contracts against parties who pay these tributes, and this should calm the fears and mistrust that might otherwise plague our nations.

The details of these tribute deals have been passed to each of you and I hope you will at least consider looking over them when you have the time.

She bows low to the courtroom and its new leaders, before, again, taking her seat.

OOC:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Every tribute deal insures I will not take a contract against you while the tribute is still active. Tribute deals will be reopened every five turns, with the possibility of increasing or decreasing the required tribute costs depending on the current political climate(s) in your region.