Post by cerdigon on Jul 14, 2017 14:58:11 GMT
The port of Jutornopolis was a cosmopolitan mix of religion, ethnicity, and politics. Elonese Aedeknam brought in by the rural peasantry was commonplace as was the Old Esharan Pantheon of the Gods. In the maelstrom of religious fervor and politics, the Middle Sea Trading Company had opened a small office at the great port to manage its commercial contacts in the West, ties that if Lord Utani had anything to say about would only grow in scope and scale.
The Republic of Vinaya and the Seftian Dynasty had always had a complex relationship. The bulwark of Western Paganism, the two had fought a series of inconclusive battles during the Great Northern War that resulted in the Commonwealth Fleet being forced to abandon its possessions in the Middle Sea. As a consequence of that, Alwyn Utani had been captured during the Battle of Brightharbor. A flag officer of the Commonwealth Navy, he had been imprisoned in Vinayapolis for five long years. But they weren’t years spent in vain, his families’ underground commercial links and contacts meant that instead of being held captive on a prison barge or in a cell, the officer was treated to the high life of Vinayan society.
The Middle Sea Trading Company, funded by House Lleweyn money and influence, had been at the center of Seftian and Vinayan relations for the last decade. While there had been no formal exchange of ambassadors to either court, Utani, and his little office had provided a back channel for Imperial officials and Vinayan courtiers to communicate in order to avoid new crises. With tensions growing in the North however and the Emperor growing increasingly concerned of encirclement by the pagans, Utani had been asked to arrange a meeting, one that the former naval officer turned smuggler and trader was only too eager to do….if only to keep the tax men from snooping around his ledgers.
It was in the dark drawing room that Baron Dyfed waited. The young Sylph had made a name for himself on the King's Council as Special Minister to Navara. In effect, Dyfed had 'experience' in dealing with pagans and was seen as a natural choice to represent Imperial interests. A notion that Utani himself would've scoffed at considering the similarities that all men of the blood seemed to share. The drawing room was filled with wine to loosen tongue, hookah to relax, and women for pleasure. Utani would often entertain special clients here.. .Though he never expected to be hosting a meeting between two continental powers.
The Republic of Vinaya and the Seftian Dynasty had always had a complex relationship. The bulwark of Western Paganism, the two had fought a series of inconclusive battles during the Great Northern War that resulted in the Commonwealth Fleet being forced to abandon its possessions in the Middle Sea. As a consequence of that, Alwyn Utani had been captured during the Battle of Brightharbor. A flag officer of the Commonwealth Navy, he had been imprisoned in Vinayapolis for five long years. But they weren’t years spent in vain, his families’ underground commercial links and contacts meant that instead of being held captive on a prison barge or in a cell, the officer was treated to the high life of Vinayan society.
The Middle Sea Trading Company, funded by House Lleweyn money and influence, had been at the center of Seftian and Vinayan relations for the last decade. While there had been no formal exchange of ambassadors to either court, Utani, and his little office had provided a back channel for Imperial officials and Vinayan courtiers to communicate in order to avoid new crises. With tensions growing in the North however and the Emperor growing increasingly concerned of encirclement by the pagans, Utani had been asked to arrange a meeting, one that the former naval officer turned smuggler and trader was only too eager to do….if only to keep the tax men from snooping around his ledgers.
It was in the dark drawing room that Baron Dyfed waited. The young Sylph had made a name for himself on the King's Council as Special Minister to Navara. In effect, Dyfed had 'experience' in dealing with pagans and was seen as a natural choice to represent Imperial interests. A notion that Utani himself would've scoffed at considering the similarities that all men of the blood seemed to share. The drawing room was filled with wine to loosen tongue, hookah to relax, and women for pleasure. Utani would often entertain special clients here.. .Though he never expected to be hosting a meeting between two continental powers.
