|
|
Post by psychopathickids on Sept 22, 2014 2:54:58 GMT
Clear skies, calm seas pristine in the glow of the setting sun, a cool breeze floating off the bay on a warm evening; it was a rather nice day to be cooped up in Court, but the prospects today held for the North were too grand to leave alone even one more night. Of all the letters Kallista had sent only one had been requited with a proper response, but it was the only one she needed to receive, the sovereign Kingdom of Navaren, old and venerable, had seen fit to send a representative to treat with the Queen of the Crowned Republic. Who they were sending had not been so clearly stated, but it was a good sign; despite the rather lackluster splendor of her modest republic, it was known throughout the North that her nation possessed the most advanced trading infrastructure in the continent save for the Imperial Fortification network anyway, but for nearly twenty years trade by sea along the Southern Shores had been virtually unheard of, and international trade on any scale had become thought of as a thing of the past, something old men reminded youngsters and, more often each other, had been the jewel in the Crown of the Republic, “back in their day,”. Tonight might change all of that, and it was without question a great boon to the Northern Kingdoms as a whole should it; one more thing lost to them in the destruction of the war might be revitalized, and soon.
Of course, she had to get through the night, first. The Queen sat atop the throne her father had while holding court nearly so long as she could remember, holding the base of the pair of solid silver scales he bore as his scepter in her right hand, the ceremonial copper leaf shaped blade he had held in his left she bore in her own, and the golden crown he had worn atop his head stood tall and proper upon her own, studded with black diamonds and engraved with motifs reminiscent of the past glories of the Crowned Republic of Lucente in silver leaf about its surface. The interior was not lined, and though it had been fitted to her own head the damned thing remained dreadfully uncomfortable, and felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds, as he had intended when he commissioned it, “ruling a people should not be comfortable,” having been heard commonly by her when in his presence, and though she understood the sentiment of his words Kallista couldn’t stand wearing the contraption, preferring the more simple diadem given her as a princess for daily affairs, but the situation called for all the fineries of a proper Queen, and these objects were her nation’s crown jewels so to speak. She was even dressed in his color, one that had never suited her much, her gown all of black silk, golden olive skin left bare about the shoulders and neck, the fringes of her dress trimmed in soft gold. She had commanded her guard to have the representative shown in when they were ready, and only a single guardsman stood by her side as she waited.
|
|
Fel
Yeoman
Posts: 39 
|
Post by Fel on Sept 22, 2014 5:34:43 GMT
The ship had been one of the first ones sent out in nearly a decade. The infrastructure along the coastline of Navaren had been catastrophically destroyed during the great Siege of Léoten, with besieging armies going out of their way to entirely demolish fleet basing areas, light fire to civilian fishing ships, and go so far as to massacre everyone they found along the beach. The effects of this, of course, were far-reaching. Many civilians didn't want to venture onto the 'bloody beach', and though this superstition was held by a relatively small portion of the population, it was just common enough that it had impeded attempts to remake the former sea-faring glory that the Navaranese had, at least for the first decade or so after the war. It was leaving the populace, and fishing ships along with, hopefully, merchant ships, were becoming more common. The ability of the Navaranese to return to their sea-faring days, at least moderately so, was important for the prestige and growth of the nation. Additionally, money was needed for future conflict, and coffers always need filling. All this rested on the back of the representative, a somewhat elderly nobleman in crisp, relatively unfurnished and uncolored court dress.
Phillip, acting ambassador to the southern continent, had a relatively light history in terms of diplomacy. He had been a shining member of the military, repeatedly acting as a Coronel of a flight group. He was one of the main officers involved in several sorties out of the capitol city during the Great Siege, and had distinguished himself in combat until struck by a series of well placed arrows in his leg, and lower stomach. He lived through this, but was put out of action for the rest of the war, moved to more administrative roles. With his distinguished record in the infantry, and his lofty background centered in nobility, he was made diplomat. He had none of the skills of a diplomat, but to be fair Navaren wasn't intent on doing much diplomacy. He spent the last few years before being assigned the role as representative to the southern continent, that is, the Empire and the Aek, practicing his craft on a small scale. Though this was much larger.
He entered the room, his left leg making his gait slightly awkward. His attendant repeated his title to the room, as depopulated as it was, and he stood before the Queen. She was quite well dressed, and the Joturnans seemed to be wealthy enough to have her nearly covered in jewelry. Most likely ceremonial and reaching back generations, but nevertheless. He bent his wings and bowed slightly as a sign of respect. They entered into formal beginning speech, how pleased one, and then the other, was to see the other, and how pleasant it was that the Navaranese have an ambassador this far south. Unfortunately time was of slight import, and the custom of waiting several days before beginning business was one that couldn't truly be accepted.
"As you can see these deals favor both sides, and in the additional treaty to be signed now and put in place the year after the first, even greater gains can be seen. This will allow your kingdom to have greater ties with the north, and I hope this can lead to far greater cooperation between our two nations."
|
|
|
|
Post by psychopathickids on Sept 22, 2014 7:34:51 GMT
The details of their arrangement had already been worked out in a series of letters sent by courier over a season, and their meeting was in reality more a formality than a proper negotiation, but a necessary one if only for the exchange of coin. The Crowned Republic of Juturna would receive a monopoly on the trade of spices in and out of one of the harbors and in return pay for the establishment of another, and the costs associated with establishing the routes between the two nations, a deal that benefitted each side nearly equally. Though she could have just as easily made an offer which would have been better for her own coffers the Navaren were a proud and noble people, and should their initial contracts be honored and mutually beneficial a prospective ally in the coming years, an ally which would be of more value than a few thousand jiien and who despite their Sylph heritage and foreign culture had more in common with the people of the Southern Shores than most may have realized at first glance. They were far enough away from the Southern Shores and Juturna proper not to infringe upon any potential lands or resources which might bring them into conflict, yet close enough to reach by sea without the need for caravels or other deep ocean going vessels, essential for the developing, or rather redeveloping merchant classes of each of their nations who operated primarily on barges and cogs too fragile to brave more remote waters, and they were honorable, perhaps enough so that they in time might become trusted friends, something that Kallista couldn’t have said about just any of the monarchs of the Northern Kingdoms. As the representative of the Navaren entered and announced himself the young queen rose, struggling to keep her grip upon the heavy silver scale and, even more so, to keep her chin up under the weight of the ridiculous crown of her father, as she offered the best curtsey she could manage without the aid of her hands with which to keep from becoming tangled in her skirts, warm amber eyes fixed upon those of her guest. “Honored guest, I am Queen Kallista Eudokia of House Makris. Know that the noble Kingdom of Navaren will always be welcome in the Court of the Crowned Republic,” pleasantries ensued, as was expected of those who acted in official capacity, but the overbearing weight of the crown atop her head and the nobleman’s obvious desire to seal their prearranged contract with haste brought the, “negotiations,” to a close at a brisk pace. Two copies of the drafted contract were presented to the Northern representative by the sole guard in her company, who had been kept by her side primarily for just this purpose, and all that remained was for Phillip to sign on the behalf of King Pedro the Second of Navaren, the Queen’s own signature and wax seal already placed upon the document, the entirety of its contents written in her own hand. ~ Excerpt from the First Navaren Contract
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The Math;
Juturna: spends twenty two gold (six given to Fel, eight spent on the first route, eight spent on the second) to make forty five over five turns (thirty from the first route using merchant retinue to double income, fifteen from the second), for a profit of twenty three gold.
Navaren; spends six gold (to build an additional trade port) to make twenty six over five turns (six from me, five from the first route halved and rounded down due to merchant retinue, fifteen from the second) for a total profit of twenty gold.
|
|
