Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 6 - March 2011]

[France (DoE)]

Coronation of King Phillipe



Phillipe took a last look back at his sister's tomb. Although just last week, the funeral seemed as if it been years ago. Phillipe hoped that Genevieve could at last rest in peace. He smiled to himself at the irony. Peace. She might be the only one who would know peace for the next number of years.

Breaking away from his thoughts, he walked quickly through the palace grounds to the royal church. Another ceremony was about to take place - his coronation. Phillipe understood the necessity for such pomp and ceremony, but with so much to do, and with the nation still mourning Genevieve, he kept it to the bare minimum the church and the government would allow.

He was crowned by Cardinal Pellentier of Paris. The small church was filled with clergy, government ministers, and military officers. The actual ceremony took less than five minutes.



The new King walked to the front steps of the palace, where a large crowd awaited him. They had been told that the ceremonies would be minimal, out of respect to the late Queen. Phillipe waved to the people, made a short speech, largely in reference to his sister, and with a cry of "Vive la France!" he returned into the palace.

He immediately nodded to General Maray and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who along with their aides, followed Phillipe to the conference room. The guards closed the doors quickly after they entered.

[France (DoE)]

Declaration of War



As the King Phillipe brought the meeting to a conclusion, he raised his hands to quiet the murmuring, and addressed General Maray still sitting at the table.

"General Maray. France is indebted to you. You are to be commended for the manner in which you held this nation together during Queen Genevieve's illness. You maintained civil obedience. You ensured the government ran properly. And you strengthened the military. Above all, you did not see yourself as greater than the state, nor did you attempt to increase your standing or power when you were more than capable of doing so. You also had to bear the burden of the misinformation campaign spread by the damnanglais regarding the attempt on the Queen's life. For this, all of France thanks you. I know my sister would be more eloquent if she was here, but her sentiments would be the same.

With the decisions here today, we now face new challenges. To this end, and in recognition of your dutiful service to France, I hereby appoint you to the new rank of marshal."

Phillipe reached out his hand to shake that of Maray's.

"Marshal Maray. Good luck in England."

Turning to Renaud, the Minister of Foreign Affiars..

"Marc, get that declaration sent immediately."

Renaud, still incredibly saddened by the death of Genevieve, nodded.

"Yes, sire."

[France (DoE)]

To Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth of England

As of this day, a state of war exists between our two nations. We have joined with the Viking Empire in their noble pursuit to curb the authority you have forced upon the world and its various nations. We also seek to resolve our long-standing political and cultural dispute over the rights to the Franco-Anglais Channel. In fact, a large faction of the population of London welcomes French rule. And we seek to end your interference in the affairs of France, most recently being your misinformation campaign regarding the assassination attempt of Queen Genevieve.

King Phillipe of France

[Inca (DoE)]

A Public Announcement RE: Closure of Borders with France

To All Foreign Embassies, Consulates and High Officials:

BY ORDER OF THE PIYTU Y'NPAZHAK

The Empire of Incacona has officially closed borders to all French persons and traders effective immediately. French patriates currently in Inca territory will be immediately removed, at cost to the Inca government. French properties will be seized and sold at auction, with the proceeds being remunerated to the evicted persons.

The French quarters of Caczcoyna and Cuzaco will be dealt with in special care to the current significant expatriate and merchant communities of French origin. The same care will be extended to the community in Tupancho.

The Inca government does not close borders with long-established trade partners easily or readily, and it cancels official trade agreements even less easily. But, the opportunistic French assault on the English will never be tolerated. Unlike the Vikings, who had some ills with the English (although their actions remain uncontestedly inappropriate, especially the taking of a capital city no less), the French assault is brazenly greed-driven. There is no excuse that can be made.

Inca will not do business with such partners.

Inca welcome the new Japanese and Chinese merchants and patriates into the old French quarters, and hope no such disruptions will ever befall our relations.


Signed,

Talac Y'Cuzc
Sapa Tantac Y'npazhak
Capaco, Empire of Incacona

[Russia (DoE)]

Russia condemns the French declaration of war and unprovoked aggression against England. In response Russia declares war to France.

The humanitarian and peace-loving Queen Catherine prays for the souls of the villainy slain soldier who will fall victims in this intruded and unfair war.

[France (DoE)]

The Library in Paris

To All Foreign Embassies, Consulates and High Officials:

BY ORDER OF THE PIYTU Y'NPAZHAK

The Empire of Incacona has officially closed borders to all French persons and traders effective immediately. French patriates currently in Inca territory will be immediately removed, at cost to the Inca government. French properties will be seized and sold at auction, with the proceeds being remunerated to the evicted persons.

The French quarters of Caczcoyna and Cuzaco will be dealt with in special care to the current significant expatriate and merchant communities of French origin. The same care will be extended to the community in Tupancho.

The Inca government does not close borders with long-established trade partners easily or readily, and it cancels official trade agreements even less easily. But, the opportunistic French assault on the English will never be tolerated. Unlike the Vikings, who had some ills with the English (although their actions remain uncontestedly inappropriate, especially the taking of a capital city no less), the French assault is brazenly greed-driven. There is no excuse that can be made.

Inca will not do business with such partners.

Inca welcome the new Japanese and Chinese merchants and patriates into the old French quarters, and hope no such disruptions will ever befall our relations.


Signed,

Talac Y'Cuzc
Sapa Tantac Y'npazhak
Capaco, Empire of Incacona

"Yes, yes, here it is!" cried Guillaume. "I found it". The librarian raised an ancient text.

"Let's see", said the foreign minister, looking up from the archives he had been searching through.

The transcript was clearly Incan, and the paper it was written on quite old paper.

The English have arrived, in their wake lie our dead.

They have taken our lands, burned our villages. They have no decency, they know only fire.

They take in the darkness, the darkness buries itself in their hearts.

They are curious. They wish to understand how we can suffer.

"Ah, wonderful, Guillaume. I will show the King immediately. Quite a change of heart for these Incan's isn't it."

"I don't understand sir. A nation that warred on them and claimed neighboring land is favored over France, who have never lifted a finger against them, nor pressured their territory in any way?"

"It is a odd world we live in Guillaume. An odd world indeed."

[France (DoE)]

To All Interested Parties,


There is no justification for aggressive war. The Inca have lived by this for a long time. We have been neighbored by helplessly backwards and weak neighbors to our north for millennia, yet even when we could have raised an army of 100,000 macemen to storm neighboring cities defended by lone bands of archers, with a leadership in perpetual absentia, we resisted, respecting the rights and lives of our neighbors. We welcome them to join us in our prosperity now, and hope the new Aztec leadership will construct a stronger and more resilient nation than their ancestors. Likewise, when the Indians shook their wooden bows and spears so mightily at our men of iron, we did not send our troops into their Tasmania to quickly capture that island, but sought instead peace, which we are finalizing now.

We have respected the international order and sovereignty of states since the beginning, and we know that such aggressive war is the undoing of such norms, norms which have allowed all powers to prosper in relative security. That security will be blown away, soon, and for what? An act of illegitimate aggression by the greatest power in the world?

We also resent not being included in those who will determine the affairs of SE Australia, even given that the Neandor have respected our position in that region of the world. What a slap in the face this is! Yet, having no interests in the land, our position would have been one of neutrality anyway.


Signed,

Makato Guachulla
Sapa Chitcopi Incacona Permanente
Capaco, Empire of Inca

To Makata Guachulla

Sir. You come from a land, nay, an entire continent, which you have primarily to yourself. Your cities have much land between and around them. You have faced no territorial pressure until the arrival of the English fairly late in your history. You have not experienced the relentless cultural, political, and military pressure that is Europe. It is very easy for you to respect the sovereignty of states given your geographic situation.

And also be advised that France too has a weak and less advanced neighbor that we could have taken advantage of, had we been so inclined.

So, do not lecture France or our allies regarding "aggression" and "international order".

King Phillipe of France

[Germany (DoE)]

Queen Catherine.

Neander's borders remain closed to you. Any attempt to cross the Neandor Line will be met with the full force of the Neandertal armies, as you are aware.

King Veneta

[Germany (DoE)]

Latest city report

King Veneta called for the latest report on Damn Anglais and Russian cities.



"And so this is the latest?"

"Yes my Lord."

"And how many do the Vikings now have?"

"The same as us my Lord, 8 cities."

"And look at the Russian empire, hmm."

[Inca (DoE)]

A Public Letter RE: Neandor & French Claims

To All Foreign Embassies, Consulates and High Officials:

On Neandor Claims

We must remind the Neandor that quantity is no guarantee of quality. No English colony is close to being of the quality of York or London, even now in their sacked states. The Inca have a perspective on this matter that is far more intimate than any other, being their close neighbors for all of their colonies.

On French Claims

France, there is no justification for aggressive war, nor for aggressive dogpiling. We are well aware of the "military pressures" exerted upon you by the English, and know them to have been minimal compared to those you put upon them. You have pressed half your continent with your military, and yourselves are primarily responsible for the security concerns of much of Europe, and what resulting instabilities and fault lines lie therein. We were once newcomers to Europe, but no more, and as such your simple lies and half-truths will not persuade us.

Should a cultural people such as yourselves complain over the cultural pressures of another now? We are well aware of your artists and works, and are aware that even London's borders have been pressed back towards the city of late by your Paris.

Your politics have been quite secure for some time now, well curtained by your Neandor allies. Your people have been more than secure for ages once your original issues and fears were allayed. It is telling that the most pressed and insecure people on your continent by far, the Neandor, have kept their hands free from blood despite such military prowess that strikes awe in the hearts of our generals. And this from a people similarly incapable of expansion, quite limited in territory, each city squeezed between two or three other states. We give much respect to them now, more than our already great respect we had before.

Your greed and sadism shine through the thin veils of "justification" and "security" you have tried to abruptly toss over the face of this war.

You are correct that the Inca once fought the English, as we have mentioned recently as well. That was a defensive war against an invading power. It is not one's feelings towards another that justify war, but action against invasion and aggression that do. As the English invasion subsided and territorial rights were agreed upon, such aggression has disappeared, and there is no further need for bloodshed.

You, however, have no rights to the English homeland, so small and clearly divided from the continent and your own home, so long settled by native inhabitants. It is slaughter on the scale of thousands for your rich king's coffers. You are but international muggers, bloody opportunists, now stealing bread from peasants of the English countryside to feed your villainous bands of thieves and murderers as they aim to steal yet more for King and Country.

Oh, what inspiring epics French poets and writers could write, what brilliant strokes they could fill a canvas with, to display the beauty and majesty of their own country and lives! A state that runs from the populous, intellectual urban centers of the north, through the rugged and mountainous lands of the peninsula, and into the vast, romantic deserts of Africa. Yet, what your kings and queens have had them to focus on instead: murder, conflict, international "pressures". And what rotten, reeking fruits has this tree borne? Clearly not content to rest and enjoy your lives in your vast and impressive house, you have decided to ransack and ruin another's. And yet, here, you cannot even make art from the spectacle, as there is no inspiration in common thuggery.

So, you will make more poems of royal murder and royal lies, a people hopelessly obsessed with power and its machinations, in thrall to your barbaric royalty, unquestioning of its bloody and cruel nature, a nation crippled intellectually and scientifically by its military establishment, its purpose now clearly evident and on display for the world to see.


Signed,

Makato Guachulla
Sapa Chitcopi Incacona
Capaco, Empire of Inca

[England (DoE)]

“Your Majesty, we must go!”

“No, Lord Burghley, we cannot allow the savage Vikings to destroy our home. We must continue to fight them. Hand me a musket, I will fire upon them from the rooftops myself.”

"That is for the soldiers to do, you must get to safety."

"You know as well as I that there are no sodliers left."

"All the more reason we must escape. Admiral Nelson's ship awaits. Our nation, our people depend on you. You must be safe."

"They depend on London too! Can we load all our merchants and scientists and poets and traders on to Lord Nelson's ship as well? They are of greater use to the nation than I. This city is the centre of our global trade network, these foul Vikings knew precisely where to strike... Without London... Without our home..."

The Queen trailed off. William Cecil had always respected the Queen, but no more so than at this moment. Her passion for her people and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds was unmatched among women the world over. Indeed, even Admiral Nelson himself would prefer to face down a fleet of Viking ships than the Queen enraged. Like a mother bear protecting her cubs, the Queen fought to protect her people, her subjects. It was she who rallied the troops in Plymouth after the Vikings captured London the first time. Through sheer tenacity the city was retaken. The people fought for their homes, their lives and their families, but most of all they fought for her. They fought for her because they knew that with every breath she was fighting for them. But even the fire in the belly of Elizabeth could not stand against the cold rain of Viking rifle fire. The Queen knew they could not stay, however much she wished to. She knew they must escape, this time perhaps for good.

He and the palace guard rushed her to the waiting ship. The Viking troops were marching down The Mynories, they soon would be at the Tower. The remaining troops would defend the wall to give them as much time as possible to get the Queen to safety. He knew they would not last long.

They boarded the ship and it dropped sail. Admiral Nelson knew the evacuation of London must be a top priority. Indeed, it was likely his presence was the only thing that could have convinced the Queen to leave. He watched the Admiral greet the Queen and try to take her below decks, to safety, but she refused. She stood on the rail looking lornfully at the Viking troops as they swarmed the Tower of London. As dire as this situation was, there were rumors that the French were preparing a fleet in Paris. Cecil shuddered. The thought of the hated frogs occupying London was too much to bear. These were dark days indeed. An unholy alliance intent on nothing short of the utter destruction of England. This day they would come much closer to their goal.

He looked back at Elizabeth, she stood, frozen, her gaze transfixed on the London skyline. The Viking assault had ignited half the city. The flames lept and danced over St. Paul's Cathedral. He could make out the Whitechapel Foundry, the Lamb & Flag and many other common sights around London. He hoped they would survive the fire. He hoped he would see them again... He looked again at the Queen, his hopes, he knew, rested on her. As with all his countrymen.

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Public Notice:

All interested parties have been contacted individually... look to your couriers for recent dispatches.

While we were content to leave the matter between the Vikings and England to be resolved between them, we can not, in good conscience, stand idle while France joins in the invasion of England.




Therefore, sadly, and after much deliberation, the Ottomans have elected to enter the conflict. The Ottoman people were content with the Neandor, Anglais and Rus as a trifecta of powers, so the wanton aggression of the Vikings was outrageous.

However the Ottoman people had expressed a degree of respect the efforts of the Neandor to keep the matter between the two nations free of outside intereference, including their refusal to let Rus peacekeepers intervene.




But Now France has joined the conflict, turning a fair fight into an unfair one. Therefore the Ottoman Turks have declared War on France to maintain the balance of power. We must intervene at this point to restore peace and stability to the region. We seek to have France withdraw completely from this war.

Let all those who disagree speak freely. The Ottomans seek only justice, if there be any left in this world.

Aysecan, public representative of his Majesty Sultan Ahmed IV

[Inca (DoE)]

"My mouse, my mouse!" yelled the emperor, "where has my courier mouse gone?!"
"Sir!" his assistant rushing to assist.
"My courier mouse has gone? I must have it to send my orders to my empire!"
"Sir, I do not know! Let me look..."
"Damnable system! Why do we use mice as messengers? Who came up with this idea? I want his head!"
"Sir, that man has long died. He was one of the temporary emperors..."
"Well, good, serves him right!"
"I've found your mouse, sir..."
"Excellent! Give it to me at once, I must send these orders immediately."
"Well, sir, there is a problem... it is dead, sir."
"[inexplicable words]!!!"
"It appears to have fallen from its perch and cracked its head on the floor. Shall I get you another?"
"Dammit, that was my favorite mouse! Yes, get me another..."
"Sir, here is one, it is smaller, but more nimble..."
"No, dammit, too small! Another, big, like the last one, that sits fits in the hand just so when I pet it."
"Sir... we have none of that kind. We could order one for 100 Incos..."
"100 incos?! For a mouse? They must be joking!"
"Sorry, sir, 100 incos is the price."
"What about that one, over there? The one in the window. I shall have that one."
"Sorry, sir, that one is a show mouse, it is not to be used for courier services."
"Why not? Fine, get me a brother of that mouse, a nice big, fast one like him."
"Sorry, sir, we have no more like him now."
"Well, then, fine, I shall have that show mouse. There is little point in having a show mouse for a breed that we no longer have any more of."
"Sorry, sir, it is a show mouse, it is not to be used."
"What's the difference?"
"There is none, we just don't use this particular mouse. It must stay in the window."
"I will have your head! Here is some gold, now give me the show mouse!"
"Sorry, sir, no can do."
"I refuse to pay for some small, fragile little mouse like what you have on offer. What shall I do?"

And, so, the emperor was forced to govern without the aid of a courier mouse for some time.

[Germany (DoE)]

Dear Majesty Sultan Ahmed IV ,

I have this day despatched to you a most urgent communique. We stand upon a precipice here. Please take time to consider all the implications and help steer a path to a united Europe.

The Franco/Viking contest for Damn Anglais lands is a considerably fair one, born out of centuries of diplomacy and deep historical circumstance.

King Veneta of the Neander Line

[India (DoE)]

Indian philosopher Plato speaks out against war

In India no man supports war or conflict or any other strife. War is an evil which must be avoided and scorned. However, the thinkers of India sees beyond mere events in the present, we see the consequences born in the future. If the Vikings and the English war, then that is their affair. The Vikings begun this war as they felt confident and strong and they have shown success. The horrors of war should end as the Vikings have reached their goal, a pain which opulent England can afford to suffer.

If Russia, France or Ottoman involve themselves in this, then they have brought unnecessary suffering to their own people as well as protracted the war. If Neandor joins in this war, they too expand and prolong the death and destruction. Not only will more people march to their deaths in war, more soldiers will swing swords against farmers and citizens. We therefore support the Vikings and the English to sort out their own affairs without the unjust or unwise interference of other powers, of which the net result will only be widespread suffering and death.

My people care little for the squabbles of faraway nations, but I see that what happens in the far corner of the world reverbates through the waters and may soon reach India, as such I must speak publicly against this madness. Perhaps it is the Karma of England to lose lands. Perhaps it is the Karma of all western nations to waste themselves in endless war. Let it be noted however that in India we do not solve our problems by warring against our brothers. The Prophet of India, Ptolemy sees this and his official policy reflects my views.

Ptolemy Vayabagaran, Leader of India:
India is not, should not and will not be involved in any war.