Domination of Barbarians [Diplo Game] [Story Thread 19 - October 2013]

[Persia (DoB)]

Reports come in from The Wall -interim capital of HRE- of Nether mercenaries joining the Romani ranks. A large force of heavy siege units mainly consisting of war elephants and catapults have been sighted. Inés calls on her officers to deliberate possible Nether tactics now available to the Romani.

[England (DoB)]

Elizabeth was not impressed. The stopping power of the musket being demonstrated was considerable, far more so than even the heaviest crossbow bolt. Yet its range remained feeble and even in the most well trained hands its accuracy was abysmal.

While an untrained barbarian horde would surly flee at the deafening explosive rapport of massed musket fire, a professional army would be a different matter entirely. Perisa’s conflict with Holy Rome showed that mace and knight could wreak havoc on massed musketmen if able to withstand the initial shock of musket fire. To say nothing of the Greek grenadier, a unit not yet seen in battle but whose reputation was feared by all.

No, England would need stronger units. Able to fire accurately at distance and fearless when confronting the explosive force of massed gunfire or charging horsemen. English military scientists would have their work cut out for them.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

The travels of Cardinal Sean Jean and Sir Aaron the Relentless, part 5



The billowing sails were dingy from the many days spent at sea and seemed to be singed in places as if there had been a fire on the ship, perhaps a battle? The absence of the captain was strange. But Sir Aaron did not care enough to ask and he contentedly stared at the horizon, satisfied that the mission had been such a success. In fact, he and his charge, Cardinal Sean Jean, had gained information on advanced technologies and weaponry, survived the journey, arriving in Japan, un-killed by assassins or barbarians, acquired a treasure of gold from investors and traders that no King in Netherlands had ever seen before, and all this they were able to do with Sir Aaron only having to draw his sword twice.

It had been a resounding success, and now the King was calling him home to prepare for another similar mission. This would make him a famous and respected nobleman at last. The Cardinal did not care much for the sea, and spent most days below deck, shut in his cabin, allowing Sir Aaron to command the sailors. Sir Aaron enjoyed this arrangement, and so he made no complaints about it.

He was so pleased with himself, as he stood on the stern of the Athena's Word that he barely noticed the tugging at his sleeve, by one of the crewmen. He turned a blank stare at the man "Yes what is it now?" Sir Aaron hissed. "Milord, there was pirates on da way ere, we 'ad tuh fight 'em off." Sir Aaron's brow furrowed with worry "English pirates?"

"Barbarians sir", said the sailor. Sir Aaron sighed in relief and rolled his eyes "And So?" The sailor continued "Well at's why we got rid o' da keptin? He got us attacked by dem blasted pirates." When Sir Aaron just kept staring expectantly, the sailor got to the point "So now we need to put ashore for fresh water and repairs. There's a islan' out dere, but its probably got pirates. Should we risk it Milord?"

Sir Aaron was confident that the powerful Galleon could stand up to the primitive galleys that barbarian pirates typically had, so they sailed to the island, went ashore and started gathering fresh water and bananas. Sir Aaron set out to explore the island and happened upon a chilling sight. In the grass field beneath a giant banana tree, the remains of an old stone grave. When he wiped the sand and moss from the face he could make out the hammer chiseled inscription.

Eriksen - Captain, Royal Netherlands Navy - "In the service of Netherlands, always"



Sir Aaron just sat contemplation his legendary find, when he was drawn out of his thoughts by distant ringing of the ship's bell. Danger! As the sun began to set, the lookout began screaming from the crow's nest "Pirates! pirates! Two ships! God help us!" Sir Aaron sprang into action, barking orders and ordering the men to board the ship and get to battle stations. This was his chance to avenge the death of the famous Netherlands hero, captain Eriksen, first to Circumnavigate the globe. He would not miss his chance to lay low the descendants of the pirates that sank the legendary Netherlands ship The Porto.

In the end, the battle was hardly a test.His cool leadership was more than a match for the barbarians, and it was not long before the superior Galleon was able to sink the barbarians. After repairing the damage to Athena's Word the men set sail for the Greek city of Canal with a great story to tell, a new island discovered, and the legendary resting place of a Netherlands folk hero found.

Sir Aaron debarked in Greece, eager to visit the Spanish south American colonies to meet some of the famously beautiful Spanish she-knights. He viseted the towns of Sancello, and Benavente, and did some reveling with the brave Spanish warriors, who were eager to share tales of the South American campaign they had just won.



After leaving the Spanish colonies, Sir Aaron met back up with the Athena's Word in Utrecht to pick up cargo, a battery of catapults that were being sold in Europe, one of the many lucrative trade deals that were reached on his voyage. On the way back to Europe, the Cardinal insisted on a pilgrimage to the Greek city of Hope, the Christian holy city and the Church of the Nativity. The Cardinal was determined not to miss this, as he was not able to make the pilgrimage to Mecca on the way to China. From Hope they sailed back to Spain and had to debark in Leon, due to the closed borders with England and the constant threat of English pirates.

The journey across Spain was brief and it seemed like almost no time before the Cardinal and Sir Aaron were loaded down with another caravan and crossing Holy Roma, Greece, and then Persia, business as usual. This second mission was proceeding even more smoothly, with less need to stop, far less complaining from the men, and more lucrative deals, since they had proven they could survive the trip.

As the Cardinal arranged yet another trade deal in his tent outside the city of Ghuzz, Sir Aaron was standing guard and conversing with Sarbas from Pasargadae and Artesheban from Susa. He met these two Immortals traveling West on "secret military business" and learned that there were many like them in the Persian army, troops with obsolete weapons, despite the Persian treasury bursting with gold mostly from their English allies. He learned that Persia was planning a major campaign and that they had been working closely with England recently, even providing the English with advanced naval technology in exchange for information on the military strength of the other Europeans.

The Immortals denied that Netherlands was directly the target of the planned attack, but Sir Aaron could only wonder. Surely the Persians realized that giving England the means to maintain their pirate stranglehold on the Atlantic was indirect hostile action against Netherlands? Perhaps they did not care? The Immortals seemed oblivious to this, as neither of them had so much as set foot on a boat before. Sir Aaron enjoyed his time sharing a drink of coffee and cocoa with the soldiers, but he was now worried that they needed to get out of Persia before whatever the Sultan was cooking up started to boil over, catching himself and the Cardinal in the middle.

[Persia (DoB)]

Time passed by the city of the dead. For now Aachen was a fortress of skeletons rather than life. Funeral pyres were a daily sight as a harsh reminder of the actual toll on the population. Food supplies were directed to keeping the ever reinforced army in fighting condition. The muslims living in Aachen were heartbroken by the anguish and loss of life. Under orders by Inés, food was rationed, and the larger christian population was less fed than the minority of muslims, children begging for food in the streets became increasingly common.



Several priests attempted to acquire more food, but were imprisoned instead, furthering the suffering for those who now were without spiritual guides in the purgatory of Aachen.

[Persia (DoB)]

"We need to consider their terms, commander."

"Send our troops into the open, vulnerable for another ambush? There is a very good reason for them to want Aachen back. It is their most valuable defensive location."

"Do you remember the precept of this war, commander? We were meant to get this done within a year without losses."

"Thank your commander Gaius for that promise. I would never have done what he did. He made a promise that was as much a symbol as it was meant to induce fear in the enemy and boost morale. But tactical? Far from it. Had he any brains, a subcommander would have done easy what he did in the north, and with fewer men! Instead, his promise was broken, lost along with the commander himself and Allah knows who many others. I will not make that same mistake."

"Commander, the population is starv-"

"I KNOW! I know.. and it is regrettable. Perhaps there is something that can be done, an example of sorts. Send for the line leaders. Messenger! Listen and recall word for word:

This is for the Grand Council of HRE,

I have heard your request time and again, this is what I will do.."

[Greece (DoB)]

Reports have come that the kingdom of Netherlands has attacked HRE, shocking indeed this latest development was.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

The travels of Cardinal Sean Jean and Sir Aaron the Relentless, part 6

The journey to China and then Japan seemed to pass by much more swiftly this time. Cardinal Sean Jean was already an accomplished trader and negotiator, but having completed one of these trade missions already, he worked much more swiftly now, as if he already knew the outcome. Plus the confidence of the wealthy merchants was abundant, Sir Eron Aaron's knights having been successful in delivering the caravan safely once already.

Plus there was now the war to consider. When the announcement came, that Persia had invaded Holy Roma and captured the capital of Aachen, the Cardinal's caravan was already at the Chinese border, just a short march from Hong Kong, the point of debarking to Japan. As they sailed into the Pacific, having completed another trade mission, the Cardinal and Sir Aaron spoke at great length concerning what impact their many trade deals would have on the war, as well as how their actions would be perceived by the rulers of both Persia, and Holy Roma.

Sir Aaron was spirited, "Persian slanderers! And besides they gave weapons to England, so they can hardly.." then he stopped as the Cardinal signaled him to keep his voice down, the Persian espionage corps were as skilled as the SoJ so one never knew who might be listening. "Our deals are our deals. We must fulfill our promises and trade freely for the betterment of Netherlands. The Sultan knew that, and I am sure his daughter will realize this as well. Our agreements are complex, involving many factors, there were many weapons available to be acquired after the wars in the New World. Should we not benefit in trading them?"

Both men agreed, and their conversation went on late into the night and into the early hours of the morning. As the sun came up over the horizon, they heard a sound which made them both wish that they were asleep and dreaming.

"Pirates! Three ships closing off the port bow!"

Sir Aaron was nervous about this. The Athena's word could defeat two galleys, she had done so before, but three? Maybe they should not have come close to land for fresh water? But the lookouts had assured him that the island was uninhabited. Now they were nose to nose with yet another pirate ambush.

Sir Aaron made the decision for himself and the Cardinal to disembark from the Athena's Word, and wait to see if the ship could survive the battle with the approaching pirates. It was too risky for the Cardinal to stay aboard this time. Without his leadership, the men were not as efficient in their battle, but in the end it may have been inevitable that they would be overwhelmed. As they watched from the shore, the Athena's Word was surrounded and set ablaze. "I should have stayed to lead the men" Sir Aaron said in frustration. "No, you have saved both our lives. You made a wise decision. The cause was lost" Cardinal Sean Jean replied.

Now they were marooned on a deserted island, but at least they were alive.

[Persia (DoB)]

Squeaking wheels churned the already broken path into deeper ruts of mud, bringing more toil and weariness upon the escorts. A hundred wagons strong, with men of the line to guard it. The pouring rain making every step another dull ache in the bones of the horses and men, bringing a chill that many had succumbed to already. But these men were properly buried. Not like the kadir, not like the kadir at all. As the carts went by, they spread out in the plains near Nuremberg.



A meaningless childhood rhyme that one of the officers had set them to sing, reminding them of home and igniting hope of returning there soon was called "Four Two One". They all joined in, with grim faces momentarily lifted as the chant went on. Men of the line needed that, serving as mere caravan guards when the rest of the army were in pursuit of the broken Romani. It had taken years to find the right place, it had taken years to figure out if the rumours were true. But now they knew, the knew without a doubt, from the commander, to the subcommenders, to the captains, to the ranks. The Romani would never cease, they would never grieve, they would stop at nothing to hurt and oppose those they denoted as "unpure" and "godless dogs". There was a story told from the year past, and sure enough, as Four Two One ebbed out, one of the soldiers called for the new song. The sad song. The strong song.

It came about after Inés had succeeded in the Battle of Aachen, reversing the Romani ambush to have them break beneath the walls. Licking their wounds and sending messenger upon messenger with the same demand, no attempt of negotiation was accepted. Gottfried had known about the imprisonment of Charles from the start, but denied it all to escape any chance of relinquishing his throne. Making arrogant demands to have Aachen abandoned, trying to force Persia into an unbalanced position was not accepted, making the Persian-Romani war prolonged far beyond what was originally planned or hoped. When the source of the Persian knowledge turned out to be Gottfried's own wife, he took his own life in shame, or so the story was told. As proof of the actual death, Romani lords on the Grand Council were bidden to send Gottfried's razor to Inès. But no such item ever came to her possession.

But then the story was told, of how Inés attempted one final negotiation. She was of equal height and build to a man, and with armor could pass as such and so she did. Unheeding the caution from those close to her, posing as her own personal advisor brought her within shooting distance of the Grand Council. They still maintained a cold courtesy to all Persian messengers, and when Inés -now going by the name of Lord Ibànez of the Lionguard- in equal cold suggested that bowing to the keepers of Aachen was the only way for peace to be attained, one particular lord spoke those legendary words, in the halls of his personal castle Castameradaburg in Vienna, that singers had shortened to make the song far easier to recall.

So she left, now assured that nothing would be gained from further negotiations. The city of Nuremberg was the place where Gottfried's wife was imprisoned, and the city was attacked and taken in short order to attempt further contact with the best source of information in the Romani fold. Following the capture of Nuremberg, conflicting reports told of councilmen fleeing for their lives, carrying as much gold as they could carry with them.

Liberating Gottfried's wife created a mass of rumours among the troops. To curtail those rumours, Inès decided to tell them the truth. Romani assassins had killed Shamara's son in River Village, all those years ago. It was intended to make the new leader of Persia collapse, bringing uncertainty enough that Romani troops could muster and attack defenseless Persian colonies and cities. But she recovered far swifter than they anticipated, and the counterattack brought a panic among Romani noblemen, many of whom attempted to style themself as the new king of HRE, further increasing confusion among the ranks.



Had the General Gaius Marius not been so infatuated by Shamara that he wanted to bring an extensive end to the Romani threat from a pincer attack, many things would not have turned out as they had done to this day. Yet now they knew. Now the whole of Persia knew. Romani agents attacking the family of their leader, attacking Persia incarnate. This called for blood, for blood, fire and death.

Within nine months of this news, Vienna was reduced to dust. Half a year after that Konstantinople became the largest funeral pyre since the burning of Lisbon. Inés was now nearly buried in treasures and loot from the sacking of the two cities, so it was decided to be melted down and distributed among those who most needed it. Not even the legendary Shah Jahan had moved so much in so short a time, and fully one fifteenth of the entire Persian army was set to guard the wagons as they moved back to Persia for re-distribution. Along the way, many a gold bar went missing from the larger storages but the few that were caught stealing, died for their greed.

[England (DoB)]

CRACK!

"Ahhh...much more impressive....but you must have them wear red."

"But why my queen?"

"To strike terror into the hearts of those who stand before them"


of the rifle cou

[Greece (DoB)]

Greece is disturbed by Persian action to raze all the none Islamic Holy Roman cities. What we understand from our reports is that all cities with some Islamic population are being occupied, but the ones with no Muslim citizens are being burned. That means, citizens following all the other religions are being either killed or left without a home.

Can we ask why Persia is following this policy?

Thank you,

Greece

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Vienna.. Beautiful fortress cut into the side of a mountain, overlooking a vast open plain. This type of city construction is similar to that found in The Wall, and is a trademark of the Holy Roma architects, producing impressive, seemingly impregnable cities. But no more.



Soldiers arriving from the war front in Vienna report that the mountain fortress has been taken, the walls torn down by catapult fire, and the city burned to ruble and ashes. Nothing remains, all the women and children have been slaughtered alongside their men. An assortment of recent recruits and Holy Roma veterans, they all report the same, that the Ruling Council had come to the battle front to command the defense, but then things began to fall apart.

After the southern Garrison was destroyed in a surprise attack, the chairman of the Council went mad and began ranting and raving of how he had been abandoned by his friends in Netherlands and betrayed by Greece and Netherlands. He became enraged and desperate, and in what was to be his last act as chairman, he tried to dismiss the entire garrison of Vienna. The men say that in a bizarre turn of events, one of the Council members then attacked the chairman, knocking him unconscious and taking command of the remaining troops.

Of course the damage was already done, as many troops were mercenaries, and already on the verge of mutiny and desertion, seeing the the insurmountable odds against them. Over half the Holy Roman army cut and run immediately upon hearing the orders of the chairman, leaving only skeleton defenses in Vienna. Some of the members of the Council joined in the defense of the city, and some others chose to take their own lives rather than be imprisoned or executed by the invading Persians.

The men claimed that the chairman of the Ruling Council that assumed power after the death of the King was Lord Denethor Castamere of Vienna. The man was quite unstable it seems and by their words, when he saw the ruined Holy Roma armies to the south and the vast approaching Persians from the west, "He promptly dismissed the entire army, ordering a full scale retreat" according to one soldier. His last words, before being knocked unconscious by another member of the council, were "Abandon your posts! Flee! Flee for your lives!"

Some of the men admit with some amount of shame, that they happily and quickly accepted dismissal, knowing that the city and all the inhabitants were doomed to suffer the same fate as the people of Holy Roma and Aachen, starvation, misery and death at the hands of the Persians. They chose to join the ranks of the Netherlands invaders, seeing the cause of Netherlands as more just, and observing the civilized manner in which Netherlands had treated the people of the conquered cities of Berlin and The Wall. "Netherlands uses the pen, and only the sword when there is no other choice" the captain of the defectors said.

Stranger still, when the chairman regained consciousness, he went completely insane and promptly committed suicide by jumping on a funeral pyre, and then leaping from the walls of the mountain fortress to his death, with his body engulfed in flames all the way down. By all accounts, it was the most spectacular death that any of them had ever seen.

Another one of the officers of the dismissed Holy Roma army carried with him a suicide note from persons claiming to be the "Ruling Council" of Holy Roma. He was received in the offices of the governor, in the newly captured Netherlands city of The Wall. He claimed to have snatched the note right from the hands of Lord Castamere as he jumped into the funeral pyre.

Apparently Lord Castamere did not want there to be any record of his suicide, as he wanted to be remembered as having died bravely defending the city, rather than suicide in disgrace.The text of the note was badly burned and smudged with the flammable oil that Castamere used to self -immolate, but some of it was still legible.

Last act of Ruling Council most {smudge}

{burned} betrayed us and destroyed our armies with superior we{burned} After {smudge} surprise we are doomed. Sacred Roman Empire will perish in flames and so must we.

Some of us go now to our deaths to defend the city until our destruction. Some like our chairm{burned} take own lives than {burned} Persian heathen Muslims commit mass murders in Aachen and starvation in {burned} Our cities are dead our people are killed by Persian {burned} until nothing left.

No defender of the beloved faith {burned} Only Sacred Roman Empire is betrayed by even our christian brothers while the united Muslims conquer {smudge}

We curse {burned} their treachery and tricks and extorting of Sacred Roman Empire and we {smudge} is punished for the betrayals. Only God may hear our prayers.

Sacred Holy Roma Ruling Co{burned}

A public statement is issued concerning Netherlands involvement in the fall of Holy Roma -

Netherlands must proclaim official denouncement of the Persian slanderous claim that there was any assassination attempt of any Persian dignitary in our capital of River Village. River Village is a city of culture, refinement and civility, no such thing would happen here. This is Persian lies to support their warmongering and slaughter of innocents. Making excuses to invade conquer and starve the population of a much smaller, weaker country.

Mighty Persia will do what she will, but the people of Netherlands will not be blamed for this slaughter, starvation and genocide of over 90% of the population of the cities of Aachen and Holy Roma, and the wanton destruction and wholesale murder of all the inhabitants of Vienna Nuremburg and Konstantinople.

Netherlands had many complex trading arrangements with Holy Roma that involved the brokering of weapons, there were also several outstanding issues with regard to past arrangements that Holy Roma had failed to live up to her promises to Netherlands.

When Holy Roma was attacked, it was decided that this was the opportunity to demand that Netherlands receive her due, and when Holy Roma again tried to stall and back out of the obligations, Netherlands had no choice but to invade to force negotiations. The invasion prompted a quick negotiation, which resulted in a Peace treaty with Holy Roma, without any need for the genocide that has taken place in the south and eastern parts of Holy Roma.

- Netherlands Foreign Minister

[Persia (DoB)]

Messengers arrive to all nations, addressing issues set forth by Nether and Greece

Greetings to all civilized leaders,

Nether is worried that some fault may rest at their feet after such heinous crime being done in their capital. Do not worry. Extensive investigation has made it all clear who is to blame, the current war has brought forth much that was not known. Which brings a reminder to my ear, Nether has not answered the offer from Persia to upgrade its fleet. So now I bring this offer to all nations. If you wish to upgrade your fleet for a reasonable price, contact Persian authorities and we can talk.

The sons of johannes are impressive in their storytelling, but I wonder if some of them grow large by their own tales. There are no trolls or giants in the Persian army, nor are there severly disfigured leaders among us, apart from those with slight battlescars. Having found the detailed layout of Vienna, I must also point out that where you claim Lord Castamere to have soaked himself and begun the self-immolation, to the point where he allegedly cast himself from the wall, is calculated in the range of more than 2000 meters. Rather impressive by a man on fire would you not say? Not that I doubt your men, I simply wish to illuminate such colorful claims. I have had the area outlined in red on the following copy.



Greece has raised a very important question, that of the health and protection of the Romani people. I was for the longest time unsure of the Romani, but following the death of their king with no new king stepping forth, and the aggressive assault by Greek forces against the fortified Romani in the mining hills outside of Vienna, an answer was found, and it was disturbing. I must thank Greece for showing the way by eliminating the last real defense of the Romani. My forces are certain to have suffered far greater than what Greece did. Let there be no doubt that Greece weaponry is the best in the world today. Truth, though it may bring both hurt and joy will illuminate all. What SoJo found was a tarnished, burned copy, but my troops found the original note and it reads thus:

Last act of Ruling Council must be obeyed.

Greece and Nether betrayed us and destroyed our armies with superior weaponry that was promised to us! After our defenses on the mining hills and in the plains were slaughtered by surprise we are doomed. Sacred Roman Empire will perish in flames and so must we.

Some of us go now to our deaths to defend the city until our destruction. Some like our chairman's wife and her children flee from the certain destruction leaving us to by mistake own lives that Persia wants nothing from. Persian heathen Muslims commit mass murders in Aachen and starvation in Holy Roma and Nuremberg. Our cities are dead our people are killed by Persian and Greek and Nether until nothing left.

No defender of the beloved faith is left standing. It is well that our brothers in the far north have recieved our knowledge of weaponry. There is no recourse among civilized men any more. We must join our barbarian family now while it is still not too late! Only Sacred Roman Empire is betrayed by even our christian brothers while the united Muslims conquer everything. But no more. No more!

We curse all nations for their treachery and tricks and extorting of Sacred Roman Empire and we will pray and whet our blades with any civilized man until every single drop of civilized blood is punished for the betrayals. Only God may hear our prayers.

Sacred Holy Roma Ruling Council is disbanded from this day, and we embrace our ancient barbarian brethren from now on.
May the earth swallow our enemies whole.

When confronted by this note, every single Romani has turned hostile. During the siege of Vienna, Romani forces employed a scorched earth tactic. Close in proximation to what they did to the army of Gaius Marius in the beginning of this war. Now it is disclosed as being a barbaric tactic without any consideration for the innocent lives lost. With this revelation on top of the already inflaming truth about Romani hatred towards Muslims, there could be no good end to the city of Vienna.

Coming to the walls of Konstantinople, the Persian army was shocked by the barbaric tragedy displayed there. Rather than giving itself over, all the children were hanging from the walls and bolted to the doorways in such a way that if removed, they would die. Grim determination and scorched earth aside, it did not last long before nothing was left of that great city.

After hearing this, even the muslims in Holy Roma, Aachen and Nuremberg have revolted, or tried to. There is a discussion underway as to how this can best be dealt with. Currently, the entire population in those cities are imprisoned, yet their health is without question in their peak. If set loose, they look likely to be able to work for weeks without end. Following this discovery, the Persian army is going north to investigate the remaining Romani settlements, to see if they are equally barbaric.

On behalf of Sayyadina Shamara, leader of the Persian Empire,
Commander General Inés the lioness.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

In the offices of the SoJ -


"Look at these excerpts of the statement issued by General Ines the Catalan"

There are no trolls or giants in the Persian army, nor are there severly disfigured leaders among us, apart from those with slight battlescars.

Trolls? What is that milord? Some kind of weapon maybe?"

"I have no idea what a "troll" is or where they even came up with such nonsense. Whether a man is a "giant" or "disfigured" is surely a subjective matter. Whether some of the Persian leaders are disfigured giants is unknown, but I am confident that no statement from Netherlands ever claimed that Persian leaders were either of those things. The whole statement is a bit bizzare."

"Maybe Ines has been inhaling incense again?" The two men laughed. "And by the way, have you ever seen a "slight" battlescar?"

Laughter again, "Those Catalan women certainly are vain, going on about "slight" scars. Very defensive about their troops beauty and appearance. What nonsense!" The men laughed until their sides hurt. "And what of this part of it milord?"

Having found the detailed layout of Vienna, I must also point out that where you claim Lord Castamere to have soaked himself and begun the self-immolation, to the point where he allegedly cast himself from the wall, is calculated in the range of more than 2000 meters.

"Since Netherlands never issued any statment about where in the city Lord Castamere was when he set himself on fire, it is particularly telling that Ines claims to know the exact location, when we did not even know. Further evidence of the truth of the story. Ines has unwittingly caught herself red handed in her own web of lies." The man smiled "even more telling is that the Persians apparently had a detailed schematic of the city and rather than use it to sneak in and take the city intact with minimal loss of life, they instead chose to raze the city to the ground unnecessarily, further proving their bloodlust and bloodguilt."

"And the so called "complete" suicide note that Persia "found" milord"?

"Obvious Persian lies and more war propaganda. What they would have us believe? They carefully wrote two identical suicide notes?"

The other man nodded "And that Lord Castamere, trying to dispose of the evidence burned one note, but carefully left the other untouched? Ridiculous milord! I agree!"

"Persia attempts to divert attention from the facts. Who knows if the accounts told by these soldiers are accurate or if they are laced with flights of fancy? Who knows whether the "Rains of Castamere" song is really about what the Persians claim or if there really even was any Lord Castamere? The facts are that Holy Roman leadership is gone, and that Persia burned Vienna to the ground. That is all that truly matters."

[Greece (DoB)]

To the Persian Empire, we are curious to learn what do you plan to do with the former Holy Roman cities that are engulfed with Greek culture? As you may know more than half of the local population in those cities are Greeks and growing. I hope Greek citizens will be treated with respect and given food.

[Netherlands (DoB)]

Official Statement -

To: Ines, Catalunyan Generalissima of the Persian forces

Illustrious Generalissima,

I must point out that your forgery of the Holy Roman suicide note contains obvious evidence of forgery. You should execute the forgers immediately for shoddy work.

The very first line of the true letter says

Last act of Ruling Council most

Whereas the very first line of your forgery says

Last act of Ruling Council must

Getting one of the words wrong is an error in the forgery, on very first line no less, which in and of itself is shockingly incompetent on the part of your propagandists.

The text is smudged, but we can assume that the word "most" referred to the "most Sacred Roman Empire" as Holy Romans often referred to it.

Since the proof of your obvious forgery is so blatantly apparent, on the very first line, there is no need to examine the rest. Netherlands makes excellent decorative swords for executions, if you would like a gift to execute your forgers.

I can also report that additional interviews of the troops arriving from Holy Roma reveals that King Gottfried I, as well as Charles the Bald were very fond of Elizabeth the Immortal, and spoke often of her fair and upright dealings with their land. It gives Netherlands no great pleasure to speak the truth that it seems the Holy Romans regarded England to be their best friend. But we feel obligated to report this truth.

- Netherlands Foreign Minister