Announcement

**ManicStarSeed** · January 1, 2003, 17:55

Here is a copy of a PM I sent to Betahound of Vox;

Greetings Beta and Vox Controli:

That long awaited moment has finally arrived, we have offically made contact in the game. This opens up a whole wide range of diplomatic possibilities (including trades) and we want to discuss them with you. Over the next day or so, Gathering Storm will be looking at potential trades of information and technologies. We hope that Vox Controli will do the same so that we can come to some mutually beneficial deals.

Again, Greetings and Best Regards
ManicStarSeed

Mss

**ManicStarSeed** · January 2, 2003, 18:15

Opening Negotiations Between Vox Controli and Gathering Storm

Here is what we sent to Vox once initial in-game contact has occured. Thank you everybody for quickly putting this together and critiquing it and Dominae for the final draft.

Greetings again friend BetaHound and Vox Controli:

We hope your journey has been going well. Your warriors appear well-trained, well-fed and happy (not to mention quiet muscular!), so we can only assume your nation is at least as glorious as ours, if not more. We are therefore pleased to have contacted you at the beginning of this new era. Who knows what the future will hold? Let us become masters of our own fates and discuss our future relationship.

As an act of good faith, we ask that Vox Controli cease southern exploration for the duration of these negotiations; Gathering Storm will do the same in turn for the northern direction.

Gathering Storm has put together several proposals and we would appreciate your open consideration of them. Please feel free to counter-offer where you see fit. Our goal is to negotiate and make deals mutually beneficial. We will seriously consider any additional deal you bring to the table. The following is a list of our proposals:

1. Temporarily cease North/South exploration as described above. This act of good faith would be the basis for any future negotations.

2. Begin discussion of a potential tech-trading parternship between our two teams. Tech trading would effectively double our respective research rates, ensuring a tech advantage on the world scene.

3. Exchange information regarding luxuries each of us has discovered North and South of the isthmus (South for us, North for you). Connecting our empires and trading luxuries promises obvious economic advantages.

4. Simultaneously reveal to each other either: 1) whether or not we have contacted another team, or further 2) precisely which other team(s) we have already contacted. Our future plans depend critically on who our neighbors are, so obtaining this information early should prove useful to both of us.

5. Discuss what to do about the chokepoint/isthmus with regards to unit movement. The isthmus is clear and important landmark, and reaching an understanding as to its use would reduce early tensions between our teams.

We hope to hear from you in the very near future; please contact us before your next turn, or before the turn after that at the very latest. We apologize if requesting such a quick response causes any inconvenience, but time is of the essence.

Sincerely,

ManicStarSeed and Gathering Storm

**Theseus** · January 2, 2003, 20:44

Excellent.

**ManicStarSeed** · January 3, 2003, 01:39

Well our friends from Vox have finally responded. Here are the responses we have recieved to date..

Dear ManicStarSeed.

I trust this letter finds you and your nation in the best of health.

Thank-you for your recent correspondence. Yes, these are exciting times when civilizations first meet. And thank-you as well for your list of proposals. You should be aware that they are under active deliberation as I speak, in order that we may respond with one voice.

We fully appreciate your concerns regarding the need for haste in reaching our conclusions. But these are meaty - er, I did not mean to offend any vegans in your party. Let me rephrase. These are weighty issues for fledgling civilizations such as ours. You have my assurance that we will expedite our deliberations to the greatest extent possible.

Given that our Warriors have met in the great unknown, and you have made Willy's aquaintance, I could not resist the temptation to leaf through the one book, and share with you one of my favorite sectons. It is, appropriately enough, from the Book of Warriors.

Warriors I, Verses 1 to 6.

1. And so it came to be that the people of Vox Controli founded the capitol, "The Voice".

2. And the Voice begat warriors.

3. The Voice begat Willy. The Voice begat Tim. The Voice begat Thadeus.

4. And Willy went out of The Voice, and into the wilderness.

5. And the shadows receded, and light shone upon the land.

6. And the people of Vox Controli cried out in unison and joy.

Thus ends the reading.

Very uplifting, isn't it. I get a tingle everytime I read it. Makes me almost wish that I had taken up a different line of work. Sigh - the life of a bureaucrat - well you understand.

My dear sir, I must make my leave. I wish you well. I will make every endeavour to get back to you very shortly.

Sincerest regards,

BetaHound
Voice of Foreign Affairs
Vox Controli

From Eli

Umm.. I'm not Beta.

and ...
Dissident said

Yes we did get your PM's and are looking over them right now. We look forward to working together as great nations.

I will reply with some cordial role play and I will post it next.

Mss

**ManicStarSeed** · January 3, 2003, 01:59

Our reply

Here is our reply:

I wanted to push the point of the warriors , but I figured not yet. We do not want to push too hard or too soon..

Mss

Ambassador BeatHound:

Why yes thank you for asking, we are doing well, although we do miss our former leader (NYE) whom has be absorbed by this thing called RL. Suffice to say the nation is doing well despite this brief time in mourning.

Thank you for sharing that fine piece of culture, what do you call it? I hope that, together we can do some more of...well, whatever it is you call it, about the triumphs that our two nations achieve against what can be a hostile bob.

Again we eagerly await your relpies to our previous envoy. Let me know if you have any questions so that we can get them answered.

Warm Regards;
ManicStarSeed and Gathering Storm

PS. Please enjoy these few bottles of this champaign, Share it with the team and loved ones as a token of our good will. It is from 3050 BC, a very fine year for champaign, if I may say so.

**nbarclay** · January 3, 2003, 02:22

I hope you don't mind my being picky about linguistic issues, but...

The word you want is champagne. Champaign is in fact a word (to my surprise), but it means something completely different ("an expanse of level open country" according to merriamwebster.com).

Also, unless there's another meaning merriamwebster.com didn't cover, an envoy is a messenger, not a message. So "previous envoy" is not a correct usage in this case.

Nathan

**ManicStarSeed** · January 3, 2003, 02:44

Originally posted by nbarclay
I hope you don't mind my being picky about linguistic issues, but...

The word you want is champagne. Champaign is in fact a word (to my surprise), but it means something completely different ("an expanse of level open country" according to merriamwebster.com).

Also, unless there's another meaning merriamwebster.com didn't cover, an envoy is a messenger, not a message. So "previous envoy" is not a correct usage in this case.

Nathan

DOH Lost my reply...
Here it is again,...

No I do not mind, really.
I agree with you for doing it, but... I MEANT Envoy. The message was not sent by itself, it had to have the messenger. The pigeon could not carry both the message and the champagne and do you think a bureaucrat is gonna get of his fat arse and trapes(sp) hundreds of miles north to deliver this message?

I think not.

Anyway, your comments are welcome.

I have edited the top post to POST NO REPLIES as we want to keep this uncluttered for the VOX diplomatic record. Post all discussion, flames and critiques in other (more approprate) threads. This is a change, but a good one I think.

Mss

**ManicStarSeed** · January 4, 2003, 15:37

Here is our first answer from VOX. I have a turnchat to get to so I am just passing this through for now with out looking at it. discuss and advise in This Thread

Dear ManicStarSeed - esteemed Foreign Affairs Minister of Gathering Storm.

Greetings again, sir. I am pleased to announce that our deliberations have been completed, and I have been directed by the One Voice to reply as follows:

1. Regarding the question of further exploration, we feel that at this early stage of our existence, it is important to both our civilizations to learn more about the world around us. We of Vox Controli recognize your right to expand your horizons. We humbly request that you recognize ours.

However, this being said, we also clearly recognize your sovereignty over your lands. We promise to fully respect the borders of your civilization, and further promise to commit no acts of aggression in any way, shape, or form.

2. Regarding tech trading, we too have discussed amongst ourselves the wonderful opportunities this presents. We would like to discuss potential deals. Perhaps if you could put on the table what you are thinking. We both know that Vox Controli has bronze working, that Gathering Storm has ceremonial burial, and that we both have masonry. After that, when it comes to trading, well to quote the One Book, Dissidents 19, verse 8, "The sky's the limit".

3. Regarding luxuries, yes we have them. And we assume that you have them as well. But at present there is no way of trading them between our civilizations. In fact, our workers are still pre-occupied with connecting these luxuries to our cities. Perhaps when trading becomes a distinct possibility we should discuss further.

4. Regarding contact with other civilizations, yes, we have met another civilization. We are currently discussing with them similar issues as you have raised. However, they have asked that we keep their identity, and the nature of our discussions confidential. I'm sure that you, as an equally honorable civilization, can understand our position here.

5. Regarding the isthmus - well - I have to tell you Manic - we are genuinely surprised as to how much you know about the world. This reinforces my earlier point, in that we would like to explore the world as well to learn as much about it as your wise adventurers.

That point aside, I also appreciate what you have said. The isthmus should be discussed.

I trust our response will find favor with your leaders and your people. We are committed tp peaceful co-existence on this continent of ours. Speaking of which, and I hope you do not think us too presumptuous, but we have named the landmass Estonia, given its somewhat eastern location. We have named the land north of the isthmus North Estonia, and the land south of it, South Estonia. I trust this does not offend your historians and scholars.

I look forward to further discussions to build upon this foundation of understanding we have created.

With regards and sincerity,

BetaHound
Voice Of Foreign Affairs
Vox Controli

**nbarclay** · January 5, 2003, 12:05

Here's a message I just sent to Vox regarding their blocking our exploration:

Greetings BetaHound and Vox Controli,

Since you have been so kind as to share with us passages from the One Book, we would like to share with you a passage from the Book of the Storm, specifically from Wisdom 3:1-3.

“Blessed are they who treat others as they would wish to be treated, for their rewards are respect and trust all the days of their lives.
But cursed are the hypocrites who demand from others that which they will not give themselves,
For the seeds of anger and distrust they sow may flower into the fruit of their destruction.”

Since word came back of Thadeus's blocking the way to North Estonia, questions have arisen among our people concerning whether or not the people of Vox Controli share such a belief. You have made it clear in words that you regard a mutual right of exploration as important, yet at first glance, Thadeus's fortified position seems to contradict those words.

Because of your clear statement, we would like to think that Thadeus is there merely to establish your claim to that piece of land, and that once we agree to respect your claim (which we hereby do), he will be willing to move aside long enough for our explorers to pass through. That way, both your sovereignty over a key strategic location and our right to explore will be respected.

But some are concerned that your words regarding the importance of a right to explore may not have been as sincere as they seemed, and that Thadeus's job may include denying us in practice the very right that you seemed to regard as so important in theory. These suspicions have even spurred some to go so far as to demand a death sentence for any "spies" (to use their word) who approach our lands without permission. Clearly, this situation is not ideal for promoting the kind of peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship that we strongly desire, and we hope that you will soon show us that these people's concern was unwarranted. Grog is eager to continue his exploration unimpeded.

Sincerely,

Nathan Barclay, Chief Economist of Gathering Storm

(ManicStarSeed is out of his office at the moment, and given the importance of a quick resolution to this matter, I've been authorized to send this post on behalf of the team.)

**nbarclay** · January 5, 2003, 17:06

I just sent additional copies of the message to Eli and Dissident with the following preface before the message text. (I hope I'm not getting too undiplomatic with it, but it's annoying having an ambassador come online and not bother to check his PMs.)

I sent the following PM to BetaHound a while ago, but he doesn't seem to have automatic notification of private messages turned on and hasn't checked his messages. We really need for your team to address this message immediately (as in take it into consideration in your actions this turn). By the way, just to make it clear, I authorize reposting this message (and any other diplomatic posts from me) as per the usual policy for diplomatic messages.

**nbarclay** · January 8, 2003, 00:30

I sent this trade proposal to BetaHound, Eli, Dissident, and Jon Miller. (I noticed when pasting the message here that the "greetings" line got lost somewhere along the line; it's likely missing from the copies I sent them too.)

ManicStarSeed is once again out of his office at an important time, so the task of drafting a diplomatic message once again falls to me. In any case, the matter before me today is most definitely an economic one.

It occurs to me that in the heat of our concern over the exploration situation, we failed to reciprocate regarding contact information. I apologize most humbly for that oversight. As of this time, we have not been as fortunate as you in our attempts to contact other nations, and yours are the only people we have had the fortune of meeting.

In the interest of mutual prosperity, we would like to propose an exchange of knowledge. We know that you have knowledge of the working of bronze, and assume that you have been working hard to gain knowledge of how to work iron as well. It will probably not surprise you to learn that the knowledge of wheels has been a major priority in our lands. We now face a dispute in which many of our people want to develop an alphabet in order to learn how to write, but others have a misguided fear that you might use your knowledge of bronze and iron in order to attack us and feel a need to gain the same knowledge so that we could better defend ourselves.

Wisdom dictates that the two of us should not waste time duplicating our research. There are almost certainly other peoples elsewhere in the world, and if they cooperate and we do not, the situation when we and they meet could be quite unpleasant. Rather than waste time on a duplication of effort, it occurs to us that if we could arrange to obtain the defensive knowledge we need from you, we could satisfy the paranoid among us without jeopardizing our efforts toward more peaceful pursuits.

Toward that end, we would like to propose a two-stage exchange of knowledge. In the first stage, we would exchange our knowledge of wheels for your knowledge of bronze. In the second, you would agree that once we finish developing our alphabet, you will exchange your knowledge of iron for our knowledge of it. (We assure you that the alphabet will be developed with your language in mind as much as ours.) When those two stages are put together, we feel that the research effort on each side will be equal. But as a sign of trust and friendship, we are offering the more difficult knowledge in the first phase, and are offering the agreement even knowing that you will likely be able to profit from selling or trading the knowledge to the other nation you have made contact with.

Unfortunately, time for our decision is extremely short. Unless your answer arrives quickly [by our next turn], we will have to commit to a plan without knowledge of your answer, and a glorious opportunity may be lost.

By the way, I might note that some underling held up our last messenger for a long while before allowing him in to see Ambassador BetaHound. We would really appreciate it if you would give instructions to allow our emissaries to deliver their messages more quickly. [In non-roleplay terms, it would be useful if he'd turn automatic notification of new PMs on.] It is most frustrating for our messengers when they know that your ambassador is in his office but are not permitted to deliver an important message to him. Worse, there is a risk that an important opportunity may be lost simply because a message does not arrive in time.

Sincerely,

The People of Gathering Storm
Nathan Barclay, Chief Economist

**nbarclay** · January 8, 2003, 14:48

Message received from BetaHound:

Your Letters and Our Discussions
ManicStarSeed and Nathan Barclay of Gathering Storm

Greetings, dear sirs. Well, your previous note has certainly created a 'storm' of discussion at our end. (Please pardon my play on words. I do not mean to make light of such weighty issues.) And I must admit, your latest letter has calmed the waters somewhat.

Now, regarding the matter of Thadeus and his position on the isthmus - well, I will be honest with you - this has generated much debate within our civilization. Please keep this quiet, we of the One Voice are often, how shall I put it, not embarassed, but rather self-conscious about our own internal discussions. As you know, we like to speak with One Voice, as is our law and our custom, and yet occasionally the way of the One Voice and our underpinnings of a free and democratic nation grate on one another. This is one of those times. So, I will need to get back to you on this point.

Some of the words you used in your recent correspondence are, frankly, alarming - 'hypocrites, distrust, destruction, and spies?' This has added to the tension surrounding our discussions. You can clearly see the dilemma we are in regarding the isthmus. You state that you respect our claim to the land in question, but then veil it in subtle threats. We did not approach you in this manner, and therefore it has caught us somewhat surprised.

While the debate continues at home regarding the isthmus - and believe me - it won't take much longer - as stern as the One Voice of the controller can be, that is nothing compared to the bite of the Head of the Senate - you may have heard his name - jon miller. He is getting quite impatient with the internal debate, and may invoke closure soon. So, I may be back to you quicker than you can say - 'One Voice, To Victory'. Sorry, bit of Vox humor there.

As I was saying, while the debate continues, I would like to reiterate a couple of key points from my previous letter. Those being that we will respect your borders and promise we will commit no acts of aggression against your nation. We are also willing to engage in discussions regarding technology trades, the exact point you raised in your more recent - and if I may add - more peaceful letter.

(As a side note, if schizophrenia is a common problem in your society, we may be able to assist. Our physicians have made great strides in dealing with such matters here at home. With a nation which endeavours to speak with one voice, we really didn't have much choice.)

Your proposals regarding tech trading are indeed intriguing. We also appreciate the time constraints involved at your end. There is an emergency discussion session planned for this evening - right after the isthmus debate - to determine our position.

And, perhaps the best news of all, we have engaged our other neighbours in a discussion regarding the possibility of sharing contact information. I hope to be back to you on this one shortly. They may be reluctant, but I like to think that I can be persuasive, and make them see the benefits of such a multi-civilization consordium.

So my dear sirs, please bear with us on these matter. I will be back to you shortly. My sincerest regards to you, your leaders, and the people of your fine nation.

Yours truly,

BetaHound
Voice of Foreign Affairs
Vox Controli

**nbarclay** · January 8, 2003, 17:12

Message Sent:

[Sent to BetaHound with additional copies to Eli, Dissident, and Jon Miller just to make sure it gets through in a timely manner.]

Greetings BetaHound and Vox Controli,

I did not mean to cause offense in my earlier message (and please keep in mind that I am an economist and not a diplomat by profession) but rather to make sure you recognized the seriousness of our concerns. Imagine yourselves in our position. A nation just told you that they respected your right to explore and hoped that you would respect theirs. Then, when your explorers actually attempted to explore their side of the continent, they found their path blocked by a unit fortified in such a way that no one could pass. Would not your first impression be that their claim to respect your right to explore was, or at least had the appearance of being, deceptive and hypocritical? And if they did not prove trustworthy when claiming to respect your right to explore, would that not cause you to question, at least a little, how trustworthy they were regarding other matters? Can you honestly say that your reaction would have been so very different from ours (except, perhaps, in how skilled your diplomats would have been in expressing your concerns)?

As we said in our earlier message, we hoped (as we still hope) that these concerns are unwarranted. But they do still exist. Search as we may, we can find no truly honorable basis for you to continue your explorations south toward us while blocking us from further exploration in your direction (although if you have an explanation that has somehow eluded us, we would love to hear it).

Nonetheless, as time passed, we decided that our desire for a peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship with your people outweighed those concerns. Hence, we set them aside in order to propose a trade that would benefit us both. That does not mean that tensions over the earlier issue have abated completely, but merely that more important matters are at stake. And we have chosen not to let an annoyance (especially one that we still hope can be resolved) get in the way of those weightier matters. Our desire is for mutual prosperity so that when our nations meet the more distant nations that legend says exist, we and not they will have the advantage.

Sincerely,

The People of Gathering Storm
Nathan Barclay, Chief Economist

**nbarclay** · January 9, 2003, 00:03

Response from Dissident:

Our foreign minister is quite tired at the moment. He must have been drinking too much ale. . Just a quick response before you begin govermental operations again. We have discussed your viewpoint. And we can understand how you feel about the exploration situation. Perhaps a compromise on our part is in order? We haven't worked out the details yet, but this is the general consensus. And we are still discussing the trade of our people's knowledge. We are not all agreed that the wheel is in our best interests at the moment. Some are in disbelief such an object can be made. But we do look forward to hammering out some trade deal in the future.

Announcement

Dimplomatic Scholia: Ambassador's Office - Vox Controli

Dimplomatic Scholia: Ambassador's Office - Vox Controli

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