Diplomacy Thread

[Hot Mustard]

Do we really want a formal alliance with Lux? What if they have lost their capital city to GoW, as Señor Torquemada suspects? We don't want to get dragged into a war with the Chinese, do we?

[Thud]

I disagree. I beleive that they actually have 1 city, size 3. I beleive that an alliance with lux would only advance our diplomatic interests... besides, its only for 20 turns.

[DAVOUT]

I am rather slow on this one, but when we accepted that Madrid Exped stop going northward against the reciprocal committement of the GoW warrior not to go further southward, we lost something : the possibility to meet Lux.
May I suggest that we come back to GoW and ask for free the contact with Lux?

[Aidun]

Seems reasonable. They can't deny us to go north and if they are not willing to give it for free, we can still go north. I think however that Ada has to find a diplomatic solution. What can we offer: an agreement or something?

Aidun Cian

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Aidun
. What can we offer: an agreement or something?

Aidun Cian

Our esteem for their fair understanding of the case.

And they can keep the five golds we gave them in advance.

[Togas]

We already have contact with Lux Invicta.

We have established formal contacts with all three of the civs on our continent.

--Togas

[DAVOUT]

Oh, the red warrior ! OK.

[History Guy]

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED

Alot has occurred at too fast a rate. I wrote this letter to Picahulu earlier this morning:

Hail to you, Picahulu, my dear friend from the gloried and majestic lands of Arabia,

Gracious friend, Picahulu, I am mightily pleased by your letter of late, and I must apologize for not replying at a sooner date, but an illness has incapacitated me of late, and so now is the only time I have received a chance of it. The food was splendid, these Oriental spices are quite impressive, if for some overpowering. I think some of the ladies of the court had to be carried out, but it is because of the unusual heat of some of them. Overall, I’d say it was quite satisfying, and I am glad that the Sultan, may the spirits protect him, was just as pleased with my own humble cooking.

Now, down to further business. What we’d like most of all is an assurance that your good scout, Senor Arne, a fine man and cook, is not actually heading farther southward than our jungles. Please, we ask that you do not enter our heartland at this time, as you understand that we are still hammering out our final diplomatic deals at this time, and thus for the sake of proper diplomatic custom and friendship, it would not be mete and right for you to go past our heartland, as we most assuredly shall not go past yours until permission is granted. In short, we should like to ask if your gracious Sultan and magnificent government should like to establish borders with our own government, and to discuss an agreement on future settlement. My Lord Togas watches your gracious people with deep interest, and is very keen, as are all of us, to become the very best of friends with your people, good sir.

This is my government’s policy on a technology alliance. We are very open to helping your culture and allow you to help ours. It is through mutual trading that we become strong, and peace and prosperity reign. We would very much like the idea of a “Peaceful Technology Trading Accord”, so that we may both trade peaceful technologies, those secrets pertaining to the enhancement of culture, and build up both cultures simultaneously through this accord. In this way, prosperity would rise all over both of our kingdoms, and while peace is firmly established, culture will thrive. We have already made the most basic of deals, the secrets of the Spanish kitchens in return for the secrets of Arabian cuisine, and then we have traded many more important technologies. In future, may we suggest, we look to, for example, a trade of Writing for, say Mysticism or Mathematics, such trades that will boost our cultures tremendously. We look forward to these deals.

Yes, it is true that we have turned down some impressive offers from the Chinese Warmongers, but it is because of their intense threat, as you have noted, which grows all the more daily. Those people, they say, live for warfare, they look as forward to it as the Spanish do to a fine wine, or the Arabs do to an exquisite poem. All their will is bent on warfare, and on winning. They alone strike fear into the hearts of us, and we know the same goes for you, and the whole of the world, for they see trees as fuel, and rocks as axes. You are right that the only way to oppose such terror is to form early friendships, and to trade freely, to become a group of people who are almost inseparable, for what else may stand against such reckless hate?

Speaking as such, we should very much like to hear more of your own dealings with the surrounding civilizations, as it seems you already know of ours. Knowledge is strength, and with such strength, tens of thousands, here and there, may become as one to fight a common foe. Together, Spain and Arabia shall rise to become the shining kingdoms of the earth, the examples to which all civilizations are measured. Thus, we believe, it shall be, and rightly so.

I look forward to your response, my friend.

Hernan de History Guy Calamari the Younger
Ambassador from Madrid

A short time ago, he sent this, and it was indeed very urgent:

Dear History Guy,

urgent matters force me to write to you immedeately. Our neighbours, the Chinese people, gave very delicate informations to us which seems to be completely unlikely, although not yet impossible.
GhengisFarb of China claimed that you have proposed to forge a trio alliance against us, the nation of Neu Demogyptica. They told us you would think ND has to be weakened as we are the leaders in technology. Furthermore, he claimed that the Chinese rejected this proposal!

Although we consider the Spanish people to be our friends, and we don't believe GhengisFarb at all, we must demand you
write a statement concerning this matter as soon as possible in order to save friendship and trust between our people.

We're also keen to hear about your opinion concerning technology alliances. The Chinese claimed all civilizations on our continent have joined a technology pact. Presupposed this information is correct, we have joined in too.
We're currently researching Iron Working and will be finished in 5 turns. After that we'll develop Mathematics. Please let me know what your team is going to research next.

I'm sorry that our co-operation is treatened in this way, nevertheless we feel that real friendship can't be affected by plots of third partys.

Sincerly yours,
Picahulu, Ambassador of Neu Demogyptica

To which I immediately responded:

Sir, I apologize for these two messages, but as a diplomat yourself, I am sure you understand. The first was the prepared response from this morning, this is the immediate response now. Another response is being hammered out already, reaching much the same conclusion, but in less blatant terms.

As I write this, I must mention that your own new PM just arrived at my doorstep. I must hurry to show it to Milord Togas, but I must first assure you that it is a barbaric and hateful lie, manufactured no doubt to have us all on each other's throats. These Warmongers truly are barbarians, to have pulled so repulsive a trick. This underhanded foolishness of theirs must cease. Please, accept my apologies for this idiotic affair, but know that Spain is not harboring any such foul and despicable plots against your good people.

In haste,
H.de H.G.C.

I will write my opinion in the World News hut. This is indeed an interesting turn of events. It has kept me away from my squid, it is so important.

Hernan de History Guy Calamari the Younger
Squid Baron
Ambassador to the Arabs

[History Guy]

For those who don't feel like reading the whole text, the Warmongers told Neu Demogyptica that we and Lux Invicta were teaming up to destroy them, and that we wanted the Warmongers to sign up too and help us whip them, and that they refused. This is from Picahulu, the ambassador from Neu Demogyptica, as he heard it from his Sultan, as he heard it from Genghis Farb himself.

Conclusion...

We aren't going to be making friends with Glory of War any time soon...

I think we should...find Iron Working, team up with Neu Demogyptica and Lux Invicta, and at the earliest opportunity, wipe the Chinese off the face of Apolyton.

Hernan de History Guy Calamari the Younger
Ambassador to Arabia

[jdjdjd]

Again - trust no one - keep them all at a distance - only to draw them near as we need them.

[Hot Mustard]

Originally posted by History Guy

I think we should...find Iron Working, team up with Neu Demogyptica and Lux Invicta, and at the earliest opportunity, wipe the Chinese off the face of Apolyton.

Ah, intrique! Perhaps this is precisely the reaction ND is hoping for!

Have you considered the possibility that ND is feeding us a story here, designed to re-ignite the embers of the recent RP-GoW trist? By now they will have realized that: A) they are boxed in by jungle, Lux, and GoW; B) as the only non-Apolyton team, they may not be spared any mercy; and C) their early expansionist lead will make them a target.

If I were in their shoes, I would be looking to create a conflict among the other teams before one or more of them struck our at me.

Do not overreact and start a flurry of heated PM's. We must consider our reaction carefully.

[History Guy]

Senor, I agree. My initial reaction was to type, "Be warned, if this is a plot of your own making, reaction will be swift and severe". However, for the sake of diplomacy, I did not send that in the end. It just wouldn't have been wise. It could well be, and indeed could very likely be a plot of the Neu Demogypticans themselves. I do not trust them, I feel they think they can milk us, and bend us. However, they will make useful allies, if we don't just have to pop them in the head with a crossbow and dump them in the river.

Hernan de History Guy Calamari the Younger
Squid Baron

[History Guy]

Ah, before I could respond, Dejon, the every watchful warrior, grabs the words from my mouth, stuffs them back in, and allows me to spit them back out only seconds afterward to make me look daft.

[adaMada]

I'm about to shoot a very friendly PM to GoW with our tech list (which they know, but...). I was planning to use it as a general diplomatic reopener, and I'll probably keep it to happy thoughts, but is there anything I should ask them about this? Did we suggest to GoW that we conspire against ND? This whole circular lying thing is getting very confusing . If not, should I talk to them about it very friendly like? Say that I'm sure it's a lie from ND, and I was wondering if they'd spread any similar nonsense about us?

-- adaMada

[Togas]

It could be either country spreading stories, but this is a very interesting development. The game is early and rumors and scheming already abound.

If GoW did in fact spread this rumor, it's best that they not know that ND immediately went to us with it. We want ND to reveal further GoW "plots" to us.

If ND made this up and we tell GoW about this, they're going to think that we're accusing them of trechery against us, and it'll further stress relations between us.

Our best choice is to deny these things (as History and I have done in separate PMs, since Picahulu PM'd us both with the same message) and then work towards postive and peaceful relations with ND. By our actions we must show that we can be trusted, and we must be certain not to change our foreign policy based on rumors.

--Togas