KotZ

OOC: Sorry this completely slipped my mind the past few days. "Yup, on it."

I didn't get anything as well.

Thanks! And yep!

Thanks all! The window is just a normal window on rocker parts.

Ah damn. Sad to see you go, Fred. This seems dangerous to me.

"Pleasure to meet all of you," the Duke of Vitoria replied, a genuine smile on his face. "In attendance from Oleon are myself, the holy Bishop François, Colonel Beauchamp, as well as my nephew Emile Perrault. The latter two I believe participated in various engagements in the recent, how shall we say, conflict. Let it be known we are willing to move past those engagements and start our relationship on a new foot. Yes, perhaps more dialogue would have worked better for everyone." "We were completely in the right..." Emile murmured to himself. Duke Perrault raised a hand to silence Emile. "Please forgive my nephew. The war was a sore spot for him. Emile..." "I apologize, gentlemen," Emile said after a moment. "My personal feelings should not affect our mission here." Robert flipped through his dossier again. "Yes, what your scouts have found is quite concerning. We've receieved word of similar things. The delegation from Oleon concurs that we cannot allow our settlements to be swallowed up by this hostile force." Duke Perrault rubbed his beard in thought. "We agree that something must be done, and swift military action could be an option. I do not wish to explain the interests we have on the island, be sure nothing unsavory or criminal. Say we pursued a joint mission and allowed you to land troops on El Oleanda, we would like to ensure your soldiers would not cause harm to the citizens or use it as an undercover spying mission to see our defenses. "I understand this would require a lot of trust and goodwill to be given between both sides quite quickly after the Terraversa affair. Then, a monk approached Lieutenant Saint-Clare and whispered something in his ear. He then passed the message on to the Bishop. François turned quickly, and said, got his answer, and nodded. The monk scurried off. "Gentlemen," he addressed the delegates, "I hope you will forgive an old man, but I grow weary. Might we take a break for an hour or so?" The Corlanders murmered between themselves, and Bishop François watched their reactions with a beady eye. Eventually a recess was agreed, and he left the table, dragging his colleagues with him. "Is everything alright, Father?" asked Colonel Beauchamp, surprised. "One of our people has been murdered," he said calmly, quietly; leading the way back to their quarters. "What!?" demanded the Duke of Vitoria. He realized the intensity of his voice and brought it back to a whisper. "How can this be?" Turning a corner they met the monk coming back towards them, a knife in his hands. The military men, putting two and two together, guarded themselves for a fight. The Bishop brushed past them. "This is the weapon?" he asked. His monk nodded. The Bishop turned to Saint-Clare. "Lieutenant, take this man's name, his shrewd thinking has given us control of this situation. Colonel, check and double-check your sentries. We have had an intruder." "Damnit, François, what is the meaning of this?!" begged the Duke. Bishop François turned and held the dagger out to him. "Our quartermaster has been slain, with this. It is a Lotii blade, I saw enough of them at the Battle of Fort Arltrees. We are meant to beleive that the Lotii are conspiring to compromise these talks, possibly by poisoning our foodstuffs." " 'Meant to'; you suspect it isn't the Lotii?" asked Beauchamp, returning from dispatching his NCO. "Of course not. If this attack was genuine, it was very clumsy. Lotii assassins are reputed to be some of the best in the world, and yet this one left a blade that indicated his country of origin, and utterly failed to kill anyone of importance? Come to your senses gentlemen." "Then who?" asked he Duke. "I could name a dozen plausible groups and nations who would want these talks to fail. The Eslandolans, The Sea Rats, The Atwi, yes. Then, of course, there are factions within Corrington and even Oleon herself who would not approve of a positive outcome." "We must warn Lord Spud's people," demanded the Colonel. "Nonsense!" cried the Bishop, catching Beauchamp's arm. "We should do no such thing, and see how they react." "I concur with the Bishop," Emile added. "They could be in danger." interjected the Duke. "We are obliged to warn them, or else suffer the consequences if he worst should befall one of theirs." "Robert," replied the Bishop, with pity, "They are in no danger. This was the work of one of their people." "What?!" demanded the Duke. "You'd better have substance for that accusation. I'll not have you hide behind your robes this time, Jules!" "We must accept that the ineptitude of the attack rules out the Lotii. Had they wanted to upset these talks, Lord Spud would likely be dead instead, and it would be Lieutenant Saint-Clare's blade that would be found in his back." The soldier looked suitably nervous at the fact he didn't have the sword at his side - these were peace talks, after all. "And yet, if we choose to bury our heads in the sand and ignore that evidence, then we must run to Corrington and beleive that our two nations, frequently at each other's throats, are best by a common enemy. That the best solution would be to reach the exact outcome that our friends across the table are hoping for." The Bishop made a noise. Was it a chuckle? A Scoff? Both? "If this is the Corlanders, as I suspect. I begrudgingly respect them for this." "This is absurd, Jules," replied the Duke. "I know Corrington's envoys. I have dined with them on occasion, and I will not believe that they are capable of such conspiracies!" "They should be warned," agreed Beauchamp, siding wih his superior. "Fine," conceded the Bishop. "But tell them that we found no weapon. See how quickly they produce some poor Lotii prisoner as proof." "I have an idea," Emile spoke up. "Give me an hour. Uncle, if you want this meeting to go well, give me an hour. That's all I ask." The military men shared an uneasy glance. "Who are you normally negotiating with, Father, that this is your first reaction?" begged Beauchamp, changing the subject. "Priests," replied the Bishop. "Now, if you don't mind, I really do think I need a rest. Continue the delegation." The other men shared a glance. Duke Robert then said, "Do what you need to." Duke Robert went to the Corlander delegation. "Fogrgive us gentlemen, but just thirty or so minutes more. We are all famished and the Bishop needs some rest." Forty minutes later the meeting reconvened. "Sorry for the delay," Robert said. "The Bishop is still feeling unwell." Now the rest of the Oleon delegation was just him and Beauchamp. "My nephew is... looking for something. As we were discussing... "The Crown of Corrington has no designs on permanent settlements on the island - on successful conclusion of hostilities against the Lotii, all Corlander military personnel will withdraw from the island, both from former Lotii territory, Carnite territory or Oleonese territory (should our negotiations here allow us entry to your territory on the island). The Crown of Corrington would recognise that El Oleonda would fall within an Oleonese 'sphere of influence' and would recognise the legitimacy of all Oleonese settlements on the island, both current and future. "You claim no designs for permanent settlements on El Oleonda when we complete this proposed victorious mission. And I would hope you would pull back forces after a such engagement where they do not belong, and I assure we would do the same if in your territories. The 'sphere of influence' seems preposterous. There is no "influence.' It is Oleon and her colonies and territories. I would say the same for any settlements you have elsewhere. That being said, I appreciate you and your Crown recognizing the legitimacy." At that moment, the doors to the room opened. Emile Perrault entered, practically dragging a quite angry looking, tied up soldier that came to the delegation. Emile proclaimed "I present to you, Hugo Mollet." Emile then went up to Lord Spud and produced a Lotii dagger. "This man, Hugo Mollet, is one of our men. Well, used to be." "How dare you work with these corries?" Mollet spat. "After Terraversa?" Emile ignored him. "He turned to the Lotii, or they found him. Eitherway, he was trying to kill you, Lord Spud. He himself killed our quartermaster a few hours ago in an attempt to keep our meeting break down. Perhaps he thought turning to the Lotii was an acceptable way to keep Oleon proud against you." Emile pushed Mollet to Lord Spud. "As an effort of goodwill, I turn him over to you. Do what you may." Duke Robert swallowed hard. "Well this is all news to us. So, it seems like the Lotii are trying to influence nations and cause us to break out into war so they can easily pick up the broken pieces. It seems that the only way to continue forward is for us to work together to crush the Lotii and show them the power of Oleon and Corrington. "As we continue with this, we are willing to grant your so called "sphere of influence" for the Corlander settlements. As you are asking for the ability to position your military on our lands, I can only ask in response we do the same, and possibly on ships as well. If we are to work jointly, then let us do so."

OOC: Full response to come shortly.

Let's spread the love! Free drinks at the cafe corner! Vote: Chez Albert (Zepher)

"I met this guy once. Totally drugged out of his mind. Was telling crazy stories about some massive battle for the end of the world. There was a dragon. Oh yeah I had to defend him in court. That was fun."

There's the theory day 1 no lynches hurt the town. In a small game like this, I would tend to disagree.

I agree! These mafiosos have no right to mess with our streets!

Nice busy scene!

WOW! That is a massive monastery. Those trees are stunning.

"Well, I tried," Varen replies to the woman. He then returns to the group. "Alright, I got some clues. Simon the head pilot got in an argument with Illbery, the captain. Not sure what, but it seemed like over something dangerous and risks to get going from the top. Simon wasn't too keen on Ilbery's directions apparently." Varen pauses. "Wait, I came in and stated everything you guys know."

Fantastic work you two! Love the letter written.

"Hmm, alright then." Varen said as the authorities came in. Clearly didn't have much time. "You sure you didn't heart anything? Would some credits jog your memory?" He asks using Persuasion atteempt. "Either way, I'll let you know what I find in the end."

"About two months since the ship, and crew, have gone missing. So Ilbery was feeling the heat and wanted to try something risky? Got it. Did he say anything else specifically to you?"

Howdy everyone!

A small ship to transport some cargo. I'm going to be honest, I h ate building small ships, just because I don't know what to do/how to design them.

"HMS Valencia. Good gig for the people on it, I'm sure."

"Hey, I get it," Varen says as he takes another swig from his flask "Yeah, came by here not too long ago, the ship. It's gone missing. I know I'm being a bit forward, but if you had any knowledge, i'd look great in front of my crew." Varen flashes a smile.

Thanks! I have a lot of respect for people who build smaller ships alot, but I find it so difficult. Bigger warships seem easier to me. Yeah, I've got more experience with recreating bigger ships, be it official sets or following Captain Greenhair's guide. I never owned one of the smaller ships, LEGO released, so I'll definitely look at those instructions for inspiration next time.

I like how Zepher is still using the avatar for the character I gave him in a mafia game.

Congrats winners!

"It's only whiskey," Varen replies as he takes a sip. To the bartender he says "I'd say the usual, but I've never been here before." He flashes a smile. "What do you recommend?" He looks back to the woman and extends a hand. "Varen. Former lawyer. Find yourself in a pinch, I can get you out of it. Anyway, I'm looking for something. You have any details on a missing freighter?"