NationStates Jolt Archive

Blue eyes stared out into the gloomy landscape surrounding the great architecture that sat atop of the hill. To the south, the forest marking the elven realm could be seen as it framed the River Aria. A flash of lightning illuminated the dark grey skies, the bolt striking the plains to the southeast. Sigrun closed his eyes in instinctual response, before looking back out at the lands. He looked down at the city that surrounded the ancient castle that sat upon the hill. He looked to the Northeast, stepping out into the rain from under the covering. There, he could see patches of sunlight blanketing the earth in warm delight. Farmers could be seen tilling their fields, and beyond them sat the great mountains of the north and west. The same mountains where the dragons and their kin lived.

Rain beat against his face as he watched the farmers work, tending to their crops, laboring over their daily lives. Hard labor was appreciated much in Tarlachia, and wasn't looked down upon by others as could often be found outside Tarlachia. Feeling the passing of soft, rich soil between the fingers after spending a day turning and planting a field was seen as a reward to the farmers. It was a confirmation that their hard work would benefit both them and the markets.

He breathed the air in deeply, savoring the moisture that saturated the air. Water was a blessing unto farmers, for obvious reasons. He looked to the west, to gaze upon the barely distinguishable outline of another city, one reknown for its technological centeredness. It was a city built by the humans of Tarlachia, a city that prided itself with computers, vehicles, and even boasted of a decent market for military technology.

Each of the races of Tarlachia had their own abilities and advancements they brought to the national table. Each specialized in something that benefited the nation as a whole.

The sun broke through the clouds, victoriously as it beamed unto the plains, just outside of the hill-city. A rainbow shifted into view, powerful in its colors, and illuminating each raindrop that now misted to earth.

Sigrun smiled as he saw this... It was seen by his people as a sign of good things to come. It was appropriate, for within the next day or so, he expected to meet personally with representatives from the Resurgent Dream. It was to be a simple meeting, meant to be semi-formal, a forging of ties between two great and respected nations. He only hoped it would go as well as the initial communnications over the fireline had gone.

Sigrun closed his eyes and focused on the sound of each raindrop as it pattered softly to the ground near him. It was a relaxing orchestra, full of many notes that soothed his soul. Finally, he turned and re-entered the castle.

"Keep the doors open. I like the music of the rain." he commanded the door servants.

(OOC: fireline is the Tarlachian term for "encrypted lines, often used for international communes")

Xanendithas Strifeminer sat in the dropship as it lowered over Tarlachia.The Troll quietly studied the reports he had on Tarlachia as he prepared to greet local officials. As the dropship entered Tarlachian airspace, the requested landing instructions.

The transmission was shot back to the dropship.

Please establish a vector flight of 0-2-6. You are being directed to the spaceport, located about a half day from the capital city. We apologize for the inconvienience of distance, but we have established several representatives to meet you upon arrival. They shall provide transportation to the capital. Welcome to Tarlachia.

Several minutes later, a servant approached Sigrun and informed him that the Resurgent's dropship had arrived in Tarlachian airspace.

"Good. You know what to do." he replied, turning away to continue perusing a few documents that had come to his attention. He pulled out a feather pen and signed the bottom, handing it to another servant who immediately took it and ran off to deliver the document to the author.

The dropship settled down, the door opening. Xanendithas Strifeminer stepped from the ship, a tall, blue man, nine-feet in height. He was dressed in formal silks as he inclined his head to the escorts sent to greet him, smiling broadly. "Hello. I am Xanendithas Strifeminer, here to represent the Danaan High Kingdom to your people."

The burly Rahun man smiled a greeting, keeping his eyes on the arriving delegates. He was dressed appropriately for the ocassion, in a three piece suit, obviously expensive, and well cared hygeine.

"Welcome to Tarlachia. If you'll follow me."

Soon, they approached a single deck, where two elves stood at attention. They wore elegant yet simple clothing that bore the emblem of Tarlachia upon the front left breast.

The two elves bowed respectfully and turned toward each other. They rose their hands up, one lowered, the other higher, palms facing inward. They angled them toward the other elf slightly, as if they were holding a round object between them. Sure enough, a circular thread of green substance spiraled before them and solidified as it grew to the appropriate height and width to allow the passage of the guests.

The Raxhun explained, "This will the be the swiftest measure of travel to the capital."

He stepped through the portal, as if he were simply walking through a doorway. On the other side, he appeared, just inside the main entrance to the castle.

Before him, Sigrun and his council stood, their arms behind their backs, smiling pleasantly.

"Welcome to Tarlachia! I assume your travel was without trouble?" Sigrun greeted, his blue eyes alight with kindness.

Strifeminer nodded to the Elf. "Of course." The Troll followed the much smaller being with long strides, walking through the portal almost as casually as his host did.

When he came before the council, Strifeminer bowed deeply. "It is my honor to be here, Your Majesty. The trip was quite pleasant."

Sigrun turned and led them along into the castle. They passed by great arches, leading to different rooms. Often, a servant or two could be seen scurrying about, tending to their matters. Sigrun led the guests to a private room, the double doors held open by servants. The ceilings were high and the architecture was old, regal. It had been built in the early middle ages, and had been the location of many different international events, as well as the typical intranational events.

Sigrun gestured to the chairs that sat around a long table of elven design. It had been built recently, and was the newest addition to the room. He rather liked the intricate details of the elven maidens that were the supporting legs to the chairs.

"Please, sit."

He then realized there was one little issue. The troll was much larger than the chairs allowed.

"My apologies..." he said, as he held his hand out and watched as the chair closest to the troll expanded and grew in size. Finally, it was at correct size. He glanced at the table. That however, was going to be a little difficult, for it would have to support use by both of them.

He sat down, and immediately several pieces of paper spawned from thin air before him. He set these aside and addressed the troll.

"I am pleased to know you would like to set up an embassy within Tarlachia. To tell you the truth, we have lived for almost two thousand years without foreign embassies within our lands, excluding one from Outer Heaven MK II. Even then, they have built their embassy recently."

Sigrun took a breath of air, then continued, "As I understand, there is to be an exchange of sorts, whether it be with agriculture, or technology...am I correct? If so, what would you propose for such an arrangement?"

Strifeminer followed the Elf with his hands clasped behind his back. He had studied Elven culture as part of his diplomatic training, yet Sigrun did not seem an Elf of the same type as those he had studied. The Troll's eyes took in the rather old fashioned castle, feeling almost at home.

Once the chair was enlarged, Strifeminer sat. "Thank you. I was here primarily for an embassy. We are also willing to work out trading arrangements, of course, but a direct trade in goods could hardly be decided between representatives of our respective governments. Our people handle such matters through the private sector."

Sigrun nodded and spoke, "Understandable. We rely more on the private sector ourselves as well. I suggest we just open the markets to each other, and let the "mice run the course" so to speak."

He paused, then asked, "Let's get right down to business. Location. We have a number of available locations for you to establish your embassy, yet, there is also plenty of land that we are willing to give to you to build the embassy for yourselves. A few of the available locations are within this city itself, and there are others inside other cities that are spread throughout Tarlachia. Any location is suitable for security purposes, and have been analyzed for their efficiency in location."

Strifeminer nodded. "What are these different locations?" He asked simply enough.

A paper was handed to Sigrun, and he read the report. It was a recent report from the UN, detailing the safety of each nation in regards to visitors. He smiled and handed the document over to Strifeminer.


UN REPORTS:
Today's United Nations Report
The Safest Nations in Fatal Terrain

The UN ranked nations on a variety of scales, to come up with a general indication of how safe a country is to visit.
__________________________________

Tarlachia is ranked 3rd in the region and 2,904th in the world for Safest Nations.



He spoke, "A little off topic, but this should ease any concerns you have in regards to the safety of your people inside our borders. Security is something we take seriously and enforce it as best as we can. Obviously, the UN has seen this and has greatly ranked Tarlachia high on the charts of the world."

"In regards to your question, allow me to show you the locations rather than describe them...

A portal window opened up to the side and all eyes turned to watch it. Images shifted before them, showing the various locations. Finally, they had been gone through and the wndow shimmered out of view.

"So which would you like?"

(ooc: make it up. I don't really care where you place it.)

Strifeminer shrugged. "I wasn't particularly worried. I did look at your UN report before coming here."

The Troll watched the images display on the screen. His eyes narrowed faintly as he gave each option due consideration. "I'll take the three-story building in the capital, the one with the red brick exterior."

"An excellent choice. That building is situated on several acres, making it easy to defend. You may bring your own troops in to patrol your grounds, and your own staff...this will explain all you need to know about setting up your embassy here."

He pulled out a document and handed it over to Strifeminer.


Rules And Regulations Concerning Embassies In Tarlachia

Arrival/Departure of Foreign Diplomats
The Tarlachian Internal Affairs Office (TIAO) must recieve within twenty four hours, any notice that concerns the transportation of Foreign Nationals from any nation that has an established embassy.

Sovereignty
Embassies are to be considered sovereign to the nations that inhabit the building(s). Tarlachian personnel, civilians, and military individuals are to secure permission with the Ambassador to venture on lands deemed part of the embassy. Outside the marked borders of the embassy, all foreign nationals, except for the Ambassador and up to five members of his/her staff, are subject to Tarlachian law.

Embassy Law Enforcement
Embassies are to provide their own security and law enforcement personnel. Embassies are permitted a small armed force up to thirty (30) people to maintain this. No foreign nationals may carry weapons outside the Embassy compound without a license issued by the TIAO.

Expelling of Foreign Nationals
The TIAO reserves the right to expell any foreign national, including the Ambassador and his staff, for any legitimate reason. These foreign nationals are to be secure in their exportation as well as their baggage until they leave Tarlachian territory. In matters regarding hostile activity between Tarlachia and the foreign government, only the Ambassador is granted diplomatic immunity. All other foreign nationals are subject to Tarlachian law in matters of hostile activity.

Communications
Embassies are granted one (1) station from which they are allowed to send and recieve electronic communication to and from the government of Tarlachia, or foreign governments. Communications through this system may be encrypted or employ any other anti-intrusion measures deemed fitting by Embassy staff. Non-sensitive communications must be sent through public communications routes, or carried in a clearly marked diplomatic pouch of the said Embassy. This diplomatic pouch is granted security from search beyond passive scans. For security and safety reasons, the TIAO requires that pouches be no larger than a briefcase and contain no scanning inhibitors such as, but not limited to lead lining (X-ray scans). Embassy security personnel are granted access to a closed off location to observe these scans and ensure diplomatic documents inside are not wrongly breached by Tarlachian personnel.

Communication with Foreign Nationals charged with crimes
Embassy personnel are granted communications with any foreign national under their name, charged with crimes pertaining to Tarlachian law. In recognition that the charged party is under Tarlachian law, Tarlachian law enforcement personnel/military personnel are to monitor these communications. The TIAO reserves the right to restrict these communications if it believes there is credible evidence to jeopardize the national security of Tarlachia.

Diplomatic vehicles
Each embassy is granted up to five different vehicles of non-military purposes, to be used by embassy personnel. Before the use of said vehicles on either embassy or Tarlachian territory, these vehicles are subject to complete searches by Tarlachian authorities for security purposes. Equipment installed will be identified, and recorded. Equipment installed thereafter must be reported to the TIAO, and demonstrated of their purpose before Tarlachian personnel.

In the event of hostile activity, any vehicle so chartered by the Embassy may be detained by Tarlachian Security for whatever reason. Vehicles will be quarrantined, and personnel will be isolated until further notice. Any hostility of the occupants or by any equipment on the vehicles will be considered a breach of Diplomatic agreements and will authorize Tarlachian personnel to execute appropriate measures to maintain national security.

Transportation of Foreign Nationals
Any foreign national may only depart embassy grounds to directly depart from Tarlachia. For trips remaining inside Tarlachian territory, the Ambassador must gain approval by the TIAO, and the appropriate personnel deemed necessary by the TIAO will accompany all foreign nationals cleared for such a trip. Escape from this security will be considered an act of espionage, and except for those with diplomatic immunity (the Ambassador and his 5 members of staff; who will thusly be deported), will subject foreign nationals to Tarlachian law.

In accordance with the rules and regulations established above, the Tarlachian government openly welcomes diplomatic relations with your government. In return, Tarlachian foreign nationals are to be subject to the rules and regulations established (upon agreement) by your government, in regards to our embassy within your borders.

Arleni Greenwood
Foreign Minister; Prime Minister
The United Realms of Tarlachia

Strifeminer arched a brow ever so faintly at Sigrun's comment. "Your Majesty, is there a reason defensibility of the embassy structure should be an issue of any particular pertinence?"

He looked over the terms with a nod. "Quite acceptable. They are very similar to the terms which prevail for embassies in Iuthia, with which we already have relations."

OOC: Damn, you figured out where I modeled it from :P Hope Iuthia doesn't mind...he DID have a damn good example...
IC:
Sigrun shook his head, "No reason beyond our emphasis of security. Our people like knowing that their children can play out in the streets and not worry about violence..."

As he heard Strifeminer's acceptance, he smiled, "Wonderful! Then it is settled. Now what are your requirements in regards to our embassy?"

Strifeminer shook his head slightly. "We don't have any regimen like that. Diplomatic immunity, extraterritoriality, we reserve the right to expell the embassy."

*bump*

Sigrun nodded understandingly, "Very well then. That sounds reasonable. Anything else you'd like to discuss?"

He glanced out the window to the horizon, noting the position of the sunlight. It would be hours until dark, hours until Tarlachia was ruled by the forces of the night.

In a strange sense, it seemed that the whole of Tarlachia never slept...

Strifeminer sat back, folding his hands in front of him. "The other thing to come to mind is the travel of citizens over the borders. What arrangement would you prefer there? What is your government's policy on the issuing of tourist visas, work permits, resident alien status and things of that nature?"

The Troll glanced up briefly before looking back to Sigrun. This whole country was so fascinating, so different from anywhere else he'd ever been. "In the Danaan High Kingdom, recent security concerns about terrorism have forced us to tighten down on our borders to a certain extent. However, it is still our policy to welcome law-abiding, peaceful people of all sorts to the greatest extent consistent with our own national security. The law of hospitality is one of our oldest laws."

"As you know, security is a big issue here in Tarlachia, but like you, we also abide by hospitality mandates. As for the documents you had spoken of, I'm sure we can arrange a system between each other that is suitable to both. I only ask one thing, and that is for your citizens to abide by Tarlachian laws and rules. Other than that, they are free to do as they wish, so long as they do not threaten the security of the nation."

Sigrun turned his attention back to the door as a servant knocked politely and waited for his beckon. He was handed a paper, which he read quickly. He wrote a few sentences on the paper and handed it back. He looked back to Strifeminer and apologized, "My apologies for that little interruption. Some things pass through our government that usually require my immediate attention... that right there was an inquiry as to a farming issue regarding trade with some of our neighbors. I instructed them to bring it to me immediately, as I know our farmers are in need of some outside markets. A lessening of some regulations, they requested."

He held a hand up, "My apologies once more. I am babbling. If I may ask, what exactly about the terrorism is giving you the most grief? Perhaps we might be able to offer a remedy for that."

*bump*

Strifeminer arched a brow slightly, watching the man. "Of course." He seemed slightly surprised.

After awhile, he responded to the question. "No specific material help. There's no specific material aid we could use against terrorism at present."

Sigrun pressed further, "Are you sure? Even if its not material methods of keeping terrorism at bay, we do have other methods that might interest you. For example, here in Turath, I have instructed my brethren to set up arcane shields to protect against such attacks."

He leaned back a little, "Perhaps we might be able to send some of our security specialists to evaluate your security, and help you fill in the holes?"

Strifeminer frowned, slightly offended. "No thank you, Your Majesty." he repeated, in a firmer tone this time.

Sigrun relaxed his slightly agressive prompts and took a breath. "Very well then. Is there anything else you wish to discuss? If not, then may I be the first to welcome this new agreement, and may it bless us until the end of times with prosperity and good will!"

Strifeminer nodded, extending a hand to the Elf. "It is our pleasure, of course." He graped the other man's wrist and shook firmly.

FIN