NationStates Jolt Archive

Sisgardia was not a gigantic region with myriads of nations and so Tarasovka, throughout its history, had a habit of maintaining rather close relations with most of the nations dwelling in it. That fact was always seen as a striking contrast to its skepticism of the outside world in general. However, sometimes things were below expectations, such as the case with the Republic of Istolinath.

The State, standing on grounds ceded by Taurenor, had been largely ignored by the Ruling Council as they concentrated on rooting out the various armed grounds that had a hobby of shooting each other. Not that they succeeded at that task anyway, so maybe it was for the best that they never had the time to do a lot of international diplomacy. Yet, now that the Grand Duchy and stability were back, it was time to change the situation.

Mikhail smiled at the thoughts and, giving a last glance at the Great Gardens from the balcony of his office at the Palace, went back to his desk. On it lay a quill and a parchment fitted with the coat of arms of the Ruling dynasty, on which the Grand Duke immediately wrote a formal invitation…

Grand Duke of all Taraskovya
Vigvar Winter Palace

Consul Vailphi Zauaphin,
Republic of Istolinath


Your Excellency,

The Grand Duchy and the Republic are both part of the fair Sisgardian community, yet it would seem that my predecessors of the Ruling Council failed to establish any form of ties between our two States. It is, thus, to remedy to this regrettable situation that I personally invite Your Excellency for a visit to Vigvar, at the date that suits Your Excellency the best.

I shall be looking forward to receiving a response from Your Excellency and, potentially in the future, to greet Your Excellency in Vigvar.


May the Gods you pray to watch over you,
Grand Duke Mikhail II of all Taraskovya

The Grand Duke took a wax candle which he melted over the paper, until it had enough wax on it for him to impose his seal. The letter was then put into an exquisite envelope and handed to a special Courier, a trusted person that would carry the letter to its destination. Of course, considering communications technology, it would have been much faster to issue a secured transmission, but the Taraskovyans were keen to preserve their traditions and abide by the ways of their ancestors.

This could quite possibly be called a golden age for Istolinath. They had endured the worst, and were now enjoying the benefits of quiet fronts on all sides. To say Istolinath had been prospering would be an understatement. Their only concern was the fact that Taurenor was keeping a close eye on them. The official reason for this was harmless enough; some of the elves did not wish to leave the land that Taurenor ceded to the drow that are now known as Istolinathians, so Taurenor appeared to be concerned for those elven citizens. Of course, the natural distrustful instincts of the drow suspected that monitoring was more than just looking out for the elves immediate safety.

Vailphi Zauaphin, one of the two ruling heads of Istolinath had been relaxing after a long day with the senate when she received the invitation by the Grand Duke of Taraskovya. She was rather taken back by it. In the past, the only contact with foreigners was a few exchanges with some VERITAS members and whatever refugees that would come there way – usually by chance. So to get an invitation from Mikhail II was something of a surprise. Without much hesitation, Vailphi decided to reply.

To: Grand Duke Mikhail II of all Taraskovya
From: Consul Vailphi Zauaphin of the Istolinathian Republic


To receive a letter out of the blue like this was most definitely a surprise, and a welcome one at that. Perhaps I am partly to blame as well as your predecessors for the lack of contact between our two grand nations. This would be something I would very much like to remedy. Regretfully, I cannot up and leave immediately as much as I'd love to, but I will squeeze this event in at the earliest opportunity. At this time of writing, I am unsure when that may be, but I am sure I will be able to visit in a month at the latest.

When I am able to confirm a date when I can visit, I will send you another message along with all the appropriate literary material relevant to my arrival. There are some customs that the rest of the Senate insist are done and it would be courteous of me to let you know in advance what to expect.

Xal ssinssrigg mrigg dos seke.
(May love guide you true.)

Vigvar International Aerospace Port,
Northern Vigvar Plateau

Both the Southern Vigvar Plateau, upon which the Capital City stood, and the Northern one, home to the gigantic Aerospace Port as well as various industrial and military installations, were situated at a good kilometre height above sea level. The two parts of the Plateau were separated by the Sword Gulf, from which the wind blew in autumn and winter, bringing cold temperatures to the region.

That day, however, came to be sunny and wind blew only moderately, barely enough strength to batter the banners and flags and cloaks of the Alexander Guards that stood waiting for the foreign plane to come to a halt, forming two lines on each side of the red carpet. In their winter dark blue armours fitted with black fur, their faces hidden behind the masks of their helms, they stood motionless holding their swords, pointing them to the floor. From time to time, the wind appeared eager to play and attempted to make the guards fall, yet they didn’t, simply shifting their arms a little to correct the cloaks that wrapped about their bodies.

The ability to stay still for hours and then immediately dart into attack was proper to the soldiers of the “Silence and Death” battalion of the Alexander Guard Honourary Regiment and made the Grand Duke grin as he watched over his troops. Despite them being Counts and Dukes, the Guards forgot about their titles and privileges for the duration of their service and were submitted to what those who loved comfortable lives would have never survived. Yet they endured and went into their adult years hardened by their service in the Alexander Guard.

The Grand Duke shifted his eyes from the guards to the dignitaries present on the ground. Ithun Khat, the Foreign Minister, inclined his head respectfully to the Grand Duke to signify that everything was ready. And so did Kiril Radov, the Grand Ducal Chancellor, who was also present at the ceremony. Even if some thought that the post of Chancellor in Tarasovka was secondary, those some often forgot that the Chancellor was responsible for making sure the Government could work efficiently and always disposed of the latest information on anything it needed. Secondary post, indeed.

Of course, apart from the visible group of people, the Governmental Sector of the Aerospace Port (used for special occasions such as this one) comprised numerous security means to prevent anyone or anything to cause any harm to the Taraskovyans or to their guests. Snipers, elite NashSec and Kaskad special operatives, communications security and other people were present, invisible in the background, making sure everything went nicely.

Finally, the Istolinathian jet rolled over to where the Taraskovyans awaited and the welcoming committee got ready to greet the guests of the Grand Duchy.

The door of Vailphi's private jet opened up and Vailphi with her entourage appeared. They each wore a vivid black and purple motif – the colours of House Zauaphin. Including Vailphi, there were five people in total. As they descended the steps, Vailphi was in the middle of the line. As they reached the bottom, the first two down peeled off to join either side of Vailphi, and the two behind her formed up close behind her.

Vailphi's entourage was an unusual mix of characters too. One of them was Vailphi's younger sister Jaranna Zauaphin. She was still an adolescent, and she still looked like a girl and was short compared to Vailphi. Another was a khajiit - a cathay-raht to be precise – called Dorasha. Compared the the ilythiiri he was huge, and he was certainly in incredibly good shape, and could easily stand taller than most humans. The cathay-raht looked like a cross between a human and a jaguar, giving them the nickname of jaguarmen. The last two were ilythiiri, and identical twin sisters. The only difference between them in appearance were the tattoos on their faces. Chessnolu – the older by a matter of minutes – had an soft and elegant design down the left side of her face, whereas Shriraema had a more hostile yet still elegant tattoo down the right side of her face.

As Vailphi approached the Grand Duke, her eyes flitted from person to person around her, as well as absorbing as much of her surroundings as possible. Her keen eyes probably spotted more than her hosts would mean for her to see, but her soft smile masked any reaction she may have had. She was simply looking content with being where she was.

The Istolinathian entourage went through the routine of presenting their arms two-by-two to the Taraskovyan security as per the Istolinathian tradition, a show of peace and good intentions. The entourage hope they do not have to use their weapons, but are ready just in case despite any assurances made by Vailphi's hosts.

“It is good to finally meet you, Your Highness. I am Vailphi of House Zauaphin, and a consul of Istolinath. House Zauaphin is proud to be at the first to be formally initiating contact between the people of Istolinath and Taraskovya, and we hope that peace and prosperity shortly follow this event,” Vailphi introduced herself, bowing her head a little in respect. Her introduction, despite being well practised, sounded natural and off the cuff.

As the guests descended from the aircraft and walked on the carpet, the Alexander Guards on each side of it raised their swords, forming an arch through which the Istolinathians passed. On the other side of the ‘tunnel’ was the Colonel of the Leib-guards. He inclined his head slightly as the guests presented their weapons, notifying that he knew and had no problems with the fact.

In the meantime, the Grand Duke greeted Vailphi with the ancestral Taraskovyan fashion of “Between Earth and Sky I greet You”, smiling a little at her introduction. “And it is a pleasure to welcome you to my realms, Consul Zauaphin. I believe you must have already heard of my Minister of Foreign Affairs, High Count Ithun Khat.”

The young man made a step forward and inclined his head politely to the Istolinathian dignitary. “It is an honour, Consul.”

“I also introduce the Grand Ducal Chancellor, Kiril Radov, without whom the daily running of my Government would not be possible.” Mikhail grinned as the Chancellor inclined his head politely to Vailphi.

“And your entourage has had the pleasure of meeting Duke Kiltharan, commander of the Alexander Guards. A man of valour who shall make sure that your stay in Taraskovya is calm and smooth.” The Grand Duke glanced at the Colonel of the Leib-guards, the latter giving a military salute in Taraskovyan fashion, by clacking the heels and bringing the palm of his right hand to the right side of his forehead.

“Now, I offer that we make way to the transportation and join the Palace before the winds get too strong. Autumn in Vigvar is quite cold.” The Taraskovyan ruler smiled as he invited Vailphi to follow him.