NationStates Jolt Archive

It was an overcast day in the Valerian capital of Isangrad today. The River Vedus occassionally glinted once the sun poked out through the clouds from atop the hills of the eastern bank, the Old City (or sometimes, just The City). The historical part of Isangrad, capital to all Valerian emperors and kings of era long gone, was bustling with its flats, row houses, imperially-funded parks, monuments, cathedrals, palaces, and the occassional industrial-era building or tower. The old city and its pre-modern era charm is overshadowed by the stories upon stories of New Isangrad, across the west bank. The 108-story Almaz Tower is the tallest skyscraper of the city and the empire, although it is soon to be outdone by either the Valeririjk Tower under construction in Isangrad or the Delphinos Tower in Alexandria, the empire's second city. Connecting these two different sectors of the city is the Tsar George brigde, which is a modern suspension bridge that also allows access to the Tsar's Dome Stadium on an islet in the middle of the large river.

Iohannes Acutinius Veritas was a high-ranking diplomat. He drove down the wide Ivanna Boulevard, a tree-lined street that had the occassional fountain or statue at its major intersections and was the street that found many miniseries located on it; after all, it was near the Imperial Palace. He drove his Timorro '48 Esmeralda up to a small government office crammed in between two rows of flats and in the shadow of a large oak tree. The Ministry of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs was trying to expand its operations and attempt to gain more diplomatic contacts outside its region. One way of doing that was trying to get nobles and noblewomen to consider "going international" - marrying outside of The Valerian Empire and hopefully its region. One such person was Akulina Krasnova, who went to Daehanjeiguk. Another was Evdokia Yukalinina. A daughter of a Valerian noble house, the Yukalinins of the Green Marche of Valeria provice, the Yukalinins are definitely owners of some influence and wealthy. Evdokia was the eldest daughter and stands to inherit a portion of her family's fortune, although not as much as her brothers.

Yukalinina was hoping to find a suitable, and Slavic, marriage parter. Her father wants her to search outside of The Valerian Empire, due to his awkward and unfounded fear of 'inbred' descendants. Yukalinina already traveled to Godunovia to the north of the continent, but came back without any possible suitors. She also came to comment the denizens of Godunovia as "slobs and uncivilized folk". That is where Mr. Acutinius Veritas comes in.

Iohannes Acutinius Veritas was the descendant of Latin immigrants from Latinium. In 1952, The Empire of Latinium, a medium-sized continent, suffered a violent armed revolution when the Plebians, starved from bad wages, famine, and exploitation by capitalists, rose up and attacked government stores of grain and goods. Emperor Rufus XVII, the young ruler, tried to react in time by offering them alms and support, but Plebians soon stormed the palace and dethroned him. He was dragged out and torn to pieces by the mob, and died when an old woman lobbed a brick at his head. Considered executed, the mob soon shot and executed Rufus's wife and two infant children. Rufus's brother, Angelus, fled on a boat along with several hundred of supporters. They ended up in the Valerian Empire soon after Lucius Cornelius Sempronius Victor proclaimed himself Tribune of the Latin Plebian Republic, or The Latin Soviet. This started a chain reaction in many ways, spreading the Revolution to neighboring Oranjefoort in 1953 and Mayapan in 1954 (along with much unrest in other Gedonian countries); for Latins, many began fleeing to The Valerian Empire, the staunchest and most powerful monarchy in the region. A large community of emigres and their many descendants emerged in the Valerian province of Victoriana, which had been mostly unsettled but rich, pristine, and beautiful land. Many new towns and cities were founded and several million Latins (6 million) now live in that Valerian province, forming the majority of its population, with 735,000 living elsewhere in the empire; Acutinius Veritas's family settled in Isangrad to work in the steel mills. Although Angelus took the exiled Latinian family elsewhere, he was crowned as Emperor In Exile Angelus VI in Alexandria before settling in the Kingdom of Targovista to the north of the Valerian Empire.

With his family's savings, Acutinius Veritas was able to go to college and is now a top diplomat and well-paid for his services. He now had control of this somewhat cramped but nice office building, four stories tall; the new banner of The Valerian Empire flew outside of it, with the double-headed eagle and the green, blue, and white stripes, replacing the old white Cross of Saint George on a royal blue field with a large double-headed eagle placed upon it. The Ministry was buying random old office buildings around Old Isangrad because it did not want to relocate across the river and wanted to stay near the Imperial Palace. Veritas was fine with this, and soon his office will operate with other ministers. Veritas was to try and establish relations with Neo-Ixania, and he was going to chaperon Yukalinina as part of a diplomatic mission. After all, from what limited diplomatic files the Valerian Empire had on Neo-Ixania, they knew it was a Slavic country. Whether if it were Orthodox, Protestant, or the Schismatic Heathen Catholics remained to be seen. Either way, Acutinius Veritas sent a message to the authorities of Neo-Ixania:

To Whom it May Concern,

My liege, His Imperial Majesty Aytokratorik Ivan V has requested that diplomatic relations between our two nations be established and has granted me the task of arranging a diplomatic meeting between our two peoples. I ask upon thee that I may come to Neo-Ixania with another special guest to open relations between us.

Please respond and we shall travel.

Regards,
Iohannes Acutinius Veritas
Diplomat in service of the Ministry of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs

OOC: Just some background on the Valerian Empire and the region it is in.

The Ixanian Empire had long been known for its willingness to make friends despite ideological and religious differences among many other unique aspects of the land that made it famous worldwide. It had many allies all over the world and friends continued to be made with every day that passed. Her Majesty's Government had the support of the vast majority of the population and everyone felt content. The government had begun plans in recent times to open relations with the Valerian Empire which had caught their interest for a while now; it was decided that a German diplomat by the name of Albert Kranz would be meeting the Valerian delegation. The son of wealthy Germans, Peter Kranz hoped to make a good impression on the Valerians with his tuxedo and his charming nature. He was a hard working man and was going to be put to use. He knew that the letter from the Valerians had been not only recieved but also replied to by Her Majesty's Government and thus he was told to wait until the Valerians arrived to make his move. While he waited for news of their arrival, Peter contemplated the meeting ahead and hoped that he would not mess up since, if he did, who knows what could happen?

Mr. Veritas,

Her Majesty's Government is more than willing to arrange the opening of diplomatic relations between our two empires and we welcome you to open arms to our beloved nation. Mr. Peter Kranz shall meet you in our capital city of Tzargrad to discuss relations. We eagerly look forward to your arrival.

Signed,
Ivan Rucinsky,
Foreign Minister

bumped.

Iohannes Acutinius Veritas was accustoming himself to the new diplomatic office under his supervision. He looked from the window of his 4th story office out towards the River Vedus and the varied brick buildings of Old Isangrad. A secretary entered his office through the large cherrywood door entrance and caught his attention from daydreaming and looking out to the city.

"Sir, I have a response from Neo-Ixania about that communique that you had sent to them earlier," she said with a bow, "I believe it is quite good news."

Veritas walked towards her and smiled. "Thank you for the news," he replied, "could I have the letter in question?"

The secretary nodded and silently handed over the letter to him, and she left the room quietly as she had came. Veritas opened the letter and read it, a grin emerging on his face as soon as he put it down. "Well, it looks like we have a new friend in the works. We have to get to Tzargrad as soon as we can!" Veritas thought, "I need to get Mistress Yukalinina ready right away!" Veritas got on the phone with one of his secretaries and had them inform Yukalinina about the diplomatic meeting and the possibility for her to head over to Neo-Ixania and look for a suitable husband.

Evdokia Yukalinina sat calmly on a fountain's berth at the center of a plaza not too far from Veritas's office. A lady-in-waiting and a couple of her personal bodyguards attended to her and her Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Kartoshka. She fanned herself with a very expensive fan as she watched people pass by in this busy plaza (but where is Isangrad not busy?). Veritas and a couple of assistants approached her.

"Mistress Yukalinina?" Veritas questioned.

"Yes, that would be me!" Yukalinina answered.

"The Ixanians have accepted our request to be a delegation to the country. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. I think I have done all of my shopping to prepare for this trip. Let us depart. Lead the way!"

The delegation headed to Isangrad Imperial International Airport to head to Ixania.

-----

After several hours of flight, a jet-lagged Yukalinina and a physically fine Veritas emerged from a plane and their entourage followed suit. The group approached the nearest airport official and tried to grab their attention. They needed to signify that they had finally arrived in Tzargrad.

"Greetings," Veritas announced, "we are the delegation from The Valerian Empire. Could your diplomatic ministry be informed of such news?"

The airport official simply pointed to the nearby motorcade. "Those guys are waiting to take you to the Foreign Ministry's headquarters so I suggest you talk to them instead of me."

A bunch of Ixanian diplomats took the Valerians after brief welcomes into the motorcade which immediately sped off towards the massive headquarters of the Foreign Ministry where Rucinsky was waiting for Veritas. He did not know that Yukalinina had been accompanying him and thus would be surprised to see her although he would not have minded it since he did remember having his wife visit him at work once. The motorcade went through the somewhat crowded streets and eventually got to the headquarters. Veritas and his lady friend were led straight to the office of the Foreign Minister amidst the very busy and hard working diplomats and secretaries running rampant around them. Rucinsky was in his office at the time with his hands on some new pictures of his family that he had taken. When he caught a glimpse of his guests, he offered them seats and welcomed them to Ixania. He shook the hand of his Valerian counterpart but then gazed with a surprised look at Yukalinina. "I did not expect the arrival of such a pretty girl but you are most welcome to stay; you must be part of the Valerian delegation."

Rucinsky got back into his seat and smiled at his guests while putting away non related items and the like. "Shall we begin? I think I will let you, Veritas, begin our meeting. What does the Valerian Empire seek with us Ixanians? I assume we can discuss an embassy exchange and trade first of all?"

bumped.

When the airport official pointed out the obvious motorcade to Minister Veritas, the minister bowed and replied, "Thank you very much sir." Lady Yukalinina looked a little pale and moaned about a headache, to which her accompanying lady-in-waiting offered an aspirin tablet. The small but colorful and influential Valerian delegation headed towards the motorcade, where they were whisked away by Ixanian attendants and diplomats.

After many greetings, the delegation was taken to the large and impressive Foreign Ministry of Neo-Ixania. While Yukalinina dozed off during the ride, Veritas remained awake and alert, taking in the sights of the foreign land and making a note to himself. Perhaps this would be a good ally of the Valerian Empire. The motorcade weaved its way around Tzargrad until it reached its destination. Soon the Valerian delegation met Rucinsky face-to-fate. Veritas bowed and greeted himself, with the half-awoken Yukalinina and her gaping mouth poised in an uncharacteristic, uncharming yawn.

"Greetings, Sir Rucinsky," Veritas spoke, "this lovely lady is Mistress Yukalinina, and she is a little tired from our journey. But she has come this far for certain reasons and thus has joined this delegation."

Yukalinina curtsied and smiled, quickly wakening herself and trying to make herself more charming, despite the jet lag.

"But we will discuss that later. For now, let us discuss diplomacy and the basics. We, on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, Aytokratorik Ivan V, would like to open relations between The Valerian Empire and The Empire of Neo-Ixania. We offer the friendliest of greetings to a fellow monarchy and, assumably, fellow Slavic nation. We Valerians, however, do have many denizens who aren't Slavic, but are proud Valerians nonetheless... well, except maybe the Germans, but that is a different story! I, for one, am not Slavic, but a Latin, Deo Gratius*. Well, I digress. The Valerian Empire is very mercantilistic. Our economy is not completely self-sufficient, but close. We do wish to open trade between our nations, and we offer your nation to establish a foothold in the large Valerian market. In return, we offer our goods - mainly steel, food and agricultural products, minerals, lumber, tropical wood, and some fanciful manufactured goods such as our famous and elegant wood products. An embassy exchange will also be in our interest... What say you, Sir Rucinsky?"

Veritas hoped that his flurry of words did not confuse Rucinsky; he had been known to get quite excited over diplomacy.

OOC:
* Latin for By the Grace of God in male gender, if you're wondering (at least I hope I got it correct :p); female would be Dea Gratia.

After many greetings, the delegation was taken to the large and impressive Foreign Ministry of Neo-Ixania. While Yukalinina dozed off during the ride, Veritas remained awake and alert, taking in the sights of the foreign land and making a note to himself. Perhaps this would be a good ally of the Valerian Empire. The motorcade weaved its way around Tzargrad until it reached its destination. Soon the Valerian delegation met Rucinsky face-to-fate. Veritas bowed and greeted himself, with the half-awoken Yukalinina and her gaping mouth poised in an uncharacteristic, uncharming yawn.

Rucinsky smiled when he noticed Yukalinia's yawn and just assumed she happened to be tired from the journey and thus he didn't say anything more about it but rather focused his attentions on making both of them feel content with being in his office.

"Greetings, Sir Rucinsky," Veritas spoke, "this lovely lady is Mistress Yukalinina, and she is a little tired from our journey. But she has come this far for certain reasons and thus has joined this delegation."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Veritas, but I did not expect to see this lovely woman with you...I'd like to know about why she is here once we are finished with our discussions. It's not every day a diplomat brings a woman to a meeting save if she's the secretary or what have you but I don't mind her presence. I have a woman of my own back home."

"But we will discuss that later. For now, let us discuss diplomacy and the basics. We, on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, Aytokratorik Ivan V, would like to open relations between The Valerian Empire and The Empire of Neo-Ixania. We offer the friendliest of greetings to a fellow monarchy and, assumably, fellow Slavic nation. We Valerians, however, do have many denizens who aren't Slavic, but are proud Valerians nonetheless... well, except maybe the Germans, but that is a different story! I, for one, am not Slavic, but a Latin, Deo Gratius*. Well, I digress. The Valerian Empire is very mercantilistic. Our economy is not completely self-sufficient, but close. We do wish to open trade between our nations, and we offer your nation to establish a foothold in the large Valerian market. In return, we offer our goods - mainly steel, food and agricultural products, minerals, lumber, tropical wood, and some fanciful manufactured goods such as our famous and elegant wood products. An embassy exchange will also be in our interest... What say you, Sir Rucinsky?"

Rucinsky smiled. "The Ixanian people aren't Slavic per se although many of the Empire's people are either Russians such as myself or Germans such as the mother of the current Empress. I can tell you that our nation is quite well when it comes to economic matters and we have many goods such as silk, diamonds, and precious minerals. The Karasov Soda Sales Company, a family owned company in the soda sales industry, could open up branches in the Valerian Empire should you permit it. I think the Ixanian Empire would be interested in most of the goods you have mentioned such as those "elegant wood products" and an embassy exchange is definately in our interest. Shall we write up a treaty and discuss who will be sent to the embassies as ambassadors? If you have any questions, don't feel worried about asking me. Just ask and you shall recieve an answer from me."

Rucinsky smiled at Yukalinia and then looked back to Veritas. "I hope everything is in order?"

Das bump!

bumped

I think I have the bumps.

Bumped!!!!

OOC:

lawl. Sorry about the wait. I was busy this week.

IC:

Veritas bowed to Rucinsky and added in after Rucinsky mentioned Yukalinina. "Mistress Yukalinina is my guest of honour. She is here to find a husband... but that will come later." Veritas then pondered over what Rucinsky mentioned about the various products and services available for trade in the Ixanian Empire and the Valerian Empire. Soda Sales..? Perhaps they will have a foothold against Old Father Ivan's Anise-flavored Soda, but Valerians could appreciate some foreign goods and a taste of what's in other parts of the world.

"Forgive me on mistakenly labeling Ixania as a Slavic nation. It is nice to see a nation with diversity, much like ours," Veritas began, "and we are indeed interested in opening business relations. The Karasov Soda Sales Company will be a welcome addition to the various drinks that quench the Empire's thirst! And, as elegant wood products go, there are several corporations that produce luxury goods, doors, furniture, and the like from all sorts of wood with the utmost quality in terms of craftsmanship. There are, of course, a whole other wealth of products and services provided by our empire, such as sports cars, chemicals, ship building companies, and construction and contracting companies. Let us come up with a treaty and decide upon embassy ambassadors. I already have someone in mind for our chief representative..."

Yukalinina approached and tapped Veritas on the shoulder.

"HELLO?" she said in a startlingly rude manner, "aren't you forgetting someone?"

Veritas blankly stared at her and then immediately came behind Yukalinina and nudged her forward.

"Ahh yes... as I mentioned a little earlier, Mistress Yukalinina is here to search for a husband," Veritas started, "and she requests your audience, if that were to be no trouble."

OOC:

lawl. Sorry about the wait. I was busy this week.

IC:

Veritas bowed to Rucinsky and added in after Rucinsky mentioned Yukalinina. "Mistress Yukalinina is my guest of honour. She is here to find a husband... but that will come later." Veritas then pondered over what Rucinsky mentioned about the various products and services available for trade in the Ixanian Empire and the Valerian Empire. Soda Sales..? Perhaps they will have a foothold against Old Father Ivan's Anise-flavored Soda, but Valerians could appreciate some foreign goods and a taste of what's in other parts of the world.

"Forgive me on mistakenly labeling Ixania as a Slavic nation. It is nice to see a nation with diversity, much like ours," Veritas began, "and we are indeed interested in opening business relations. The Karasov Soda Sales Company will be a welcome addition to the various drinks that quench the Empire's thirst! And, as elegant wood products go, there are several corporations that produce luxury goods, doors, furniture, and the like from all sorts of wood with the utmost quality in terms of craftsmanship. There are, of course, a whole other wealth of products and services provided by our empire, such as sports cars, chemicals, ship building companies, and construction and contracting companies. Let us come up with a treaty and decide upon embassy ambassadors. I already have someone in mind for our chief representative..."

OOC: No problem!

"A husband? That's something I never expected...."

Rucinsky smiled. "....We do have a Slavic community within the confines of our beloved nation with several families of Slavic ancestry such as the Karasovs becoming quite wealthy and influential in the economy and other fields of note. There are a lot of products and goods we can offer the Valerian Empire such as silk and diamonds which would look rather nice around the necks of women such as your lovely companion who I believe will be pleased to hear that we may have a man in mind for her already; if she is willing to be courted by a prince of the Ixanian Empire then I may, in fact, be able to arrange a meeting between the two in the hopes they'll take a liking to each other in prelude to the marriage. As a married man myself, I must say that this is a very important task. We may also contact the Karasov Soda Sales Company and tell them about your nation's willingness to let them expand into your nation. I am sure they will be very pleased. Shall we sign a treaty now or in the near future?"


Yukalinina approached and tapped Veritas on the shoulder.

"HELLO?" she said in a startlingly rude manner, "aren't you forgetting someone?"

Veritas blankly stared at her and then immediately came behind Yukalinina and nudged her forward.

"Ahh yes... as I mentioned a little earlier, Mistress Yukalinina is here to search for a husband," Veritas started, "and she requests your audience, if that were to be no trouble."

Rucinsky smiled.

"....Mistress Yukalinina will be able to find a husband within our nation without any problems and I believe that it would not be any trouble for me to give her an audience; would she want you to not be here, though, during it?"

Rucinsky looked at the Mistress and smiled. "...Shall we begin our discussion? I must say I never expected to be helping find a woman a husband but I'm sure I can manage it all well."

bumped.

bumped yet again. :D

Bumped.

This thread is dead, I guess.