NationStates Jolt Archive

the ooc thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=505139)

how i spent my points:

regular line infantry (musket and bayonet): 2
elite greandiers (rifle and sword-bayonet. grenades) : 11
regular light infantry (musket and bayonet): 3
veteran cossacks (some combination of lances, pistols, sabers and various odditys) : 4 points
veteran Lancers (lance, saber, carbine, superior mounts) 9
elite heavy dragoons ( saber, carbine, curras) 15
elite 12 pdr foot artillary 12
over all conscripted naval personal -3
food: small surplus 2
superior foundrys 3
superior gunsmiths 5
standardised amunition 3
some coal. 2
some iron. 2
gunpowder 3
silver. some 2
small navy -15

the way i'm going to run it, my navy is a bit on the obsolete side, small in number, made up of ships i bought off other people (which thus don't match up very well in terms of standardisation or anything else) with crew who haven't really had much experiance. about the only thing it's good for is escorting traders, and i have no capacity to replace it myself. most of the officers resent being in the navy. you get the idea.

my economy's togeather enough to keep ticking over, mostly... but it's nothing compaired to incognitia's juggernaught !

on the other hand, check out the army: artillary who's canister outranges musket fire. grenadiers who can shoot accuratly from further away still. armored dragoons. [they can dismount and fight as infantry, or function as heavy cav] lancers capable of volly fire. the ever manouverable cossack type cavalry.

my army kicks holes in things !

for territory i have claimed the scottish lands

actual fact book in the next post.

name: kingdom of Angermanland
short name: Angermanland
adjective: angerman
ruler : King Zebadiah of Angermanland.
capital: Norcar

geography:

Angermanland is a constitutional monarchy in the north of the world.

the capital city of Norcar, centered around the king's palace, the university of Norcar, and the protestant 'Cathedral of Light' is the major hub of all things political and administrative. it is located in the central highlands [about where RL Dalwhinnie is. check your atlas :)]

there are three other citys, all centered around universitys:
Phomente, on the eastern coast [Aburdeen, roughly]
Hyphakos, on the western coast, [RL Irvine ish, if i'm reading the map right] which is also a major trade hub.
Sutmarcold with it's silver mines, just on the angerman side of the junction between the two nations on it's southern border. [about RL langholm. look it up in the atlas if you don't know where it is and need to :)]

all of the cities have fairly significant arms industries, except Sutmarcold, and Norcar contains artillery foundries, as well as having the most ready access to coal and iron.

the various ingredients needed for gunpowder are found in various parts of the country, mostly in the north.

government:

the King and those appointed by him make up the executive. minster for this and that, 'keeper of order' in the house of representatives, military commanders. that kind of thing.

the legislature is made up of a single house of representatives with two hundred seats. one hundred and fifty of the seats are taken by elected representatives of the people of the various counties, with one vote each. forty are taken by the highest ranking nobility with no other posts in either the executive or legislature, who are given two votes each. the final ten are appointed by the king for their expertise and are given three votes each.
the elected members serve 3 year terms between elections. the nobles serve as long as they hold their positions. the appointees serve 5 year terms and cannot hold the position two terms in a row (though there are no limits on how many terms they may serve through out their life)

the judiciary is independent, with the house of representatives proposing several candidates for 'high adjudicator' and the king choosing from amongst them. the high adjudicator then runs the courts etc for a term of five years or until retirement. no single individual may take the role of high adjudicator more than one term in a row, however there are no limits on the total number of terms as high adjudicator an individual may serve. there are 4 layers of civilian court and two of military. civilian courts are: Local, County, National, and Kings Court. the last is used Only as a final court of appeal for those found guilty of a crime with the possibility of capital punishment.
the military courts are the 'courts martial' and the 'Military Court of Law'. the first being as you'd expect, the second being the only court in the kingdom to allow counsels.

law:

guilds, as such, not only do not exist but are illegal.

labor unions (the concept appeared a few years ago) Do exist, but the same union may Not include employees of multiple businesses/holdings. unions may not strike in sympathy with other unions. unions can (and often do) include members of different trades within a single business/holding.

recent reforms have resulted in a situation where the crown owns the nation and thus all the lands it includes, and 'owning land' means to own all the rights to use the land and the resources there on/in for any legal purpose. the land rights may be rented out, but only as a whole, and if they are then subsequently sold the new owner is bound by the terms the original owner and tenant set out and agreed upon for the renting.

the courts function on an inquisitorial system, rather than an adversarial one. the judge [and for some things, jury] have a responsibility to find the truth and act upon it in full accordance with the law.

anyone may bring a legal issue to the attention of the courts, but there is no prosecution or defense. only the court, the witnesses, and the issues.

there are also no lawyers in the role of counsels within the court-rooms, though legal advisers are to be found willing to consult on any number of things Outside the courts or called as witnesses themselves.

inherent in bringing a case to the courts is, of course, the possibility that the results will work against you.

upon reaching a decision regarding what has actually happened, in the event that the law calls for someone to receive a sentence for their crimes, the judge will present the prisoner [guilt has already been determined by this time] with at least two options from the list of legal punishments avaialbe for the crime. the prisoner themselves gets to chose which of the options presented they take.

the exception is rape of an Angerman citizen OR within Angerman borders. [either one will do.] the process for determining guilt is longer and more involved, including multiple judges and a jury. the only available punishment for this is execution. though there is still some choice as to exactly how that will be carried out.

in all cases, there is limited opportunity to appeal to a higher court. if there is a possibility of sentences involving capital punishment becoming necessary, local courts will pass the case up to the county courts.

society:

great stock is put in who one's .... the best word is the Japanese 'sensei'... not quite master, not quite teacher... was or is. master/apprentice systems are still the norm, however compulsory primary school level education has resulted in wide spread literacy and basic mathematical skills, at least among those less than twenty five years of age.

secondary schools are non-existent. everyone apprentices to someone for those years of their life. or joins the army, or both.

universities [most of the major towns/citiess center around one of these] are subsidized by the state, but still somewhat expensive. they take any adult who can pay the fees and pass the entry tests [these used to be basic literacy and mathematical skills, but due to the compulsory primary education, this is no longer sufficient filter, so they have been made a little more complex]

with the exception of the capital and three other chartered 'urban areas', the bulk of Angermanland's population live and work in and around small villages all over the kingdom. associated with each village are a collection of fields.

urban areas are treated by as counties for all intents and purposes except that they are run by mayors and counsels, rather than nobles.

a person is considered an adult, legally allowed to marry and vote, at age 21.

the age of consent is in effect "when you get married"


the state as an entity takes no interest in matters of religion, however the predominant faith amongst the populous is a mostly litteralist form of protestant Christianity.

military bits and bobs:

Angerman infantry uniforms (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/Verghastinsel/Clan%20Ansu/AngerInfantry.jpg)

regular line infantry: 18 battalions [each containing 5 companys of 120 men, at full strength]
Sutmarcold Fusileers
Hyphakos Loyalists
Phomente Defense Battalion
Capital Guard Battalion
1st through 14th National Mix Battalions

elite greandiers: 3 battalions:
Royal Rifled Grenadiers
Kings Own Rifles
Northern Rifles

veteran grenadiers: 3 battalions
Highland Grenadiers
Lowland Grenadiers
Marcland Grenadiers

line grenadiers: 6 battalions
1-6th grenadiers

regular light infantry: 7 battalions
Gold Battalion
Red Battalion
Black Battalion
1st-4th light infantry battalions

veteran cossacks: 8 regiments [each containing 5 squadrons of 120 men, at full strength]
Highland Rangers
Border Guard
Grey Watch
Winter Hights Plunderers
1st-6th light horse

veteran Lancers: 6 regiments
Royal Carabineers
Shaft Breakers
1st Carabiners
1st-3rd lancers

elite heavy dragoons: 3 regiments
Royal Currasiers
King's Hammer
Flying Blues

veteran heavy dragoons: 6 regiments
1st-3rd currasiers
2nd-4th carabiners

elite 12 pdr foot artillary: 3 batterys [each of 16 guns]
Generals' Joy
God's Hammer
Foe's Folly

veteran 12 pdr foot artillary: 6 baterys [each of 16 guns]

Osteian units: 2X 1000 man rifle battalion, 1X 6 gun 12pdr batteries. all in origional uniform.

Weapons:

Idean Rifle:
33 inch barrel, of which the first 25 inches are rifled to make one complete turn in 300 inches. standard robust flintlock fireing mechanisem. 15 inch butt, shaped to allow a man to sight down the barrel comfortably, also comtains a compartment for storing cleaing rags, caps, and other loading/cleaning gear. folding backsight. total length 48 inches. effective military range of 150 yards. accurate up to 200 when used by experianced/skilled men specificly trained for it. the very best of the best of sharp shooters can manage shots accurate enough to hit a man at 300 yards, given time to aim properly and advantagious positioning [though this is not nessicaraly enough to garantee hitting a specific part of the aforementioned man.].

designed to be fitted with a sword-bayonet. designed to acomodate 'tap loading' for more rapid fire in close situations. takes the same .625 calibre amunition as the carbine.

Ratsfield Musket: 40 inch barrel. 15inch butt [the same type as the Idean Rifle]. standard flintlock mechanisem. slot and pin sights . also fitted to take sword bayonets. takes the same .625 calibre amunition as the carbine, resluting in an effective military range of 110 yards [a slight increase over the standard musket]. other effects of this include reduced compatability with enemy equipment and a reudction in supply issues due to standardisation in amunition requirements for longarms..


Komburg Carbine: designed for cavalry use. 20 inch barrel, 12 inch stock, cleaning gear and so on stored in a seperate pouch rather than in the butt. uses standard .625 calibre ammunition. standard fireing mechanisem. hinged 'safty' cover to prevent the hammer comeing down when loaded while riding [allowing the troops to load in advance] (cock gun, fold down cover, lower hammer. cock again, fold up cover, fire). 5 inch "barrel plug" to prevent bullets and powder from rolling out when the gun is pre-loaded.

Sword Bayonet: 18 inches of cold, sharp steel. double edged. can be used as a short sword when not fixed to rifle or musket. when fitted to the rifle or musket, the weapon can be used as a glave [as opposed to the 'spear' which results from the fitting of the more typical spike bayonet]

Saber: 3 foot slightly curved double edged blade with basket hilt.

lance: 9 foot shaft, steal point/cap over the tip and first foot from that end. flaring slightly at the hilt to guard the hand.

Angerman Military Anthem:

Wraith flame
Wrath flame
Spirit flame
Death flame

The northern flame marches

Blade weapon
Gun weapon
Horse weapon
Hell weapon

The weapons of the north strike out

Foe blood
Woe blood
Life blood
Red blood

The blood of foes spills

North fury
Cold fury
Fire fury
Blood fury

The rage of the north pours forth

And all is in ruin.



[I]oocness: more when i think of it

Philip Kemp had been fully absorbed in domestic business for a while now, but had decided that the time had come to look outwards for a while.
The country was in a good state, and a whole range of new...contraptions...were beginning to ease the burden of labour.
He sent some of the more prominent Consiliaries to each of the other nations. The party sent North were led by John McGrath, and the first order of business was ongoing raids across the border hitting the fortifications in place there. More a nuisance than anything else, but something these Northerners should be able to sort out.

He surveyed the border. They were on the climb down from one of the main fortifications, and Angermanland stretched out before them. He urged his horse on, followed by the remaining diplomats and an escort of some twenty cavalrymen.

the first thing the Incognitian ambasidor and his party encountered after crossing the border was a cavalry patrol. twenty men from the first squadron of the Border Guard regiment of light horse.

"halt there! what business have you in the Sutmark? 'tis Angerman teritory, in case you did not notice," the speaker was one Elphin Sengrade, Platoon Seargent of Horse, and leader of the patrol, "meh, whatever. why're you here?"

The Captain leading the escort from the 4th Light Horse, a Captain Pearson, replied.
"You will show more respect to your betters. This is a diplomatic mission to your nation from the Consilium of Terror Incognitia.
We will require an escort to your capital with all haste."
He didn't sniff, but that was implied.
He and his men were experienced, practical soldiers, not drill square martinets, but nonetheless these horsemen before them were scruffy peasants.

Elphin paused for a moment, then grinned.

"ahh. is that so then is it? well... we can't be abandoning our posts, after all. so, i'll tell you what. Privets Josilen and Arbeneh will guide you to our camp. i'll let Major Definae make any decisions of such grand import. a thought before you go though. it'd be best not to antagonise the Major. he's not one prone to thinking through the political implications before dealing with problems, if you know what i mean. anyway, he'll probibly give you the escort you want."

he turned in his sadle for a moment "Josilen! Arveneh! front and center ya lazy mongrols!"

as those two unfortunates presented themselves he gave them their instructions "take our distinguished guest, the Consiliarie here, to see the Major." he paused, then continued "and this other assorted rif-raf as well i suppose, God knows i don't want them cluttering up my border! though i doubt the major will be pleased to see them either. off with you!"

he turned, and did a fair impression of a bow from his saddle "Consiliarie, i wish you good fortune in any task not detrimental to my king and his country!" then made a hand signal "Patrol! move out!"

the patrol, sans Josilen and Arveneh, set off along it's rout again.

"uh.... ok?" Arveneh was puzzled by the whole incident. fortunatly, Josilen was a little quicker off the mark

"sirs, if you would follow us?"

Captain Pearson was muttering to himself, but he gestured, his sergeant followed that, and the party began moving.
"I won't ask you to forget all about it, but do let it lie. Let us deal with this Major for an escort, then move with all haste for the capital, get the job done and go home."
"Why couldn't they have their capital on the coast, like any civilised nation?"
"Answered your own question there, Captain."
"Why so I did sir. Right you are, let's keep moving."

the camp, it turned out, was in fact mearly an hours brisk walk, on foot or on horseback. the two privets did not say much. mearly what was nessisary.

a more accurate description may well have been 'small fortress', for while the camp had no apparant artillary, it did have solid timber walls, earth ditches and redoubts, solid gates, and numerous fireing ports for carbines and pistols.

Josilen spoke up "welcome, Consiliarie, to the camp of the Border Guard Regiment of Light Horse. if you could wait here a moment with privet Arveneh, i shall clear us with the sentrys and inform the Major of your arival." he paused for a moment "it may take a little while, depending, but you shouldn't be waiting too long"

for a moment he looked as if he might salute or bow, but undecided as to which, then thought better of it and rode through the now open gates. faced with something he understood, Arveneh had informed the sentry of who they were, thus speeding the process a little.

IC: Thinking to himself, Captain Pearson considered...they might be scruffs on horseback, but they were proper little Romans in camp.
He would favour his own men in a fight, but these were not ill-disciplined rabble to be swept aside. They were soldiers, and better disciplined than most.

"There's going to be a lot more waiting like this, isn't there Captain?"
"Yes sir, we're likely going to have to explain our presence and business to every military formation larger than or the same size as the last one we encountered between here and the capital.
At each stage our escort will take us to the local commander, who will either tell them to proceed, or replace them with men of his own.
Think of it as a welcome break. There will be a lot of riding as well."

OOC: As in, can we skip all but the most relevant bits before their arrival?

OOC2: Your spelling gets worse daily, dude. And more inconsistent. Correction: correct spelling of words like redoubt and regiment makes it all the more surprising you can't spell merely or private.

a quater hour of reporting, reporting again, fluffing around with procedures, working out the proper method of greathing this that and the other person and so on and so forth...

Major Definae just gave up and went out to the gate himself in his regular day to day uniform. standing to 'not-quite-attention' he greated the Consiliarie.

"it is a pleasure to meet you sir. i'm going to have to request that your escort check their weapons at the gate if they're going to come in. i can arrange something more... official... in the way of escort if you wish, or the privates can continue to guide you. though knowing those two, i suspect you may prefer the former, though it'll take a little longer." he paused a moment "however, that can be discussed in somewhat mroe comfort than this. do come in, if you would? i'm reasonably sure it's almost time for one meal or 'not-quite-a-meal' or another."

In a hoarse whisper "Does this man even know what day it is?"

"We will leave our escort out here Major. Knowledge of our identities should suffice as our protection."

The three Consiliaries dismounted and left their horses with men from the escort.
They then walked over to the Major, after telling Captain Pearson "Normal arrangements, Captain"
This meant that if they didn't show after a couple of hours, the Captain was to attempt to get in to check they were alright. If he was denied access, he was to send word south at all speed.
"Lead on, Major. I am not sure there is much to discuss, but we will be happy to relax a little while we work that out."

As they left, the Captain ordered his men to dismount and relax a little, to remain fresh.

Definae smiled as he led the men towards his tent "to awnser the question, no. i have no idea what day it is. don't worry though, i'm perfectly aware of what's going on around me. my sense of time is simply very, very poor." he turned to look over his sholder "i also have very good hearing. ahh. here we are"

"well now, have a seat. camp stools for all it would seem. now, what is it you require?"

ooc: three? so far as i could tell untill that point there was only one sent in each of three directions? meh *shrugs*

OOC: Cheeky git, that was whispering. Not meant to hear that :P

And I'm reckoning that due to party blocs within the Consilium, etc, they would far rather send three, roughly representing a consensus within that august body, than only one.

IC: "I am Consilar John McGrath, and I have been sent to lead a mission to your country, to conduct open negotiations, including over the minor matter of ongoing border raids on our northern settlements.
My companions are Consilars Martin Woolven and Ben Long.
We have our own escort, but are assuming it will smooth our path if we have an escort of your people to explain matters to your military."

"humm. yes, i see. it might interest you to know that we get at least as many bandits raiding in the other direction as well.... and both ways accross the Osteian border too. we do try to keep a lid on it... that whole pesky jurisdiction thing, you know?

anyway, and escort you shall have. Leutenant Smithson and the second squadron, i think. i shall make the arangements."

some men entered at that point carrying food. weither they were actually servants or just soldiers who had been asigned to the task was not imidiatly obvious, as they were not wearing uniform. understandably so, cooking can be messy.

"ahh! i thought as much. .. i hope none of you have problems with ginger? we do tend to use a lot of it. anyway, help yourselves if you wish, or you can just go back to your men and i'll have the Leutenant report to you as soon as his troops are orginized."

catching one of the servers on the way out, he had the man wait while he wrote out the relivant orders, then sent him off to deliver them.

"Major, I sincerely doubt that. We are well aware of the bandit problem striking southwards, but the only malefactors our patrols encounter are returning north of the border.
There are obviously criminals on our side of the border, but they do not regularly cross the border."

"Well, we have quite a way to travel yet today, so I think we will have to regretfully decline your hospitality.
We will await your Lieutenant with our escort.
Thank you Major."

He stood to leave. The other two followed as he turned and stalked off, back to their escort.

after watching the ambasidors leave, Definae shrugged and set to eating his meal.

leaning back against a stack of boxes conveniantly placed behind his seat once he was done, he laughed "i never said they were different bandits."

******

it took a good 15 minutes for the second squadron to break camp and be ready to go, all in full and clean uniform. green overshirts, black pants, black undershirts, black boots, rank and unit insignia on sholders and thighs, and red 'veteran's' stripes around their cuffs. the only brass to be seen was on their belt buckles. buttons and so on were blacked.

Smithson himself was the last to appear, even after the single wagon carrying those parts of the squadron's gear that was not easily loaded onto the mens horses. upon presenting himself, the Leutenant Did salute the Consiliaries.

"sirs, Leutenant Smithson reporting. i'll be your escort for the rest of the trip. all is in readyness as soon as you wish to leave. i should warn you that i am not placed under your command and am here as much to protect against you doing anything untoward as to prevent anything untoward being done to you and expediating your progress."

behind him, the entire squadron was formed up in a ... not exactly orderly colomn of march. Angerman light horse was not trained in disciplined formations, as a rule. their role was substantualy different from most other such troops. mounted skirmishers and scouts, specialising in sneak attacks and sowing confusion, rather than charging headlong into fire and breaking one's foes. for that, one called on the Dragoons or Lancers.

all this actually made them superior troops when it came to escort dutys. for all that they didn't look as posh and polished as other cavalry, they could see attacks comeing more easily, react to the unexpected better, and, not worrying about formation, deal to bandits more rapidly.

By the time the Angermanland troop was ready, the Incognitian men were saddled up and ready to ride.
"My dear Lieutenant, if it would not inconvenience you too greatly, we mean to depart."
"Right men, move out!"
The march began. There was a long way to go yet.

and a long way it was, too. a bit over three weeks worth of 'long way'.

just before noon three weeks and two days later, the party crested the last ridge to see the city of Norcar, capital of Angermanland, stretched out below them. surrounded mostly by cliffs and steep slopes, the city was lacking in ready access routs with the exception of a few roads such as the one they were currently on. infact there wasn't really room for the city to expand now even if such was the King's desire, unless they started tunneling into the cliffs and building underground.

in the center of the city was a large square. three large structures faced onto it. to the north, the Palace. parts of it obviously given over to defence, others blatantly fancyful, save for it's facade it was a hodgepodge of styles from many eras, as almost every monarch had added to it in one way or another. to the west was the Cathedral of Light. it's roof and all it's walls, save the north, being made with enough stone to keep it up, and a lot of glass, hense it's name. in each corner was a large bell tower. to the east was the University of the King, the nations preminant educational facility. it too was built mostly of large blocks of stone, but with far less glass and more open spaces than the cathedral.

surrounding this central grandure was the useually collection of residentual areas, markets, craftsmen and the like. just inside each of the four gates, as well as just to the south of the square, was a military barracks. the one in the center of the city housing the Capital Guard, and the other four whichever units were asigned guard duty at that time.

even in the places where it fronted straight onto shear cliffs, going up or down, Norcar had walls. solid stone construction in all cases. it was one thing there was no shortage of here. not such a strong place as it could have been against earlyer weapons, but still solid.

"Welcome, Sirs, to the capital of our great nation. i shall send messengers on ahead, but the nature of this road is such that they will arive mear minutes before us at best unless we stop here a little while. that or they'll arive before us in no fit state to deliver information. it's a long way down, is it not? anyway, half an hour or so should do well enough. give them a chance to spread the word so no one decides to shoot at us or anything silly, and they can have all the relivant formalitys set up."

Smithson was happy. the trip had been mostly uneventful. the useual checking with the various patrols along the way, haggling with innkeepers and so on, but no disasters or truely bad weather. plenty of mist and drizzle though, inbetween the sunshine and stars.

The pace had been reasonably swift, but not drainingly so.

The escort troop had moved to combat uniform - removing all but the clearly practical from their uniforms - for ease of travel.

"Right lads, you've got half an hour, look lively! I want full uniform, as clean as you can get it! You're about to be on show to a barrel-load of high mucky-mucks, so move it you maggots!"

The sergeant had been forced to grow somewhat creative by the presence of Consilars, but his vocabulary had expanded to meet the new circumstances.

Caps came out of bags, were brushed off and shaken out, and went on heads. The assorted piratical looking headgear worn up to that point was swiftly stowed. Token attempts were made to brush down travel-stained uniforms, and with this and many other minor activities, it wasn't long before the escort looked considerably smarter.

"Ready to move sah!"
"Very good Sergeant Matthews. Consilar, may we proceed?" A nod in reply.

"Move out!"

In two neat files, they swung out onto the roadway. The Consilars rode between the files, along with Captain Pearson.

Leutenant Smithson was at the front of the group, with his own men in some sembalance of an orderly colomn, half in front and half behind the Incognitian party. a half hour's march saw the group entering the capital through it's southern gate.

the actual gateway its self was an interesting structure, being more of a tunnel with gates at either end than a simple gatehouse. it turned sharply right imediatly after entering, then after a hundered yards or so turned sharply left untill it was going back the other way before turning right again and coming out on the road within the walls.

Arrayed along each side of the road just within the gate was the Royal Rifled Grenadiers, two companys to a side and the fifth on the wall over the gateway.

this would be more in the nature of what the Incognitians expected soldiers to look like. with red under-shirts, black overshirts, boots, and pants, gold 'elite' cuff trim, shiney brass buttons and buckles, and perfectly formed ranks, there was nothing about them with which to find fault. unless one took exception to the fact that, like all soldiers in the Angerman army save the artillary crews, they wore no hats as part of their standard uniform.

four hundered and eighty men brought themselves to attention and saluted, not in unison, but in a perfectly timed ripple so that when the incognitians first saw the individual man past the cavalry in front of them he was saluting and at attention, and as soon as the cavalry behind the ambasidors and their escorts obscured their view, the men relaxed into a more easily maintained postion.

the end result was the illusion of a full battalion standing at attention and saluting as their guests passed. in a way it took more disciplin than the more useual technique of simply all comeing to attention at once at the begining and all being dismised at the end. on the other hand, no one lost their balance, passed out, or otherwise experianced needless discomfort.

the exception being those atop the gate. and even they were trading off under the guise of maintaining a watch on the outside road as well.

Smithson gathered up his messengers at the end of the line, and read the papers they gave him. without calling a halt, he relayed the information to the consilars

"your escort and my own troops are to be quatered in the barricks closest to the palace. that of the Capital Guard. your worthy selves are offered acomodation within the palace. i am to take you to meet with the king in the audiance hall as soon as possible. you could probilby bring the captain if you wanted, it doesn't say not to. but there would be... bad... reactions if you tried to bring your full escort into the palace."

The grenadiers were smart. They were well disciplined. They were also, in the professional opinion of Captain Pearson, quite useless.

After all, in close infantry combat, such as decided most major battles, it was weight of fire that mattered.
And their rifles would double their reload time, halving their rate of fire.

Still, they looked nice.

"The Captain can stay in the barracks while we conduct our business. We can go direct to the palace now, in fact.

We will need a brief time to freshen up from the journey, and then we will be ready to meet the king."

"very well. i think there's scope for that in the king's order. this way, if you please"

Smithson lead the ambasidors to the palace, at the gates of which he handed them over to the palace guard, members of the Capital Guard Battalion.

"when you decide to leave, unless of course i am ordered otherwise before then, send a messenger for me at the barracks. my men and i shall escort you on your return trip." he smilled "in the mean time, it looks like we get some unschedualed leave." Saluting the Guard major, and bowing to their guests, Smithson left.

the major, one Garth Mathews, introduced himself and lead the Consilaries to their quaters to get orginized. they were given one of several Ambasidorial chambers. it was, in typical Angerman style, impressive in its own way, but neither extravagent nor ostentatious. 'comfortably functional' would probibly be the most accurate term.

"when you're ready, sirs, i shall take you to meet the king. i would advise not taking Too long, but we do have some leeway."

with that, Garth stepped out of the room and closed the heavy door behind him. it had been conspicuously obvious that this door could only be locked from the Inside, by way of a set of three bolts, and it opend inward so the hinge pins could not be removed from the outside. while the internal walls were made of wood, the walls shared with the rest of the palace were solid stone.

The Consilars changed quickly and efficiently.
"Notice that you can barricade yourself in here, quite effectively?"
"Yes. I'm wondering what's happened to ambassadors in the past that they think this necessary."
"A happy thought."
"Well, remember that if necessary we don't stay here, we ride like the Old Hunt itself for the coast."
"Of course I remember."
"Right, you ready? Let's go."

They exited their chambers. While their clothes had spent some time in saddlebags, and were thus somewhat creased, they were at least not as dirty and muddy as the ones they had arrived in.
They looked around for the Major, expecting that he would be waiting outside.

Garth had been leaning against the wall, just to the left of the doorway. as the Incognitians emerged and started looking around, he pushed off from it in an easy motion and began walking down the corridor

"this way if you please."

the palace, being the government buildings as well as a large house and effectivly the national bank's head office and vault, was very large, full of guards, beurocrats, nobles, delegates, and the like. every section designed to be defendable in it's own right, as well as part of the whole.

so it took almost a quater of an hour before they saw the king, most of it just getting to the audiance chamber.

as they entered, a herald called out "the Ambasidors from Terra Incognitia!"

the major stepped slightly to one side at the doorway, whispering as he did so and they passed "advance as close as you can while still being able to see his face without straining your neck, then bow or salute as is proper. good luck"

They entered the audience chamber.

There were grander chambers in Incognitian palaces, and Incognitia was not a nation known for being gaudy - maybe it was just the greater wealth at home that showed.

They moved maybe two thirds of the way across the floor, before bowing to the King of the Angerman nation.

He knew who they were. It was highly likely that he knew why they were there.
McGrath just hoped that he would be agreeable, and they could be in and out in a day or three.

Zebadiah, king of Angermanland, sat upon his throan within the audiance chamber, and studied the ambasidors for a moment.

"Well. you are sent here to speak to me? then speak. what does the rabble of the south want of us?"

his seat, raised far enough above floor level that even while seated he had a slight advantage in hight over even the talest of those standing below, was designed with comfort in mind, given how long a King may have to sit upon it at a time on occasion. which isn't to say it wasn't decorative, carved with dragons and the like.

from the walls on either side hung three banners. each one bore the national flag. five silver stars held by a great black dragon, which was in turn resting attop a large and many branched tree, with a background mixed in red and white. there was powerful symbolisem here.

"Well sir, we came primarily to speak of the rabble in the north. Those just within your borders, specifically.

Bandit raids across the border have been a problem for some time, but the problem has worsened recently, and obviously our soldiers are unable to pursue the criminals across the border without committing an act of war against your country.

We would like you to permit small parties of our border troops to pass the border in pursuit of criminals, on the understanding that any Angerman criminals will be handed over to your authorities.
However, you may be uneasy in permitting foreign troops on your soil - in which case we are to gain assurances that your own authorities will act.

In return, aware that all former treaties between our nations have expired, we wish to add a new treaty of peace and harmony between us."

McGrath felt no awe. He did not feel intimidated by the trappings, by the height difference - in fact he always found looking up the King's nose to incline him to less respect.

"ahh, yes. I have had reports of that lot. a mixed band, sons of both my people and yours. aye, yes, and Osteians amongst them as well. they use the junction of the borders to their advantage.. hit one of our nations, cross the border into another, lay low for a while, then hit the third, crossing into the first to avaid persuite, and so on. wanted in all three lands, i'd warrent. certainly here. we have not caught them for the same reason you have not.

you are right though. i will not have your soldiers traipsing about my lands. Watchmen, on the other hand... perhaps a zone of overlaping jurisdiction in That reguard, where in the watchmen may persue some distance over the borders in each directiong? watchmen, mind, not soldiers. if they need soldiers they shall have to make use of those belonging to the teritory they are in.

perhaps the Osteians also would agree to this, perhaps not. reguardless, it would be a begining to an end for the problem. neither total nor decisive if they too do not agree, but certainly a help.

what say you to that?"

he paused, and took a breath. were it not for the fact that he was king, officialy sitting in audiance in this chamber, he would be basing most energeticly at this point.

"as for a treaty of peace. there shall be, as there has always been, that strongest garantee of peace. mutual self interest. as things stand, i have no reason to invade you, nor you me, and we are secure in that knowledge. should things shift to the point where that is not so, ask me again. we shall see what we shall see.

i can assure you that we have no interest in war with your nation in the imidiate future, however. there are bigger threats on our borders. now, should this treaty have some specific goal in mind, rather than being worth no more, and possibly less, than the words i have just spoken.... that would be something i would take an interest in."

"We would need persuading to set up an entirely new body for the border region.

As to the peace treaty, we were thinking of locking ourselves into firmer terms than merely self-interest...conditional on certain things being done, including action on the bandit situation...without which the treaty would become void."

He looked with interest for any reaction on the face of the king. His companions were, as they had been from the start, watching closely and taking mental notes on all that occurred, so that they could compare for an accurate record later.

Zebadiah simply shrugged "i have told you what i am willing do. you can accept it, or not.

why a new body? do you not have watchmen? police? something of that nature? is there no crime in your streets? or does your Republic tollerate the military haveing those abilitys as well?

the matter is simple enough, if you already have such folk. extend their jurisdiction to cover the overlap.

if you do not have them in the area already, i see no point in helping you with the issue, as it is likely your own lack of vigilance that allows this to continue to such an extent. soldiers are notriously bad at investigation and tracking, and if you relly upon them for those tasks, you deserve to fail.

at any rate, what is the point in locking my kingdom into a treaty that is worth less than the paper it is writen on? it will take action on all sides to deal with the bandits, hinging a treaty on that is just asking for failure.

now, say if we were to... invade... Osteia, remove the third part of the problem there, an alliance of that nature might be useful. take the bandit's hiding places from them, place the whole area under our jurisdiction...

but that is a method of last resort, and if it came to that due to your incompitance, i would not do it.

so, i have told you what i will and will not willingly do. i have told you something of my thoughts on the matter. it is up to you weither you accept it or not.

you may leave. i shall call on you when it suits me to discover your answer. it shall be no less than three days from now, i think."

McGrath stood his ground.
"Am I to tell the Consilium that you refuse any treaty of peace; that you refuse to commit your nation to action against the bandits, instead demanding this 'watch force', and suggest invading Osteia to solve the problem?"
A quizzical look.
"It appears then, your Majesty, that we have been wasting our time. Expecting reason in this northern wasteland, we have found your minds as empty as your coffers."
He turned on his heel.
"Come gentlemen! Let us not waste any more of our or his Majesty's time. We will return home to give them the news that Angerman's self-interest is stronger than their honourless word, and their own king tells it so."
He stormed out, swiftly followed by the two other Consilars. One turned off as they departed to send word they would need their escort. The other followed McGrath back to their chambers to pack. No need to waste any more time.

Zebadiah watched them leave. "it would be bad form to have them shot for being horribly annoying, wouldn't it?"

he sighed, stood up, and stretched.

"ahh well. call Lord Fredrich to me. i shall send ambasidors to some of the other nations. we have plans to make."

as he left by way of a door behind the throne, and messengers scrambled to do his bidding, he continued to himself "it is quite entertaining how foolish humans can be. but this shall work to our advantage. after all, reguardless of what happens next, it shall not be we who are the agressors in this."

after a minute or two he arived at his personal armory. within was a set of armor, it's surface resembling black dragon scales, and a glave with a black shaft. the Black Wind. the armory also contained one of each of the standard infantry and cavalry weapons the army used at this time.

leaning against the wall was a different banner from those hanging in the halls. a black background, with a single, large white star, and a black dragon in it's center holding a glave.

"soon, we may perhaps have need of these things again."

he closed the vault once more and left to be about his business for the day.

that evening, directly after dinner, King Zebadiah and Lord Fredrich, as well as Generals German, Defron, and Keith,the admiral Brinden, and master of spys Fury were gathered in what was, for want of a better name, the stratagy room. full of maps, and near to the record storage rooms so all information was as readily available as possible.

"so, another fine mess we're in." Keith was the first to speak

"ahh, Bear, why see problems when there are opertunitys to be had?" Zebadiah grinned "we shall send ambasidors to Caladonn, Osteia, and Frozopia. to Osteia, to form an alliance of defence, or at least to ensure neutrality. to Caladonn, to ensure neutrality and possible transportation. to Frozopia, for aid and mutual gain. if we must march, we march... failing that, we blockade the place untill they decide to send someone who is Not an arigant fool with at least an apology."

"Majesty," Fury spoke "the Caladonnians already speak to Incognitia. or they should do. they sent an ambasidor before the Incognitian emissary arived here. i sare say the incognitains have sent to frozopia as well. certainly given the nature of your... comments, they will send to osteia if they have not done so already."

"ahh, you worry too much, Fury. as you have mastered sight, Fredrich has mastered speach. i'm sure his men can do the job. in the case of Osteia..." he turned to Fredrich "you will go yourself."

"Admiral Brinden, your men shall transport the ambasidors. in it's current state, they are really not good for much else. i do intend to do something about that as soon as possible, but the resorces and so on are not available to us yet. you shall go yourself with the ambasidor to Caladonn, see if you can arange something to fix this."

"Aye sir. worst comes to worst, fine silver should buy us one of their nice ships, prehaps. or at least buy us out of trouble."

"that it shall. German, Defron, you shall gather the various units. leave enough to defend against sea born attacks, but strongly re-enforce the sothern borders."

"aye. i think the first through 7th national mix, Northern Rifles, Lowland Grenadiers,Gold Battalion and Red Battalions of light infantry, Grey Watch and Winter Hights Plunderers, 1st through 3rd lancers, all the carabiner units, foes folly, and first and second batterys should do for the Incognitian border" German spoke "i'll take that one"

Defron then put in his piece " i shall take a roughly equivilant force, depending on what General Keith belives is required for the defence."

"very good." Zebadiah smiled "and what of you, Fredrich, you have been quiet. what are your plans?"

"as you said, i myself shall go to osteia. i shall send Jonothan Grey with the admiral, and to frozopia.. perhaps Lord Sevron. yes. proiblby Lord Sevron. we can spin events however most benifits us, but it would do well for you not to cause any catastrophys before all is ready. keep the forces back from the osteian border a bit, for example, and send only those reenforcements to the incognitian border that can be explained away by the bandits there.

keep the rest further back, so they are not seen as an imidiate threat untill things are ready."

"you are wise, Fredrich. we shall do just that!" he sprang to his feet.

"very well, make ready. we begin preperations first thing tommorow!"

a chorus of "Sir"s went up, and the gathering disbursed.

Packing completed, the envoys commenced the ride home with all speed. They would stop at the first fortification, mere miles south of the border, so that word could be sent to the first semaphore towers, and thus to Nescia.

the first delay in the Incognitian's journy came at the gates of the city. the infantry guarding this, and all other, entrys had been told not to let the ambasidors leave without their escorts.

Leutenant Smithson arived within short order, at the head of what appeared to be an enlarged force, which consisted now of, in addition to his 120 light horse specificly given the task of seeing the ambasidors to the border, the entirity 1st and 4th carabiners.

this alone set them back a half day before they even started.

"i have orders" the Leutenant called as he arived "to escort you to the border. these fine fellows will be traveling with us. apparantly his majesty finds these bandits you speak of to be an annoyance worth dealing with. if i may present Majors Richards and Samhue?" these two notables were directly behind him, each at the head of a single file colomn of horsemen.

on the ambasidor's left as they aproched, was Richards at the head of the 4th carabiners, a veteran dragoon unit, sporting the same uniform as those worn by the light horse, save for red overshirts instead of green. the 1st carabiners, on the right, commanded by Samhue, were lances, with blue overshirts, plack penants on the tip of their weapons. if one could see far enough down the lines, one would find four wagons in between the second and third squadrons.

"i am to advise you that while the ambasidors may of course go on ahead at their will, their military escort may not. i should point out, of course, that should you go off on your own, you shall have to deal with the regular patrols all the way out."

he looked straight at the captain in charge of the Incognitian escort "we are also instructed to treat any unacompanyed or autherised military personal as hostile invaders. which means, if the military portion of your party atempts to leave us, you Will be shot at, or chased down, on sight. if not by these fine gentlemen" here he indicated the cavalry behind him "then by some other unit who has recieved their orders."

smileing, he continued "so, shall we move out? don't want to waste the daylight. large formations, even of cavalry, are slower than small groups or individual men.

meanwhile, ambasidorial partys where being orginized and dispatched through other gates to the ports on either side of the country with all haste. to the west, to Hyphakos and thence to Caladonn. to Osteia, by way of Sutmarcold, circling to take a different rout out of sight of the Incognitian ambasidor. to the port city of Phomente, and from there to Frozopia.

no carrages or extrenuous assistants either, speed was of the essence here, and so the ambasidors and those small number of staff imidiatly on hand left with what they could carry and instructions in what they were to do.

border tensions were likely to become an issue soon, and it would do well to know the minds of their neighbours should Angermanland go to war.

McGrath led his companions off a little way to talk.
"Gentlemen, they are going to slow us however much they may. This means they have plans, something up their sleeve, and it is all the more important to get word home."
"Agreed, so what do we do?"
"I was going to suggest that two of us, perhaps including myself, ride with all speed for the border, while one remains here with the escort as an insurance measure."
"They would have to be lunatic to attack envoys themselves, and the risk from bandits to two armed men riding hard is not so high."
"And if those riding hard are lost, the response when word finally reaches the south will be all the more extreme. They can't want that."
"Ok, so two go. John, and Alex. That ok?"
Nods all around.
"Right. Take only what you need, gather weaponry from the troopers, and ride."
"Good luck gentlemen. See you back in Nescia."
All shook hands.

"well, sirs, whatever they do, we need to get moving, don't we?"

the two majors nodded agreement.

"right" Smithson turned and called out "Open the Gates!"

the infantry quickly got out of the way, and the gates were openned.

"Gentelmen," Smithson called out "if you are ready? unless you want to be delayed still further by nightfall, it would be wise to move now."

"John and Alex have already ridden for the south" he pointed to dust rising from some way down the road.
"And I'm ready. Se yes, let's go. Captain! Move out!"

the much enlarged party set out and made reasonable time. still, such a large group couldn't get far in a day, much less in under half the time.

none the less, the capital was a fair way out of sight behind them by the time they stopped. with so many troops and their wagons, officers and followers of all descriptions, it would likely take almost a month to reach the border again.

assuming the patrols did not slow them too much, and the bandits they complained of so much didn't decide to do them in one way or another, the ambasidors who had ridden on ahead would make the trip much faster. they would probibly arive at the border somewhere between five and nine days ahead of the main party. maybe, if they managed to aquire remounts, pushed hard, and were especially lucky, up to two weeks ahead.

by which time, if all went to plan, the Angerman ambasidors to Osteia would be accross the border, or at least also at it, the ambasidors to Caladonn would have been in Calad for weeks, and the ambasidor to Frozopia could be anywhere from a week outside port, to having been in the Frozopian capital for a week, depending on weather, Osteian and Frozopian naval forces, and how much of his regular trade run the captain of the merchant ship carrying them was willing to abandon.


if all went to plan.

ooc: dun dun dun! omonous forboding ftw !

some reasonable time (tbd) after the ambasidor arives at the Osteian border

General Defron had under his command some 15 thousand men under arms, near enough, as well as all the civilian support such a force gathered, and including all troop types used within the Angerman military.

the army was spread along the Osteian border, about a days march back near the coast, much closer near the silver mines.

included in this force were:

8th through 14th National Mix Battalions
Royal Rifled Grenadiers
Marcland Grenadiers
3rd and 4th grenadiers
1st through 3rd light infantry battalions
Highland Rangers
1st and 2nd light horse
Shaft Breakers
Royal Currasiers
King's Hammer
Flying Blues
2nd currasiers
God's Hammer
3rd through 6th batteries.

all was in readyness for a defence if nessicary. the ambasidor had picked up a few men from the Royal Currasiers as an esscourt before he left.

prior to the previous post, because fluid time is awkward

Jonothan Grey and Admiral Lord Brinden arrived back in the capital and reported all that had gone on in Caladonn. they suggesting that relivant persons, other than themselves, be sent to Caladonn to facilitate arrangments.

the navel incidents that had taken place and the conbined effort of the two lead to a large restructuring of the way personal were recruited, asigned, and disiplined in the navy. while these did little to improve upon the over all quality, being as it was a function of the view of the general populous and the navy's incapacity to be effective as yet, it resulted in the worst of the scum and debree taht had built up being cleared away, leaving the force as a whole mearly poor, rather than borderline suicidaly incompitant.

with time, new ships, effort, and luck, the Angerman navy might eventually become an effective force.

At the urging of the Consortium, the Senate grudgingly agreed to allow the Consortium's delegate to Angermanland some powers pertaining to official trade and negotiation. Thus armed, the delegate left Caladonn is a trading schooner, and soon after arrived on the western coast of Angermanland.

When the Caladonnian arrived in Hyphakos, he was immediately surprised by the number of troops milling around. It appeared that Angermanland was preparing for an invasion, or at least a very drastic military buildup. The Delegate was somewhat concerned about this presence, but followed the isolationist school of thought in Caladonn, that Caladonn's naval might precluded any military involvement on the continent. As such, he was not unduly worried.

Upon venturing inland with a small escort upon horses, the Caladonnian found that Angermanland was an overall pleasant land. Unlike the smoky industrialism of the silvermining south, central Angermanland was a land of rolling green hills, with shepherds herding their flocks, and packs of wild goats hunting stray peasants. Meanwhile, in small tight-knit communities, groups of farmers eked out a living on the hillsides, building terraced farms of crops that could sustain the highland's winds.

Eventually, however, the Delegate was told that on the morrow, he would arrive in Angermanland's capital. He was excited to see the greatest city of the Angermen, as well as finally conduct the mission on which he had been sent.

the presence of so many soldiers was easily explained the first time it was asked. the King had ordered that all reserves and militia be called up and brought as near to regular army quality as possible. tensions in the south were not exactly lessening, and rumors were flying around that the Incognitian army was anywhere from 3 goats and a monkey to millions of giants, depending on which fool one chose to listen to at the time.

when one approached the Angerman capital from the south, as most did, one crested a hill to find road cut zigzagging down a cliff face to the city it's self. from here, the entire city was laid out for all to see. from the impressive Cathedral of Light, Palace, and University, through the various merchant and residential districts, to the outer walls. on the far side of the city was another steep cliff drop.

in fact, the city of Norcar was built on a large ledge, and took it up in it's entirety. apparently they'd started tunneling into the cliff face for more room to expand. the entire city was walled, despite those walls generally being built either right on the edge of, or right up against cliffs.

the path had a central dividing rail, as well as an edge rail, so none would be jostled by someone going the other way. the rails were spaced far enough apart to allow artillery and wagons to be hauled up the path, and there was a remarkably steady stream of traffic.

the gates at the foot of the path were guarded by a company of infantry, and another was on duty at the path's top, ensuring things went smoothly. they wore the uniforms of regular infantry of the line, but with banding in a colour not usually seen, that of second line units. more suited to such duties as this and various garrison posts. the elite grenadiers one normally saw in the capital had all been sent south.

the capital had no slums. there simply was not room for them. if houses were not maintained to a suitable standard, they were demolished and new ones built in their places. near the gates, though a street off either side so that dignitary did not have to go past them if they did not need to, were large boarding houses where those who would normally end up in slums and such, as well as the poorer sort of transients, lodged.

The Caladonnian could not help but be impressed by the Angerman city. Coming from Caladonn, where few cities had walls and no attention was payed to defensive positions, building on a cliff in this scale was unheard of. He made his way down the path with his escort, reaching the city after a short time. He then inquired as to where he could meet the Angerman ruler.

he was, of course, directed to the palace. the guards at the gate and on duty in general wore the green and black of regular Angerman infantry. those at the main gate were there merely to stop the obviously hostile, and to look nice. those who would stop one and inquire after ones purpose were further in. in between, however, were all the bureaucrats and functionaries that made this not just the home of the king, but the administrative capital of the realm.

it was to one of these bureaucrats that the Caladonnian emissary presented himself in his quest to gain an audience with the king.

"His Majesty is busy right now, but i shall send a messenger telling him you are here, if you would give name and purpose. it is entirely possible he will see you within the hour, if it is important."

OOC: Back from the dead...

IC: The emissary said, "I am Walter Greenham, of the Consortium, and I'm here on behalf of the Caladonnian government to negotiate trade with Angermanland. If possible, I would like to see your King at the earliest convenience."

things were organized quickly enough, and as the functionary had said might happen, he was admitted within the hour.

King Zebadiah spoke as he approached "what business do you bring before me? speak, say your piece."

Mr. Greenham bowed formally to the Angerman monarch, and began, "Greetings, Your Majesty, I come on behalf of the Caladonnian Trading Consortium and our government. I would like to discuss opening trade relations between our respective countries, particularly in the area of your weapons manufacturing plants."

"indeed. go on, i am interested to hear what you propose, in light of recent events"

"indeed. go on, i am interested to hear what you propose, in light of recent events"
"Perhaps we could organize a trade or exchange of experts, with Caladonnian engineers aiding you in the construction of viable dockyards, and Angermen would also come to Caladonn and educate us in your weapons manufacturing and foundry development?"

"convince me. is it really in our interests to give up our greatest advantage... in exchange for the ability to fight where you yourselves are strongest? we would still lose were we to fight you, and there is no other point.

weapons for ships, that would be agreeable, and advantageous, and i can see it. but...

convince me of this plan of yours."

"Hmm... honestly, I think it is. After all, if you'll pardon me, superior foundries and weapons do not add a great advantage to an army or navy... of course, it is a significant benefit, but not an overwhelming one. In addition, as it stands, Angermanland has the weakest of the navies on the Continent... however, with some work, you could easily rise above Ansu or Frozopia, guaranteeing you naval supremacy in a regional struggle.

Also, it goes without saying that we would sign a treaty prohibiting the sale or gift of these technologies to third parties- this would ensure that no other powers would reap the benefits of our trade."

"huh. treaties. what guaranty is a piece of paper? you will either trade it on, or you will not. if you are honest, your word is enough. if not, no amount of reassurance will change what will happen.

shipyards are, none the less, worthless without ships to build, of which we have no modern design, and ships are in turn worthless without trained crew. to build such would be folly.

even if all that is solved, without timber it is no more than so much hot air. timber, mind, that we do not have an abundance of and would be dependent on you or someone else to supply in any quantity.

so, let us see... as it stands you offer something that we cannot use, in exchange for something that would make you significantly more powerful.

you can see why i am reluctant to take you up on this, no?

as i said, merchant. convince me."

Mr. Greenham balked, slightly. He was only slightly surprised at the Angerman's attitude, but still... he was most assuredly a diplomat, not a trader, even if he did represent the Consortium first and foremost.

"I would assert that a piece of paper is quite a guarantee, sir. A nation's good name is worth quite a bit on these islands, and any nation that would sully their own honor can hardly expect a good reception from any of their neighbors. However, in these troubled times more assurance may be required... Thus, I offer you two alternatives to simply a testing of our respective words.

Firstly, we could agree that should either one of us share this technology, contrary to our agreement, the other nation involved would be immediately absolved of all responsibility to uphold their non-sharing of technology. This would ensure compliance in any sort of coalition war, and it's not as if either of these technologies could be kept secret from the enemy.

Secondly, and more severely, we could arrange for an exchange of hostages from the elite of our two societies, willing patriots who would remain at the other nations' court as promise of good behavior. This would simultaneously educate our respective countries of our ways, and also ensure compliance. Of course, it would be of the most horrible brutality to harm these hostages had anything other than a breach of our contract occured, even war.

Either or both of these stipulations could be adopted, at your decision. As for the problem with ship designs and wood, both could be arranged to be delivered to your nation in exchange for suitable commodities of your nation. For example, though we would be somewhat wary of trading the techniques to our Frigates, it would be of far more plausibility should you agree to share the secrets of one of your army unit types. As for the timber, that could perhaps be partially payed for by Angerman stocks of silver or foodstuffs, and/or a better troop type."

"hum. interesting. your points, one at a time and in order of thought, would be addressed thus:

regarding the sharing of technologies, the best course is, most likely, the guarantee that should one share what they have learned, the other may also. mutual self interest.

silver and food stuffs for timber is fair enough. we can have the functionaries arrange the details of that one.

i am hesitant to give up still more advantages, such as unit types that are totally unrelated to the technology given... so... perhaps we could train you men in the use of light infantry tactics? though it is not our strength, we do know how to use it.

we could also impart to you our doctrine for the use of land based artillery? it is quite significant, much as the designs of ships. without proper doctrine, artillery becomes so much useless metal, after all.

not that I'm questioning the competence of your gunners, but they are most used to fighting at sea, where all they have to worry about is when to fire and how fast they can load. on land, there is somewhat more to it."