NationStates Jolt Archive

OUT OF CHARACTER:

This is a continuation of the thread "Diplomatic Conference Between Monavia and Cotenshire". It picks up where it left off.

Here is the link: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=542419

The many private jets from the Dominion began to filter in to Monavia over the next 24 hours. The large freighter plane carrying all King William’s gifts to the Monavian Royal Family was the first to enter the country, followed by the King’s craft itself. Several other planes from the Dominion entered Monavian airspace at around the same time. Most knew where they were going, but some flew around for hours before being led to the runway by air traffic control, and some had to make emergency landings elsewhere due to fuel shortages.

By the time the King had landed and was preparing to exit his plane, it was clear that there had been some miscommunication among the Cotenshirick delegates. The original number that were supposed to visit had been 90. Then Lord Sebastien had changed the forecast to 134. Now, it was apparent that there were going to be over one thousand “guests” attempting to attend. Every one of the original guests had invited some guests of their own, thinking that the others in attendance would not do the same. In addition, some of those guests had invited more guests.

Needless to say, the airports runways were much busier than normal. Additional havoc was also caused by Cotenshirick craft landing without clearance, as airports were so small and scattered in the Dominion that traffic control was not needed. The pilots therefore assumed that they could just land anytime and anywhere.

Lord Sebastien was first to exit the Royal Jet. He met with attendants from the gift plane as well as any Monavians who might have been out there. Meanwhile, the King was getting ready inside the plane and was briefed by Lord Imperial, the Lord Privy Seal.

At the airport, the planes were indeed a source of more than havoc. They caused minor jams in the transportation system. The planes were parked on the tarmac, where Minister Carter approached. He walked to the first plane, where Lord Sebastien was disembarking, and spoke to him.

"Lord Sebastien, it appears that the situation would have me at wit's end. The projected number of guests that have been invited cannot be effictively handled, and there are not enough rooms for all of them. The 134 guests that have arrived will be able to stay, but further accommodations will have to be provided at their own expense.

"Our logistical capacity in organizing accommodations for the origional guests have been successful, but these accommodations have only been able o handle the load that was oigionally intended for them. There are more hotels and inns, but they are not in the central district of the city. There are also hotels and inns in the surrounding suberbs and other cities as well.

"The thousand or so guesta are welcome to use non-govermental services to accommodate themselves, but they will have to do it at their own expense, as I have stated earlier.

"I believe that King William is present on your plane, and I will escort him to the waiting motorcade. There is a limosine waiting for him ans you as well. The King and Queen, as well as the Chancellor and the Speaker of the Representative Assembly will also be present.

"There will be a chauffer to drive the limosine and several other vehicles reserved for government officials to carry Monavian politicians. There is also transportation arranged for the other Cotenshirick guests."

After finishing this lenghty monologue, Mr. Carter took a breath and wiped off a bead of perspiration from his face. The heat from the cooling jet engines was making the cold air around the planes become warmer.

Mr. Carter waited for Lord Sebastien to respond.

Meanwhile, at the palace, the state dinner was being prepared, or at least the dining room in which the dinner was to take place. Fine china was being set down upon tables, solid silver flatware was being polished, and the crystal was being removed from their display cabinets.

The hotel room service personnel were finally getting to rest after a long day of preparations. The butlers and maids in the palace were changing shifts, and the motorcade was approaching the airport.

OOC: Is this a free jump in? I noticed you guys seem to be tagging eachother with posts.... but then again the thread isnt closed. May I join?

This is not a free jump in. However, I thank you for pointing out that I forgot to put a closed notice on the thread. I am sure that there are many threads that you can join like this one:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=541778

It is my diplomatic relations thread.

This is not a free jump in. However, I thank you for pointing out that I forgot to put a closed notice on the thread. I am sure that there are many threads that you can join like this one:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=541778

It is my diplomatic relations thread.

OOC: My apologies. I simply read "Royal Ball and State Dinner in Monavia". Just remmember, its good form to add closed to thread titles, too discourage such interuptions.

You are welcome for the advice.

Lord Sebastien paced at the foot of the plane lividly, his sword stick clacking against the tarmac with each step. He quickly composed himself once he saw Mr. Carter approaching, and tipped his top hat to him. However, as Mr. Carter vented his frustrations, so grew the Lord Chancellor’s anger again, and he began looking side to side furiously and stroking his long sideburns.

“I am quite at my wits end too. I had specifically told all the guests not to invite anyone else, and I can hardly believe that my directions were so widely ignored. I will not allow any past the original 90 to stay in the accommodations you have provided. It is certainly not fair to you to be so burdened by them, and I must reassert my authority. They will all be fined after this visit is over.”

Lord Sebastien had barely completed that sentence when the doors to the Royal Jet opened, revealing a sparkling silk curtain. Out stepped several trumpeters, followed by a stately dressed man in a violet tunic. He made the following announcement with immaculate pronunciation and propriety:

“To all the lords and commoners, burghers and peasants, clergy, men of Christ, infidels and heathens, this be a most glorious, marvelous, and consummate day, for you shall presently descry the most potent, most serene, most Christian, most splendid, most righteous King to ever grace this God-given Earth, him being His Majesty, King William Salisbury V, patriarch and potentate of the House Salisbury, by the grace of God King of Cotenshire, Lotharnshire, and Ajaelland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Upper Lotharingia, Nieuw Vlaanderen, Fejeszekja, and Gothtenbury, Marquess of Frankenshire, Nikolitzanburgh, Hautavano, and Normagne, Earl of Wolvershaw, Margrave of Oranje, Zagovo, Jadwiga, Bonusiklos, Bacsalmas, Hatshamolk, and Ysbrechterdam, and Count of Franconton, Songailangrad, Svitrigailangrad, and Toledo.”

The announcer stepped down, and the King emerged to the fanfare of the trumpets. He wore velvet high-heeled shoes with long hose, although this was mostly hidden from view by his superfluous toga. This piece of his dress was made using hundreds of millions of golden fibers, and weighed nearly one hundred pounds. His arms and hands were so covered by various golden bracelets, rings, chains, and jewels that the skin could not even be seen. On his shoulders were two giant pearl epaulettes in the shape of shields, which secured a vast cape made of red silk. On his head was placed a giant stuffed peacock with its plumes outstretched, and around this was a silver diadem. Helping the King support the immense weight of this royal garb was his jeweled scepter, which was long enough to double as a walking stick.

“Ahah, Mr. Carter, what an honour it is to have you come out and meet us!” proclaimed the King.

The man who had announced the King made his way over to Mr. Carter and held himself to the highest degree of deportment. “Mr. Carter is it? I do not believe we have met. I am Lord Artemis Imperial, the Lord Privy Seal to the King. It is my pleasure to meet you.”

While the introductions occurred, various servants filed out of the plane with all the necessities, with one man lugging an eighty gallon keg of wine on his back. Two royal guards also exited the plane, each dressed in a red embroidered hauberk and carrying a ten-foot halberd.

Mr. Carter looked into the face of the Lord Privy Seal for but a moment, before bowing at the waist. Such a man of power had to be equal or greater in precedence than the Lord Chancellor. Mr. Cater had fully vented his frustration, and had now become calm enough to compose himself after the hectic ordeal of the uninvited guests.

While technically not uninvited, they were not on the original list provided to Mr. Carter and the Transportation Ministry. The motorcade has just parked about half a mile in distance from the tarmac, and now, there could be seen in the distance a procession of even greater splendor.

While normally dressed in a three-piece business suit of dress military uniform, the King and Queen were dressed in a more ceremonial form of garb. The chancellor had obtained half a day off, with the Vice Chancellor temporarily taking over legislative duteis, so that Chancellor Hanover could attend the ball and state dinner.

Queen Elizabeth had made her way to the front of line, along with the King. The Chancellor followed closely in tow, his wife was behind him by ony a yard. Margaret Hanover was decked out a white silk tunic, common as a form of ceremonial dress, and over that shae wore a flowing white floor length dress, with a blood red scarf and red tails, which dragged behind her, just touching the floor.

The Chancellor wore a silver colored robe, which reached to the floor, and was secured by solid gold buttong, and was lined with white polar bear fur trim. The inside of his robe, which flowed with his white tunic, was lined with mink fur, to insulate him from the cold weather.

Behind them, twenty members of the Royal Guard, which was a whole platoon, in the Monavian system, formed tow lines of ten. They were commanded by one Colonel Hawthorne, who was a respectable and formidable man. He stood six and a half feet tall, and was dressed in the formal dress uniform of the Royal Guard, as was his contingent.

In front of the King and Queen, stood two maidservants, who carried ostrich feather fans, which were secured to golgen rods, weighing arond fifteen pounds, and carried them forward. At the head of the line were two more guards and the security chief.

Minister Carter stood in a statre of minor shock, as such a procession was only used on state occasions, and such was not heard of since the Christmas procession that took place last year.

The procession neared the plane, and stopped short of it by about fifty feet. The guards parted, and drew out three foot steel sabers. They turned to face each other, and held the sabers high in the air, to form a chevron shaped formation. The Colonel stood to the left side, and his personal attendant stood to the right, just in front of the guards.

The maidservants bearing the fans stopped also, they did the same as the guards, and held aloft the ostrich plumed fans. The King and Queen, which now approached, stopped in front of the plane, and closely behind them was the Chancellor and Mrs. Hanover.

The King wore much finery, as did the Queen. The King wore a white silk tunic underneath all of his ceremonial robes, as did the Queen. Queen Elizabeth was stiff under the weight of the golden dress, made of the finest damask, and wore upon her stately head a solid platinum crown, which was more of a tiara or a circlet.

King Charles was equally impressive, boasting a golden robe reaching to the ground, that was lined with ermine and was buttoned up to the top of his neck. He too wore and identical crown, and both of the monarchs carried gold sceptres set with diamonds.

"Lord Privy Seal Artemis Imperial, and Your Majesty King William, I present to you the Monavain King and Queen, the Chancellor and his wife, and the finest members of the Royal Guard." Mr. Carter said, now with an air of announcement.

Behind the procession, three platoons of the Monavian Army assembled, presenting arms and saluting. Several members of the mounted police also assembled for the escort of the procession, and now the list of those present was complete.

"My fellow monarch, I welcome you to the Monavian Empire, and offer greetings on behalf of my people." King Charles said, now laying his sceptre on his shoulder.

“I am much obliged to you, Lord Carter,” stated Lord Imperial, “Much obliged. Indeed, there is no place I would rather be than here at this moment.”

“My feelings as well,” noted King William. “This stately ceremony that you have brought out to greet us has alone made the entire journey worthwhile, and the ball has not yet begun.” The King suddenly turned around, for four more figures had exited the plane. “Ah, my son Peter, heir to my throne.”

Peter had come down from the plane and now walked up beside his father. He was wearing a blue military uniform trimmed with gold. Behind him was walking someone who looked to be about the same age and in the exact same uniform. “You must be our most gracious hosts,” observed Peter. “Your Majesty, King Charles, you are so infinitely kind and yet so infinitely strong. And you, Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, are looking exquisite and beautiful.”

“Yes, Peter, you are quite right. Both of you look mighty and stately,” said the King.

Peter gave a bow, and so did the one dressed as he was dressed.

Then came a grisly, weathered man wearing a simple black robe and with a patch over one of his eyes. He held a gnarled wooden staff, but from his way of moving, it was apparent that this staff was not used as an aid in walking. His hair was very rough and uneven, as if tufts of it had been ripped out and had never grown back.

“This bold man here is Sir Vasilii Grunovich, my Spy Master and Keeper of the Royal Apothecaries,” introduced the King, “Please forgive him for his manner of dress, as he is Ruthenian.”

“Thankee Your Majesty, and I hold deep gratitude towards you, our generous hosts,” croaked Sir Grunovich.

The fourth person that had recently exited the plane then came before them. He was dressed like Lord Sebastien was, that is, a top hat, a swordstick, and a suit not unlike a tuxedo. The King then continued in introducing his ministers:

“This stately gentleman is Lord Howard Saxmundham, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Custodian of the Royal Monopolies.”

“Greetings, Your Majesty, King Charles, Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, Mr. Carter, and all the rest of our most amiable hosts.”

King Charles walked toward Prince Peter. He paused momentarily, and then spoke in a very slow manner. He was very flattered by the generous comments that King William and the other members of the delegation had made. He was most highly impressed by the kindness and honorable spirit that the delegation members shared.

"You are all very welcome, and I bid you good day. If you are willing to come along with us, we will escort you to the motorcade that will take us to the royal palace. The Royal Guard has assembled a unit to do the honors of ceremony. A military flyover is anticipated for tomorrow.

"Your baggage will be transported and unloaded unto trucks for the journey to the royal palace. There is a limosine reserved for King William, Prince Peter, myself, Queen Elizabeth, Chancellor Hanover, and Mr. Carter. My other esteemed guests will arrive by a second limosine.

"I further thank you for the acceptance of the invitation to attend the ball and state dinner. They willl be held tonight. Now, if you will come this way, my dear friend, we can begin our travel to the palace." King Charles said, now motionimng to King William to come forward to get to the motorcade.

The King and Queen now turned around and walked toward the entrance of the airport terminal. The fan bearers followed, and the guards stayed put to show respect to King William and the others as they filed past. Once at the limosine, Queen Elizabeth entered first, and sat down toward the front. King Charles sat to the immediate right of her, and Prince Peter sat to his right.

On the opposite side of the limosine, King William sat at the front, and Mr. Carter sat to his left. To the left of Mr. Carter, Lord Artemis Imperial sat down, and in the rear four seats sat Sir Grunovich,Lord Saxmundham, and the two guards bearing the long halberds, which were stored on a rack above the seats.

The door was shut by a valet, who then sat in the front seat next to the chauffer. They drove away, and were soon on the road to the palace.

“You are astoundingly kind, sir, to have made such extensive preparations for us,” said the King.

They followed the Monavian monarchs to the motorcade. Such was the length of the King’s cape that, after they had walked the half mile to the motorcade, the end of the King’s cape still had not emerged from the door of the plane. A servant was quickly sent for to roll up the cape so that the King could enter the limo.

The King meanwhile wondered about the nature of the vehicle he was about to enter. He had never understood why such machines were so popular among the places he had visited. Was not a coach without horses merely a box that moved? The appeal of these things was confounding, although the King decided against voicing his opinion as he feared it might offend his hosts.

Even after the cape had been rolled up and compacted tightly, the roll was still over eight feet in diameter. The King managed to squeeze in with it by placing the rolled up cape in the seats of the guards.

“Find some other way to get to where we are going,” ordered the King to the two of them.

“My liege,” noted Lord Sebastien, “They have those halberds to carry and only speak Hannoverian. Who will transport them?”

“They will find some other way of transportation if they had to do so in order to keep themselves employed under me,” said the King, slightly annoyed.

Lord Sebastien translated for them and they stood outside the limousine while the rest of the delegation sat in their places inside.

After the ordeal of entering the limosine, King Charles made a mental note to have some refreshments ready for the delegation. He told the chauffer to take the limosine to the palace, and to take the longer route. Since the two guards had no other way to sit in the vehicle, the car behind them was used to transport them instead. The limosine then began to drive away, now turning to get onto one of the many inroads that traversed the airport. The car then exited the airport about ten minutes later, and then it got onto the open raods.

The limosine traveled through the commercial district, which made up the center of the city. The route that had been selected took the vehicle past mant government buildings. Upon passing the Parliament Building, in the Capitol Square district, the limo was ordered to a stop. A window was rolled down for King William to look out of.

"If you will notice, the Parliament Building is where we will meat to finalize the treaty. There, in front of a great number of spectators, the final signing will take place and the celebration to follow will take up much of the remainder of the day. We must contunue on out way to the palace now. Chauffer, we need to go to the next stop."

Once again, the limosine began to travel to another part of the city, which was located on the way to the palace. The chauffer stopped at convergence between two roads, and began to turn onto a narrow two lane street in the middle of a park. On either side of the road, there was a line of statues, cast in the finest bronze, and ecah standing about twenty feet tall. Most of the statues were proportional to the height of the subjects that they portrayed, but some were cast ot look similar to the others.

The statues bore the likenesses of the past kings and queens of the Monavian Empire. They were erected and placed in the same order as the order that their reigns occured. As they passed down the two rows of statues, the feelomg of observing so much history began to fill the occupants of the limosine.

"Here are those who reigned before us, forbearers and ancestors, champions of Monavia, and most righteous rulers, the former monarchs of Monavia. This park was made to commemorate the various achievements that each successive dynasty has contributed to the history and people of Monavia." remarked the chauffer.

Mr. Black, the valet, decided to take a breath of the fresh air out of his window. He then noticed an unpleasant commonality that encompassed the whole park. "There are pieces of litter and bird waste upon the areas surrounding the bases of the statues." he said with great irritation.

In spite of the litter and bird waste, such trivialities as these were, the delegation had to arrive at the palace on time, so the limosine began to drive away. As it reached the final stop before it came to the palace, the most impressive and greatest of the buildings in the country, at least in terms of height and volume, was soon to come.

The King looked around the city as they drove by, expecting that they would be driving out of it soon, although that moment never came. He was interested in the parliament building, as it reaffirmed to him that his charter actually would be signed. It was not as if he did not trust the Monavians, but, due to what was at stake, he could never truly rest until he had another signature.

The King was not disgusted by the bird droppings, or, rather, he was disgusted, but was not at all surprised. “You must actually be doing quite a good job of cleaning up this city. Too many cities in my dominion I have had the displeasure of riding through have had more waste than this. Not only are bird droppings present, but so are mounds of dung from dogs, cats, and other animals that roam the city streets. It is also fairly common in many cities for residents to simply dump their own buckets of excrement out the windows of the tenements. But alas, what can we expect, for city dwellers are a different sort from those living in the country.”

Lord Sebastien’s cell phone began to beep. He jumped from shock and looked at it. “I am surprised it works here,” said he. “But of course I should have expected as much from such a technologically advanced state as Monavian.”

He flipped open the device and read a message. “Your Majesty, “ said he, addressing King William, “it appears that several of the provinces back home have erupted in revolt.”

“How do you know?” asked the King, dumbfounded.

“It says so right here in this message sent to me by one of my associates who is working under Lord Stone.”

“Very well,” said the King, although he still did not seem to understand. “If you know so much, which ones are they?”

“The Polish provinces are revolting again. There is no surprise there, but apparently the some of the Swabians and Lotharingians have also risen up in arms.”

“Well, hmmph,” groaned the King, quite offended.

The limosine continued to wind its way to the palace. It arrived at the final stop, a tall group of buildings. The cluster was nearly five miles across in both directions, and many of the buildings in the center of the city are over a thousand feet high. The central building, a skyscraper owned by both the government and the various businesses that used it, stretched over 700 meters into the air. The top was capped by a 200 foot high spire, which was made of strong and solid metal, and plated with silver and rhodium.

"May I present to you the tallest building in the Empire, my dear fellow king. This is both a show of our strength, and our prosperity. We dedicated it to the Monavian people, and all that they hope to achieve." said King Charles.

The King’s distress was interrupted by King Charles showing off the skyscraper. King William gazed up at it, not sure what to think. “I do believe this is the largest building I have ever seen. I wish I had brought Sir Gaviscilio, as this marvelous piece of architectural innovation would be fascinating to him. How ever did you make it?”

All of the Cotenshirick delegates were looking up at the skyscraper except Sir Grunovich, who used this opportunity to scan the surrounding streets with suspicion.

"When the project was first undertaken, it was projected to take ten years to construct the building. It was finished on schedule, and was occupied starting in June of 1995. It was bulit by a group of five thousand laborers, and was made with only the finest of building materials, like many structures in this country. The Chancellor's secretaries have offices in the building, as well as the many member corporations and businesses that make up the Monavian National Trade Administration, and the International Monetary Exchange.

"The top office is occupied by Lord Basil Cyrus DeLeon, a powerful business executive and acclaimed author of books on economics and finance. He holds this noble title as an inheritance from his forefathers and those who bore his name. He is the international liason to the Minister of the Treasury."

With this, King Charles then remarked, "My grandfather was a lover of architecture. It was his idea to build such a building, and he financed its construction for a the better part of seventeen years."

The limosine, which was parked in the driveway of the building, had been holding up the motorcade for over fifteen minutes now, so all of the passengers entered and were driven away to the palace.

The King was perplexed. “I am sure that you seek out only the best for employment as a minister of your crown, King Charles, but why has your Minister of the Treasury located his office here?”

Lord Saxmundham was embarrassed at the King’s question. He spoke up immediately, not wanting King Charles to think of them as ignorant. “If you would excuse me, Your Majesty,” said he, addressing King William, “I believe this location centralises all the various facets of Lord DeLeon’s work. If it was located out of the city, then he would be far away from his employees.”

The King still looked puzzled, but said anyway, “Thank you, Howard, and praise the almighty Providence that he has given unto me such knowledgeable advisors as you. And thank you, King Charles, for showing us this tallest of towers. Your grandfather must have had a truly awesome imagination to have come up with such an original idea. I am sure that he was a most amiable monarch.”

"He was very much so, having reigned successfully for thirty-three years. Lord DeLeon's work as liason to the Minister of the Treasury and as a businessman has been said to be a symbol of our national pride. He has lately been featured on the covers of many magazines after announcing his candidacy for mayor's finance liason this winter.

"My grandfather was more than just one of Monavia's better monarchs. He was able to unite together the people of the nation during the war of 1933 to 1947. It was an event that we intend not to repeat. After suffering over 687,000 dead and 448,000 wounded, we decided to erect a memorial for the many who suffered or died in the war. King Charles VII was responsible for the construction of it.

"He was a visionary for his time, having oveseen many public works projects during his reign. He also reformed the educational system. His wife, Queen Elizabeth V, was a clever and intrepid housekeeper and very skilled in her work raising my father and aunts. She is currently very old, having attained the age of 105. She lives in an upstairs room of the palace."

The limosine now approached the palace. It came to the final intersection of the two roads, and then turned to drive down the road parallel to front of the main building. King Charles spoke again.

"My grandfather and father before me were once great rulers, but as time went by, they grew old and decided to step down after such long reigns. While many Monavian kings and queens reigned to their death, a significant number among them stepped down, they retired as it were, because of old age, or becausee they wished to pass down the monarchy to their children. My grandfather, after spending a considerable amount of money, which was about 3,000,000 thalers at the time, renovated the palace and replanted many parts of the grounds, as well as financed the restoration of many government buildings.

"By the way, I would have brought you here by carriage, had it not been for the fact that there were so many passengers. Fitting eight or more into one of them would have made for a very crowded and uncomfortable situation."

Bump.

“I completely understand,” said the King. “We do have some six or even eight passenger carriages in the dominion, although they are quite difficult to handle and do not make turns well. These automobiles, as I believe them to be called, shall do just fine for our visit.”

Peter then interjected: “Your grandmother is 105 years old? That is quite incredible. I believe I have once met a peasant man who was around that age, although aside from him I do not believe I have ever met anyone older than 85.”

“I am 88, m’lud,” informed Sir Grunovich.

“Well, I was not referring to the undead,” jested Peter. He then realised that the Monavians might not know what he was talking about. “You see, Your Majesty King Charles, my father’s advisor here has gained a reputation back in the Dominion of invincibility. He has been shot five times—”

“11, m’lud. Pardon me. 5 times in the head, 11 total.” Sir Grunovich lifted a tuft of his hair to reveal a dark scar.

“Yes, if you say so. He has survived many poisoning attempts, has been stabbed countless times, and has survived over fifteen minutes underwater chained to lead weights in the frigid River Syme. I believe you have also been hit head-on by a locomotive travelling at full speed, is that right?”

“Yes, m’lud. I had just shot some smugglers when their roguish associates ambushed me and tied my neck between two telegraph lines on opposite sides of the tracks. It was a foggy night, so the locomotive could not see me in time to slow down. I survived it, however, and was flung up in a tree. The rogues caught me again, forced a shotgun barrel up my mouth, and fired, but that still didn’t do me in. I was smart enough by now, though, to pretend to be dead.

“Thinking that they had killed me, they disposed of my body by burying it in the snow. I waited there for as long as I could, not wanting to emerge and find that they were still in the area. Just as I began to extricate myself, I felt the giant claw of a behemoth grapple me and shovel me out of the snow. It must have caught my scent and heard the commotion. It then carried me for about eighteen hours or so, with my body skewered on its lower incisors and its frothy, bacteria infested drool enveloping my body. I laid absolutely still for this entire time, even slowing my heart rate, for if it detected that I was still alive, then I would have been doomed for sure.

“It dumped me in its den, carved in a deep glacial cave. I laid there for the next couple of days. I was lucky that the beast did not step on me or lay on me and crush me. I moved my hand toward the dart gun that was still on my belt at a rate of about one centimeter per hour, and once I had grabbed it, I moved it in to position to fire just as slowly. Then, when the moment was right, I shot the beast in its left eye so that the razorback venom would reach its brain in the quickest possible way.

“Unfortunately, the venom had partially frozen inside the dart and it took a while for the venom to be released. The behemoth spent this time thrashing me about and hurling my body repeatedly against the wall of the cavern. Icicles pierced my body in several places. I also suffered a collapsed lung and broke more than half the bones in my body. The beast died, though, before it could finish playing with me.

“I cut out several of the beasts teeth and used them as spikes to help me climb the otherwise innavigable crevasses that led out of the glacier. I then walked for several days back to the tracks on which those rogues had attempted to kill me. I was picked up by a locomotive less than a day later.

“All of this when I was a toddler of 58. It took me four years to heal from all the injuries and infections I suffered, and if it were not for the shotgun pellets that occasionally give me headaches, I have completely recovered,” concluded Sir Grunovich.

The spymaster had related this narrative with an eerie enthusiasm, and the King stood poised constantly, wondering if he should interrupt the tale. After his minister had finished however, all the King could say was, “Heavens, I remember you coming back after that when we had all taken you for dead. You were just a year younger then than I am now when that all occurred.” He turned towards King Charles and said, “While he may be quite eccentric, as you can also see, he is one of my most talented ministers.”

"He is indeed an excellent minister. Once the story of such a bad set of circumstances had come to light, I am sure that you were furious with the ruffians."

The limosine now entered the wrought iron palace gates. The gates, which in the outer perimeter were ten feet high, swung open to reveal a cobblestone driveway, which led to a second set of gates. The second gateway was also made from wrought iron, it was over fifteen feet hight ans was enclosed by an arched door frame that was carved from pieces of solid granite. The second set of gates swung open, and now the limosine drove slowly through a lawn of rye grass, which streched a good hundred meters.

In the front of the palace, there stood a large marble collonade, in the form of a six column portico. It was of the purest white marvle, and was a product of the renovations that had taken place under King Charles VII. It was over fifty feet high, and dwarfed the limosine in its shadow. Beside the portico, there was a tall column of white granite, which was a different shade than the marble. The steps which led up to the entrance were also made of white granite. They stretched about ten feet high.

The two columns, which were square in shape, had flaming bronze bowls on their tops, the bowls were really basins of oil and natural gas, which produced flames to keep the area lit at night and warm in the day. The palace strethced for 150 feet in both directions, on either side of the portico.

Despite the extravagant nature of the palace, many of the upper rooms on the ends were government offices, quarters for the staff, and storage space for the large quantities of food, water, and other necessary goods that were needed for such occasions as that were to take place in the coming evening. The front of the palace was more than just impressive in size and cost, it was the embodiment of twelve years of labor that had been undertaken to restore the residence of the ruling family of Monavia.

The limosine now parked itself in front of the collonade. The chauffer's assistant, who was also the valet, exited the limosine and opened up the doors. He led out Sir Grunovich and King William, with his billowing cape being carried behind him. The King and Queen exited next, and Mr. Carter waited until Lord Artemis Imperial was out before exiting himself. The party, now advanced up the steps to the front doors of the palace.

The King was not exactly disappointed with the palace, although it was not what he had expected. After all, many of his palaces had outhouses grander than this. The King realised, however, that he had tastes for the largest and most ornate palaces, and many did not share his enthusiasm. Unknown to the King, many architects that had worked for him quipped that “if 200,000 people did not die during construction, then it is not big enough.” The King was, of course, unaware that his projects cost such a high toll of life. On the other hand, his granting of a project to a community greatly enriched it, and the King’s spending is by far the greatest stimulus in the economy of the Dominion.

“This palace is absolutely lovely,” said the King. “The torch columns are a nice touch.”

“Yes, as my father said, it is quite a splendid palace,” added Peter. While Peter was saying this, the King whispered to Lord Saxmundham, “I want torches four times as big as these, four thousand of them, built on each of my palaces. Four thousand on each.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer made a mental note of this, although he did not give much priority to it, for the King would probably forget that he had ever made this request before they returned to the Dominion.

(OOC: Sorry for the inconsistent responses. I have been very busy.)

You are forgiven. I just try to stay active.

In Character:

The party advanced to the front doorway, which was in the form of two massive oaken doors that stood an easy twenty feet high. they had brass knockers on the front, which were plated thickly in gold. Two guards stood at the entrance, both of which had ceremonial circular shields with a large chi rho monogram upon them. The style dated back to the medieval period.

Queen Elizabeth took a large gold key out from her outer pocket. She inserted it into the large brass lock that was set in the door, and unlocked it. She aslo unlocked the other door. She beckoned the two guards to open up the doors, and she stood back as they pulled them ajar. Within a few moments, the doors had been opened, and light flooded the front of the hall from the entrance.

The delegation and the Monavian officials entered the main entrance hall of the palace. The buliding was a standing testament to Monavian engineering prowess, as it had stood for over four centuries, and the renovated portions showed more of the ability of the Monavian people to organize themselves for a common purpose. The hall was magnificent.

Inside tha hall was a large fountain of polished stone, it was over twenty feet across and was in the form of a circle. It had four layers, and upon the uppermost layer stood a golden statue of an angel holding a long trumpet, in silent song. The hall stood a good thirty feet high, with a vaulted ceiling of marble. the floor was marble also, and was richly decorated with various geometric patterns. On either side of the hall was an aisle, covered by a collonade, and under it ware frescos showing the history of Monavia.

Once inside, the delegation was led through a side door in a gap in the collonade. They entered a sitting room, which was painted a bright shade of magenta. Various paintings lined the walls. One of them was a court portrairt of King Charles VII. He stood in full military regalia, sitting upon a white stallion, in the middle of a courtyard in the front of the Supreme Court Building.

The party now stood before the painting. King Charles introduced it as the painting of his grandfather.

The Cotenshirick party gazed upon the painting. “He is a most regal king,” announced King William.

“Indeed, quite regal,” added Peter, “He must have been a very powerful monarch indeed.”

“Yes, he looks very powerful and very regal,” concurred Lord Sebastien.

“The most regal king I have ever seen,” proclaimed the one dressed like Prince Peter.

“No, William is the most regal king, but this king here, grandfather of Charles IX, is certainly close in regality,” corrected Peter.

“Alright, the two are equal in regards to all matters regal,” retorted the one dressed like Prince Peter.

“William is slightly the more regal.”

“I think not.”

“Quit acting like a fool.”

“Now, now,” said King William, “This argument is silly. Charles is most regal in respect to his land, I am most regal in respect to my land.”

“Excellently said,” complemented Lord Saxmundham.

Bump. I will reply in one day.

"His regality notwithstanding, he was after all a most wonderful king. his achievemants are recorded in the historical archives of the palace. Of course, the feats of horsemanship that are displayed in the painting were one of the things that he had a penchant for," remarked King Charles.

"The horses that have been bred in the royal stables are part of a bloodline that has existed for many centuries. The stallion shown here is only one of them."

He then pointed out that King Charles VII also had a strong love of hunting in the summers. He looked at the wall adjacent to the one with the painting, and motioned the delegation to look at a row of a dozen sets of deer antlers hanging on the wall. They all had at least ten points upon which the antlers had terminated.

"These were brought back during his hunting trips between 1928 and 1949. He had obtained them over a long time, and he has more of them hanging above his desk in his study."

The King looked upon the antlers, wondering what the appropriate thing was to say. Charles XII must have been a rather poor hunter if all he showed off was these miniscule deer antlers. He possibly had the moose specimens elsewhere, although the King new that he would be embarrassed to show anything like these antlers anywhere in his palaces. “They are quite lovely,” the King finally said, after which his retinue followed with “Yes, they are lovely,” “Quite lovely indeed,” and “I concur, quite lovely antlers.” The King then said, “Your grandfather must have loved deer, and I do too. What was that film you showed me, Lord Sebastien?”

“Bambi?”

“Yes, that was it. Quite an excellent film that demonstrated the majesty of deer. It was done very well, I might add. Even though it was painted instead of filmed, it was in the liveliest colour I have ever seen. It was disappointing when that fawn got away from the hunters, though. They clearly wanted him.”

"I think that I saw that film. I find it a pity that the hunters did not obtain their goal of having roast deer for dinner, but then again, a little faun is hardly a rich prize." the Queen said. "If you wish to see more impressive antlers, there is a set that has fourteen points that belonged to a 1,200 pound elk. It is located in the library, and it was a major hassle trying to hang the bloody thing."

“I can surely relate,” interjected Peter. “I remember once attempting to hang the head of a seven ton bull moose at the hunting lodge. Even our strongest man could not carry it up the ladder, so we had to use some ropes in a complicated setup. We at last secured it high above the parlour, although it only remained up there for about four hours. Then the beam cracked and buckled under its weight and part of the ceiling came crashing down. A keg was smashed, several gallons of wine leaked throughout the room, and some servants died, but miraculously the bull’s head was completely undamaged.”

“All is well that ends well,” noted the King. “If I may inquire, what lodge was this one that you speak of?”

“The northwestern-most one of the Eastern Palace.”

“It was? Well, I am surprised. That palace was superbly constructed. If I had to choose one from my many royal residences,” said the King to the Monavians, “I would say that my favorite would be the Eastern Palace. It may not be the most grand in terms of geographical size, although it is certainly the most ornate. It was the first palace completed during my reign, and it cost me around £4.4 Trillion. The designer was that genius of architectural renown, Sir Galeazzo Gaviscilio.” The King said that name with a particular ring in his voice. He was quite proud of having such a man at his disposal.

"If Sir Gaviscilio had such a good record of work, perhaps such talent as his could be used in this country. While we have many skilled architects, we are always willing to learn more about the subject. Also, with regard to a bull moose, we have a pair of them stuffed in a museum in Capua. They are on display during this time of the year.

"If you will follow us, we will show you the dining room. You can wait there, and the butler will show you to your quarters, where you can get ready for the ball. It begins at three o'clock this afternoon."

The butler came into the room and approached the delegation.

“Oh, is that true? A bull moose pair in a museum? I would like to see that,” said the King emphatically.

“Some time after the ball, of course,” added Lord Sebastien. “That is, if you want to show them to us. I understand how it can be troublesome.”

After the conversation ended, the King and his retinue followed the butler. As they were walking with him, the King demanded, “Sir, explain to me where ‘Capua’ is.”



Meanwhile, several hundred of the other Cotenshirick “guests” would be trickling in over the next several hours. Most of them would arrive at the ball, although a few were still lost and wandering around somewhere in Monavia.

The first such group of guests arrived and came to the initial gate to the palace. There were two men that stood out: one was obviously a member of the clergy due to his ornate white garb and scintillating diadem. The other was dressed in a heraldic tunic and wore a sheathed rapier on his belt. Attending to these two men were about ten servants.

The butler escorted the King of Cotenshire and his small retinue down the hall to their rooms. As he wlaked down the hall, he happened to hear what the King's question was and proceeded to reply.

"Capua is a city of about two million people that is located about 100 miles outside the city of Chalcedon. The distance makes travel take several hours, but eventually anyone can get there within one day."

The butler then opened the doors to the rooms and gave the party time to settle in.

Meanwhile, the flow of guests was being monitered by the guards at the front gates. They proceeded to allow the first of the guests to enter as quickly as was necessary. The ballroom was being prepared for the coming ball. The palace staff were busy at work.

In the private section of the palace, the King and Queen were preparing for the ball. They changed into more formal dress for the occasion, and both were arrayed in white tie attire. As they finished, they proceeded to walk towards the ballroom and sit down at the adjacent room to wait for the coming guests.