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[Il Palazzo]

This game - I'm loving it.

And Gabrielle is a female name, I think.

I'll get to formulating my house's position on this matter after I'll get some sleep - this is getting too serious(in game terms).

[Kejardon]

sorry, but I think my turn is going to delay the game for another day or two... Today ended up being a bit lot busier than I expected and currently I don't have a particularly good internet connection. I'm having a hard time just accessing this site to post this, let alone uploading a quarter meg save game.

---

A message from the Speaker of House Hawkwood

Our house has been long been communicating with House Li-Halan, due to the obvious proximity of the two houses. As they have consistently had a chance to present messages shortly before our house, we have kept somewhat silent to prevent needless repetition and wasting your time. However, as strife is unfortunately appearing between the houses we must make it clear where we stand.

We have heard very little on the issue of Artemis between Li-Halan and Al-Malik. House Li-Halan has made no mention of Al-Malik's interest or communication of Artemis, recent or distant past, until it became a public issue discussed on Byzantium. In addition, House Al-Malik has made no communication at all to Hawkwood about Artemis. Had Al-Malik stated an interest in Artemis in the past we would have gladly discussed it with them, but we heard nothing. To discuss it now seems also silly, as Gabrielle has governed his cities well and will govern Artemis well.
The situation in Chernobog is similar for our House Hawkwood. Other than House Li-Halan, we have neither seen nor heard of any other house's interest in it, and after discussing the matter with House Li-Halan, we have decided that House Hawkwood will manage the planet for its improvement. We are even now landing people to survey the land and cities, bring the people up, and quell insurrections against progress.
During the same discussions, we have also decided that, as both Chernobog and Artemis are vital for travel to and from our houses, House Li-Halan and House Hawkwood will jointly monitor and protect the two planets and space travel along them. Should a threat come to either planet, even from another house, we will honor our promise and fight against it.

These things have been agreed upon between our two houses, and I see no reason why the other houses should have any reason to be concerned about these actions. Our more pressing concern is that the most recent discussions seem to be headed toward violent actions rather than sensible conversation. We had hoped that the discussions would come to an agreement, as the situation on Aylon has, but now we worry that this outcome will be different.

House Li-Halan has given us no reason to distrust them, and so their accusations against the chief Saladin cannot be ignored. However, the accusations they have presented are far too serious to trust on faith alone, and while we do not like to delay necessary action, we have seen no evidence of Saladin's barbarism ourselves.
If anything is worrisome it is that he seems inattentive and has a poor selection of messengers. The Al-Malik speaker has shown himself to be grossly ignorant of Lord Gabrielle of House Li-Halan, and Saladin has failed to contact our house in advance in the matter of Artemis. Yet Saladin did discuss the matter of Aylon and came to an acceptable agreement, showing he is clearly capable of civilized discussion.
We will neither take present action nor aid in it against House Al-Malik. However, we also wish House Al-Malik to know that in the future, if it fails its responsibilities to speak of its actions that regard other houses before they become a public issue, we will take the side of the other house. Negligence is not a suitable trait for nobles.

[Kebooo]

(I know Gabrielle is the female spelling, I like how it's spelled better, so in my fantasy Li Halan culture, it's male.  Also, I have to thank mlittle for initiative on Aylon and Artemis, without this drama the game would be very uneventful so far, as is usual early on.  Also, notice in the other game it was the Li Halan and al-Malik that began the first rivalry?  Is history repeating itself?).

Lords of the realm,

Lord Kejardon, as usual, shows himself as a seasoned leader and man of reason.  It was only until this very year that the al-Malik mentioned Artemis to the Li Halan.  I informed Saladin that he was left out of negotiations because it would have been dishonest to include him in the talks.  Unlike the Decados and Aylon, neither the Hawkwood or Li Halan are entangled with the al-Malik or have multiple planets to negotiate with them.  All we had to negotiate, in its entirety, was Artemis.  As this planet is far too strategically important for both the Hawkwood and Li Halan, and important in the dividing of our empires, we could not have voted in good faith to give Artemis, or any portion of it, to the al-Malik.  What is left to negotiate?  What does Saladin want?  Does he want a farm here too?  For what purpose?  He has no business on Artemis.

Should the will of one house overrule the will of two?  Is this not anti-democratic and barbaric?  To have included the al-Malik, when they had not even mentioned Artemis despite ten years to do so, would have been disingenuous.  I personally explained this to Saladin, and in turn was accused of being a merchant guild and guild house with no honor.  It was then that I could tell the al-Malik were not interested in civility.  This came from a man that had secretly occupied cities on Aylon, when we know any noble of true blood is capable enough to see the Decados would be soon coming to take the world.  Such scheming and trickery is beneath even the minor houses.

Even now the al-Malik do not recognize our claims to Artemis!  What does it take, a signature from Saladin himself to grant our public claims, military presence, space control, planet control, defense pact and democratic decision legitimacy?  I fear Saladin is simply trying to take revenge on us over Aylon, attempting to paint the two situations as similar.  Our house has not attempted to spill into his space, but now, from his words and his refusal to acknowledge our claim to Artemis, we can only assume he aspires to eventually try to take this world by force.  Why else would he refuse to recognize the world as Li Halan's?  Does he side with the rebels?  Or perhaps the trees? 

I have thrown out the DNA testing, as corruption and fraud from one of our overzealous labs tried to push us toward war, but despite Saladin's noble lineage, that does not prevent him from being barbaric.  We hope he may see the error in his ways and become enlightened by this fiasco. 

-High Lord Gabrielle of house Li Halan

[Il Palazzo]

(excerpt from an interview for an independent news company)
Personally, I think that it's silly and unfit of a noble to bring about such accusations as the DNA test, that w've heard. For one, I wouldn't believe any medical analysis until I have Saladin(or anybody) dissected in my own laboratory. No offense intended.
It also strikes me as weird how certain houses go ideological on matters of simple military control of some worlds.
All in all, this recent "drama" seems altogether unnecesary, especially as nobody really has got enought force under their control to effectively invade other houses' worlds.
As for the Artemis problem we have here, when some house decides to express their interest in any given world, it's best to negotiate rather than just to tell them to, colloquially speaking, fuck off. Such a behaviour serves not only to anger the contesting house, but alo to alienate other, presently neutral houses, who might start to view any such a rude side as warmongering and distrustfull.

[Kebooo]

In an open letter to the independent news company that ran the interview:

Dear NSN, your recent media coverage has seemed biased against my house.  Our lab, now decommissioned for fraud, only ran DNA tests after Saladin had accused us of being a merchant guild.  Is such an accusation unfit for a noble?  Surely the honorable Ibn Palazzo mentioned this in his interview, so why did you leave it out?  I know when reporting news you seek sensationalism, but we hope for more balance in the future.

As for any false accusations about my house having an imperial attitude, perhaps you should interview Lord Kejardon or any Hawkwood official to see how the Li Halan are completely fair and considerate in valid, mutual, sensible negotiations.  If one-hundred years had passed, and Saladin expressed interest in Artemis, what then?  Must we negotiate?  One thousand years perhaps?  Why must we completely go out of our way to appease an interest that cannot be reasonably appeased?

After I had spent time, effort and resources on Artemis, what was there to negotiate?  No noble or official has suggested any compromise or any possible negotiations to be had.  Why have they not?  Because simply put, they know there are none.  Saladin did not offer any negotiations, he only offered harsh and rude words against my house.  He is bitter that the planet's fate is a democratic and just one.  Some are playing politics, perhaps to stir up support at home.  This is understandable.  However, it is unacceptable for the al-Malik to have any presence on the planet for obvious reasons.

As the planet was linked between three houses, two houses made a democratic decision that Saladin simply did not show up for, as surely it did not take him ten years to figure out its importance to the Li Halan and Hawkwood and that our negotiations for it began many years ago.  Perhaps your reporters should speak with Saladin and ask why he lashed out against our house, unreasonably, and never showed any interest in Artemis to the Hawkwood or Li Halan over ten years, despite the fact the Hawkwood and Li Halan immediately began negotiations over several planets simultaneously.  Surely a noble house of stature has the resources and diplomats to inform us of their interest at least once, in passing.  Why did they wait until we had publicly made claim to it?  What if he had never expressed interest?  Why is it our responsibility to contact him over it when the will of two has always overruled the will of one?

Artemis, as should be well known by now, was originally to be under Hawkwood control.  If it was still Hawkwood's, I would back them on their claim, as they back me on my claim.  And is democracy not the way of our regency?  Is it not the way of the pancreator?  We elect our regent, so the Hawkwood and Li Halan elected to claim Artemis, and make this claim known.  If negotiations were to begin, the Hawkwood and Li Halan could simply democratically overrule the al-Malik.  Or is democracy not allowed in our galaxy?  Most do not understand this situation because it is a unique one.  This is not strictly a negotiation between the Li Halan and al-Malik.  The control of Artemis affects the entire empires of the Hawkwood and Li Halan, and thus the way we split our empire is entirely dependent on it being in the hands of one of our houses.  It would completely destabilize the situation between the Hawkwood and Li Halan, all for what, so that Saladin can make illegitimate claims to a world he expressed interest in last?

The losers of the regency cannot make a reasoned argument over not being negotiated with, especially if they sat in silence for ten years over the issue.  Is this not the logical, ethical, reasonable, and noble stance to take?  So often losers of elections and democratic decisions attempt to frustrate and antagonize, but we must look past this issue and to a more peaceful and stable future for all.  Please, reconsider your coverage so that it is not edited in a slant against the Li Halan. 

Sincerely, Gabrielle Li Halan

[Kebooo]

And as the plague finished ravaging the known worlds, humanity had died away and the symbiots poured through to claim Byzantium Secondus.

Any progress yet on the internet connection Kejardon?

[nahkh]

(taps the desk idly)

[Il Palazzo]

For a lack of other things to do, I'll play a grammar nazi for a while:

And as the plague finished ravaging the known worlds, humanity had died away and the symbiots poured through to claim Byzantium Secondus.

WHAT A FAIL! SECONDUS! HAHAHA, GO AND LEARN LATIN, YOU UNEDUCATED LI HALAN BUMPKIN!

(a voice in Kebooo's head says: this asks for a retribution!)
(a voice in nakh's head says: wow, Il Palazzo is so stupid...)
(a voice in Mlittle's head says: what's this all about?)
(a voice in Kejardon's head says: wha... OH HOLY CRAP, I WAS GOING TO DO MY TURN, BUT COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT!)

[Kebooo]

For a lack of other things to do, I'll play a grammar nazi for a while:

And as the plague finished ravaging the known worlds, humanity had died away and the symbiots poured through to claim Byzantium Secondus.

WHAT A FAIL! SECONDUS! HAHAHA, GO AND LEARN LATIN, YOU UNEDUCATED LI HALAN BUMPKIN!

(a voice in Kebooo's head says: this asks for a retribution!)
(a voice in nakh's head says: wow, Il Palazzo is so stupid...)
(a voice in Mlittle's head says: what's this all about?)
(a voice in Kejardon's head says: wha... OH HOLY CRAP, I WAS GOING TO DO MY TURN, BUT COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT!)

I would like to add that the Decados were the last to die to the plague/symbiots (due to hanging out in jungle tree houses), so it was their historian that wrote that line in my post.

[Kejardon]

It's more of an actual "WHY MUST MY INTERNET CONNECTION AT HOME BE OUT RIGHT AFTER I STARTED THAT GAME?!", for the last three days. Still don't know why it's STILL out. I was traveling all last week and just had an internet connection of various qualities at various stops, and now I'm home again and not expecting any outages. Aside from the fact it is currently out.

But turn finally sent >_> Sorry for the delays. And what's this about a plague? 

::edit:: Uh. One hour later, my internet connection is working again. And I still have NO IDEA WHY.
Hopefully it doesn't decide to go out for no reason again

[Kebooo]

The plague was just to represent the three days or so that went by with no activity in the topic.

[Il Palazzo]

I knew it was going too fast...

[Kebooo]

9 days since my last turn...*starts tearing his hair out from EFS withdrawal*

[Mlittle]

I'm back and my turn is done.

[nahkh]

Holy shit we're live.