[open] diplomatic envoy

[Dreyfus]

♅ 70th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Diplomats, Sir Dornkirk| Thoughts: How Curious | Mood: Intrigued

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♅ To say that he was unprepared for being exposed to that amount of aether would be an understatement. He was used to having a few bloody tears and chest pain from being around magic and the aether of it, but this feeling was unlike anything he had experienced before. He could tell it came from the Prince, as he was the one Dreyfus had approached.

So much magical energy from one being could not bode well at all, and his superiors were right in sending a Minder to watch him. Dreyfus however, knew he was no match for the man even if he were to try and ward him off. The most he would be able to do would be to ward the ambient aether from his space in their next encounter.

The Prince's words caused a smirk on his face to form. This one was under the pretense that he was protected by the Grand Marshal's invitation. Though that may be true, it wouldn't make sense for the Order to send a Minder if they believed the Prince of Kalzasi wasn't dangerous in some capacity. Rumors swirled around headquarters about him, about what he "allegedly" had become.

It would be interesting to see what they would bring to the city during these delegations. Watching as he and his escorts moved along with their disembarkment, Dreyfus felt a hand rest upon his shoulder, turning to see Natasha standing at his side with a wet cloth. Taking it he wiped the blood clean and looked to Sir Dornkirk. There was nothing to really say to the man, except sending him a nod and going about his way.

If he was to be their liaison while in Zaichaer he would have to prepare himself for being at their side till this summit was concluded. Dreyfus was however glad he was chosen, having been given such an interesting query such as the Prince of Kalzasi. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Ah, yes." Brenner's faint, stoic smile broadened and his silver-blue eyes glinted with something more genuine than he'd yet projected. "As you know, the Zaichaeri aeronautics industry is a point of pride. Whilst we may not have been born to fly as Your Highness was, the ingenuity of our scientists has helped us ascend great heights. Ever upward." He said, with a firm nod. The Air Commander couldn't have been more pleased that the Dipolmatic Corps had chosen to highlight the Dornkirk contribution to those advances by setting up a tour of the Windworks founded by his father and overseen by his brother.

Brenner arched an eyebrow as the Reconciliator pushed his way through the soldiers to his rear to claim a place at his side. His jaw tensed, conjuring a dimple into existence for a split second, before he forced a smile.

He'd known, of course, that the Order would be sending agents, but he'd been led to believe they would be subtle about it. Of course the Kalzasi delegation was aware of Zaichaeri laws and regulations, and the severity of the punishment for those who defied them. The High City certainly made no secret of its contempt for magic and those who practiced its corrupting arts. They did, however, tend to be more furtive about how they surveilled and tracked magic users.

Brenner's head tilted to one side, as Dreyfus announced that he would, essentially, be usurping the position to which the Air Commander had reluctantly been assigned. He might have been relieved, had it taken place before Kalzasi's prince had descended to greet them, but in this moment it just felt... messy. He staved off a grimace that threatened to intrude upon the stoicism that painted his visage. Brenner wished to project the order and clarity of purpose for which the City of Brass was known. He certainly did not wish to exhibit to these foreigners that he was at cross purposes with another agent of Zaichaer, or that he hadn't been aware of said agent's assignment.

All at once, what might have been a blip of inconvenience turned into outright chaos, as Dreyfus collapsed suddenly- causing the Kalzasern contingent to assume postures of defence which, of course, caused the Zaichaeri guards to do the same. Brenner for his part held his hands aloft, and took a few, stumbling steps back as one of the Avialae darted between himself and the prince. From that position, he executed a hand gesture indicating that the Zaichaeri guards to his rear should hold and take no provocative action.

After a few tense moments, the foreign prince deëscalated the situation, indicating his people should stand down. Brenner released a sigh of relief and lowered his hands, glancing over his shoulder and nodding for Zaichaer's people to do the same. He fought off a snarl twitching at his upper lip as he glanced from Dreyfus to the tall creature who chastised him. How confounding that Dreyfus' actions had put Brenner in a position of agreeing with the prince- Even being thankful to him for allowing the Reconciliator's folly to pass without becoming an international incident.

"My... profuse apologies, Your Royal Highness. I hope you will not allow this incident to mar your opinion of our city. I assure you The Order of Reconciliation is not typically prone to such..." Brenner scowled to Dreyfus, "...indecorous behaviour amongst its ranks. Of course the Grand Marshall's invitation affords Your Highness all the diplomatic privileges previously established between our Diplomatic Corps and yours. Rest assured this matter will be addressed so that your visit is not further disrupted without warrant." He nodded to Dreyfus as the Reconciliator departed, and allowed his expression to soften once more to the Prince.

"Quite right, Highness. Some of the buildings still in use in that district have been standing since Zaichaer's royal era, believe it or not..." He gestured toward a waiting coach. Thankfully the Diplomatic Corps had had the foresight to send open carriages to accommodate the heights of some of their guests. Fortunately the weather was in their favour.

[Rickter]

From the looks of things Rickter could perceive the cordial arrangement found within Talon's words, the black wolf letting out a long sigh through his nostrils after hearing the agreement in his words. "Looks as though we'll be getting a grand tour of the city starting tomorrow." He figured dryly as he took note of the other hooded figure stepping forward, the man who Aoren pointed out as the Reconciliator in service for Zaichaer as well. Immediately when his eyes fell upon the man Rickter's gaze narrowed on him, hearing the whispers of this 'wolf of secrets' that were immediately hushed as he approached the group of arrivals. "Wolf huh?" As his eyes never once left from him Rickter appraised him from toe to head, avoiding direct line of sight as the man seemed clearly fixated on Talon when he came to greet them. "I'd like to show you what a real wolf can do." He was thankful that only Talon and Aoren would understand the feelings of his thoughts, for the black wolf wasn't afraid to make it clear how unsettled this man made him.

And then the sudden collapse that led him clutching at his own chest, while blood trickled from the corners of his eyes as he struggled to regain his feet. Immediately when the moment of astonishment prompted action, Aoren quickly came to step between Talon and the man with wings raised, while Rickter himself drew closer to Talon protectively with a twitch of his fingers. A twitch. That was how close he came... Eikaen's fucking balls he didn't know what came over him just then, right as Talon gestured for the lot of them to stand down Rickter loosened, the tension in his shoulders lost as he mentally pushed the feeling that shook him out. Clearly he'd been spending too much time as a literal wolf this season, for the guardian had felt as though every hair on his rump had stood on end, as though he were an actual hound whose hairs were spiked along the spine.

Whatever he had felt when he sensed the Reconciliator's episode, it felt completely abnormal in regards to Rickter's past experiences. His instincts were never really wrong to begin with, therefore, the fact this man literally admitted that it stemmed from sensing aether meant something. Whether the black wolf had perceived this new wolf as a threat or not, that remained to be determined, but the fact alone that he had a way of detecting magic in such an uncanny way... It unnerved him much deeper than what Rickter had experienced in the past few seasons. Probably because such a thing could be weaponized against them, and that ultimately, led the wolf to clench his jaw as he looked to Talon once more. He was the leader here after all, and it was his lead that Rickter followed at the end of the day.

That's when he felt it finally. Calm. It had been driven to Aoren first but then they both shared in that feeling, and then once again the black wolf was able to breathe cautiously through his nose. He'd forgotten that he'd held it after such a tense moment, those around having seen the display, before Talon addressed the Reconciliator about his demand to see their permit. Rickter had almost chuffed after hearing the response, clearly having spent too much time around another Rathari that'd started to rub off on him. Still he found amusement in how quick Talon was to turn the insistent man away, the black wolf's gaze soon averted as he forced his lips to remain firm as they were. He did not need to smile or chuckle at the moment, not when he still felt pressed to remain wary of everyone nearby.

The Commander began to apologize sincerely for the incident, clearly taken aback by the display of the Reconciliator for what it was worth. That sparked a bit of genuine curiosity in Rickter then, as he wondered what might've brought on the sudden tension in the man. Zaichaer as a whole was to be represented by him no? Weren't the Reconciliators just another division within the city? There were too many unknown variables for Rickter to figure out at the moment, and when he watched the bleeder as he walked away, he could only wonder how many times he'd have to put up with that ungodly feeling he'd felt before. With the tension now eased though the wolf was ready to focus on Talon again, who seemed ready to get their venture started after all that.

"Lead the way, my prince." He thought to himself quietly as he brought his hands back behind him, his fingers interlocked with one another as he walked alongside Talon to their coach.

[Pahoran]

Diplomatic
Envoy

70 Glade 121 Steel

Pahoran stood at attention with the other of the palace guards, his ice blue eyes looking over and taking in the agent of the Order of Reconciliation. The young man wasn’t surprised at the arrogance of the Agents of the Order. While this group wasn’t directly related to the Imperium, the Avialea still wondered how close of a connection there was. He was impressed with Talon’s response, he was equally impressed with the total lack of concern it appeared to cause the Agent. This was part of the problem, these people claimed to want to raise humanity above the gods, that they were independent of the gods. Well that was what had originally caused all of the problems.

To the young Knight this youth represented the ignorance that the Order sought to impose upon the world. He didn’t seem to care that he could have caused an epic level incident he just looked smuggle back at the prince.

Pah’s attention was turned away as the guard fell in line to follow the prince towards the embassy. He walked with the other’s at the ready but kept his eye out on the city around him. He did more then look at the sights he wanted to see how the people behaved. Did they actually appear happy, did they appear free. He could see structure, which he had to acknowledge was always good, but he watched to see if they were happy.

The dawnmatyr walked the streets with the others, feeling at one with these others, others who loved freedom, and creativity, and believed that they weren’t alone in the world.

[Florian]

R E V I E W

Lores
Brenner
Leadership-
Leading diplomatic envoys
Representing the Fatherland
Downplaying embarrassing situations
Strategic humility

Politics-
Formal reception of foreign dignitaries
Fledgling diplomacy
Concealing contempt
Standing on ceremony

Dreyfus
Etiquette: Meeting foreign nobility
Etiquette: Trying not to offend nobles while doing your job
Investigation: Asking to see all magical permits for visitors
Politics: Following protocol when meeting foreign dignitaries
Politics: Diplomatic Magical Immunity

Pahoran
Leadership: selecting people for a specific reason.
Leadership: making sure all of your group is aware of their part
Etiquette: There are certain rules about who you can bring on a diplomatic mission.
Etiquette: being polite even when others are tactless.
Intimidate: Show strength to questionable allies
Intimidate: looking your largest physically.
Politics: There are secrets countries keep to keep the peace
Politics: Meet with allies regularly

Rickter
Meditation: Analyzing The Circumstances That Lead Up To A Situation
Politics: Serving As Part of A Diplomatic Envoy
Psychology: Remembering Things About Your Significant Others
Etiquette: Escorting Your Charge As An Envoy
Detection: Noticing The Differences In Air Within Regions
Detection: Noticing When A Person Reacts To Aether Negatively
Intimidation: Looking The Part of the Tough Guy
Politics: Dealing With Ambassadors and Their Insistance

Zaichaer: City of Brass and Crass
Zaichaer: Onneifer Airfield
Zaichaer: Armed With Skyships
Zaichaer: The Zaichaeri Air Defense Corps
Zaichaer: A Place Rife With Prejudice
Zaichaer: A Place Where Science Drives Change
Zaichaer: A Military Driven City
The Reconciliators: An Order From The Gelerian Imperium
The Reconciliators: Have A Foothold In Zaichaer
Personal: Feeling Out of Place
Personal: Hardly Welcome in Zaichaer

Talon
Leadership: Leading a diplomatic delegation
Leadership: Commanding attention in a politically charged field
Politics: Using the nuance of law to debate
Politics: The importance of a first impression on foreign soil
Politics: Engaging with an enemy ambassador

EXP: 8exp each, not to be used for magic.

Notes: A very tense thread, I liked reading the vastly different perspectives during such an important set of first impressions,