The Day of Rising (Diplo Thread)

[Kira]

The Invitations had been sent in early winter, each penned by the High Chief to the diplomats and leaders of the nations around the world. While there were differences according to the relationship between Mil'Nor and the recipient nation of each letter, the following would consist of a generalization of its contents.
-
To whom it may concern

In an effort to foster friendly relations between the people of Mil'Nor and your own, High Chief Nils Tolvaj offers this Invitation to the yearly Day of Rising celebrations. The festivities begin on Esrellia 7th, and are expected to last for a seven-day at least. Accommodations will be made by Mil'Nor government for any formal personal sent, as it is hoped to use this period for discussions about the future of our two people's relationship.

May the Allfather bless you with good fortune and health.
High Chief Nils Tolvaj,
-

[Kira]

Vaylien 7th, 1931
New Raltera
Mil'Nor Joined Clans.

---

The preparations had gone accordingly for the city, with Old Town to the Docks having been adorned in a large amount of decorations of wreaths and early-budding flowers grown for the occasion. The markets and streets were filled with Mil'Nor, young and old. The Day of Rising served a great deal of purpose within Mil'Nor society, standing as both the first recognized day of spring and a day understood across the towns and settlements of the Clans to meet ones neighbors and family after a long winter. Peddlers would push their goods as the spring trade-routes restarted once again, and mothers could begin their gossips between another. Men would often use the spring air to teach their children the family trade, while the youth lived out the days of childhood as best they could.

The First Day in the city was one of "Meetings&Greetings" as the saying went in Mil'Nor, but within the Representational Offices of the Foreign Quarter, a very important meeting was to take place. Having been invited especially by the High Chief, officials from both other nations and the families within the Clans had been collected in waiting. The day was still early, leaving plenty of time for later parties to arrive before they went to Castle Tolvaj to meet with the host of the evening. Kathrine Mengele was present, overseeing things despite the time. The Aide had been doublechecking the attendance, making sure she knew who to account for properly.

---

Map of the City as needed for now.

(Post is now open)

[callmedelta]

Franerri Royal Palace, Pareau

"This is a perfect opportunity, your Highness," Lehran said, reading over a copy of the letter from Mil'Nor, "But even more than that, it's an opportunity we must take. This is an open invitation, anyone could be in Mil'Nor. Ulster-Gaelia, Galra, Kumosenkan for God's sake. We don't have much influence in Mil'Nor, and I've been meaning to change that for some time but there have always been more important matters at hand. If you don't go, don't offer the Kobolds anything, somebody else will. This is something you cannot afford to miss out on."

"I understand where you're coming form Lehran," Dante said with a sigh, "And I agree with everything you said, except the part about myself going. We are at war; Franerre needs her King here." Lehran started to speak up, but Dante silenced him with a glare. "This is final, Lehran." He took a deep breath. "I understand the severity of this situation and I trust your judgement completely, I really do. Take Gautier with you; I'm giving the two of you a blank check for Mil'Nor as far as I'm concerned. The National Chamber may be another matter, but if it's that important I'm sure I can bully it through, just this once."

Lehran took a deep breath, nodding. Tensions had been running high with the war, he couldn't blame Dante. "Yes, your Highness." Already, Lehran's mind was spinning with he and Sylvain could do, what they could offer, how the Ashinarans could fit into it all, and just like that his disappointment over the King's decision was already gone. 

~

Esrellia 7th, 1932. New Raltera, Mil'Nor Joined Clans

The Franerri vessel arrived around 9 am local time, just as the day was beginning. The Franerri party had to be punctual to a fault; time was of the essence. Coordination with the Ashinarans had been handled before the Franerri vessel left Pareau, but they still wanted to arrive before anyone else did. Gustaw Barbier, the Franerri ambassador in-country, was waiting for them at the docks along with whatever welcoming party Mil'Nor had. A letter had been sent ahead both telling of Franerre's willingness to come to such a meeting, the unfortunate fact that, due to the circumstances of the war, the King himself would not be attending, but the Foreign Minister Lehran de Angelis and the Minister of Commerce and Propserity Sylvain Gautier would be in attendance. 

[Greywall]

O'Donnell needed a vacation; the Gaelic Taoiseach had worked nonstop since winning his initial election run in 1925. At the orders of his majesty King Rufus, O'Donnell decided to take a vacation in Touli and sneak in some work at the Day Rising celebration. He would arrive via train from Fuar to low key inspect the new railroad himself, his Black Cloak entourage made sure he had a passenger car to himself as the train traveled South to Mil'Nor.

The green small tank engine pulled into New Raltera station which was already bustling with activity and bringing in people and cargo back and forth from Zedonia and Mil'Nor. O'Donnell departed the passenger car and decided to stay at the Gaelic embassy rather than get accommodations, he wanted his visit to be low key if possible but given his tall stature, black attire and being escorted by serious looking men wearing all black would likely give him away.

After spending the initial night at the embassy and likely giving Scofield a heart attack by his sudden appearance, O'Donnell would head to the ceremony of Meeting and Greeting.

[aimway921]

Having received the letter first in his embassy in Mil'nor's capital, Ambassador Konyur was excited at the opportunity. This would allow to create closer ties with the fellow Toulian nation in a world hostile to the small uncolonized countries of the New World. He has made the arrangements for copies of the invitation to reach some of the most important people in the Hetmanate - the Royal Family, several of the most important noble families who held high government posts, some industrialists, and, with the war sadly drastically reducing the amount of dignified military staff that could attend a high-class event, the only ones from the armed forces that he could send the invitation to were the Admirals and other high ranking officers of the Royal Navy currently in Mil'nor, waiting for the ices to melt before heading off to battle at UST's South coast.

The letters would reach their recipients pretty quick, with the Ambassador marking them all as Urgent and High Priority. After some debate, it was decided that Crown Princess Yuzura herself shall be head of the Ashinaran delegation, accompanied by her close friend Lord Taras te Vishneventsky, who's family owned a large amount of Ashinara's rubber plantations, Foreign Relations minister Tagomych, Duke Gnat te Kirvohel, who's family owned a substantial portion of the country's silver mines, Duke Dmytro te Ferchena, who was a representative of the governor's office of one of Ashinara's provinces, as well as Admiral Georgi te Kolvan, commander of the battlefleet currently docked in Mil'nor and the commander of Ashinara's flagship - the most modern ship the nation has - the Ironclad battleship, ARS Svarog. Accompanying him would be General Mykolai Verleveski, leader of the Marine Corps troops sent with the battlefleet.


The delegation would arrive as early as they could, though unfortunately beaten to it by their Franerri friends and Gaelian... Business partners, would perhaps be the best way to describe their relationship. A detachment of Royal Guards, wearing traditional Ashinaran helmets and cuirasses, in white, exquisitely embroidered shirts and military pants in the same purple color as the army uses, along with tall, almost knee-length bright red boots, all carrying curved swords on their left side, would be the first to disembark the ship the delegation has arrived, following by the main attendee of the delegation. Princess Yuzura was probably the shortest Ashinaran present - a feature they viewed as that marking the purest of the fox people - at just 4'8, she was of a similar height to the Kobolds of Mil'nor. She has chosen to wear one of her favorite outfits - a surprisingly simple one, and one that sometimes has had servants mistake her for a priestess from a distance due to a similar color scheme. A white wrap-around shirt with long wide sleeves, embroidered in gold, with a long red dress, under which an elegant pair of red boots could be seen as she walked. But the most impressive feature of her look was her tail - well groomed and combed, it was almost as large as her entire body - noticably larger than the tails of all the other Ashinarans present - also a feature that Ashinarans considered to be that of pure foxes, and a source of great pride. The rest of the members of the delegation we're wearing a mix of traditional shirts and modern suits, while the Admiral and the General wore their full dress uniforms, adorned with all their medals and decorations.

[omega]

The invitation would have, on the best of days, reached Orthoria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in short order, no more than a day's delay. On regular days such as this, it had reached the office of one of the diplomats quite late, at least by the Ministry's standards - four and a half days. Doubly so, given the origin was from Touli. But part of the delay was most certainly due to Ministry politics - who was needed elsewhere, who could promote Orthoria in a positive light, who to send to the other side of the world in order to get rid of their influence, and who was so insignificant to ultimately be sent to semi-hostile nations, whose actions could not deteriorate the situation further no matter how hard they attempted. But what was done was done, and the letter found itself on the desk of one of the available diplomats, those recalled to Orthoria for personal reasons, or for a more professional matter entirely.

Anatoly Molotov was, for all intents and purposes, an idealist. One of the early members of the Solidarists, he was present for everything, the civil war included, and he himself had seen his fair share of combat, though age put him into early retirement from a soldier's life. When the letter came, from Mil'Nor no less, he was intrigued. He read the contents carefully, noting the time, the details, and most importantly, the purpose. He wasn't one to actively seek out opportunities to learn about other cultures, but when one presented itself neatly before him, he usually took it. Showing that the country he served was more than willing to open discussion with new nations was twofold. Firstly, it would stunt the rhetoric of the nationalists at home, which was something he knew he barely had influence over, and secondly, possible opportunities for trade would be possible. Though, in all fairness, he'd leave that latter part to the economists.

Regrettably so, the ship which carried Anatoly had arrived later than it should have, in no small part thanks to a rather embarrassing display of inter-service rivalry. A series of bombings had, through a leap of logic, been blamed on the Air Force, with the Air Marshalls identifying the accusers as naval officers of considerable rank, and, in an attempt to "humble" them, helped instigate a short-lived naval mutiny in which several ships blockaded most major ports. But alas, it was time to meet and greet, with Anatoly stepping off the ship as soon as it had docked, feet planting themselves firmly on unfamiliar, yet nevertheless exciting land.

[Sophie]

Miharu Sugii and Yukiko Murai boarded a passenger ship to the Mil'Nor Joined Clans. This ship, in particular, had joined up with the small cruiser force that Kumosenkan had agreed to deploy to Mil'Nor as a quick reaction force. The force included a handful of small passenger liners, a single Aka Class Heavy Cruiser, four Oyodo Class Light Cruisers, and a dozen Momi Class Hunter Killers. They all were rapidly granted docking space the moment they arrived. The port authority even evacuated a few moorings with civilian ships to make way for the Royal Battle Fleet.

Each of the warships had strung up lights along their masts. The Captains of each vessel had bought brand new hanging lights from Ael electronics. They were both colored and flashing. The lights flickered so that they looked as if they were climbing up from the bow/aft/side hulls up to the tip of the masts. They flashed in the Mil'Nor colors of gold, red, and blue. "It's a bit much, don't you think, Captain?"

"Not at all. Kumosenkan takes no half measures. Whether it comes to showing reverence to our friends or slaying our enemies, we go big."

Aside from the absolute minimum crew necessary, the ships gave their sailors liberty to go and enjoy the festivities in New Raltera. For some, though, it was no liberty. Miharu Sugii, the diplomat in charge of relations with Mil'Nor, and her entourage would be working for the entirety of the festivities. The Kumosenkan Ministry of Foreign Affairs had assigned several diplomats to attend along with Miharu. One dozen Kumo were under the direct orders of Miharu for the entirety of the visit. Her group ran the gambit of experience. Some were seasoned veterans of the Ministry, but one was even a student still studying for her master's degree.

As Sugii and Murai disembarked from their passenger liner, Sugii tightly squeezed Murai's hand. Murai turned back to Sugii and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you nervous, Sugii-kama?"

"Of course I'm nervous!" She shouted back in a hushed pout. "I asked for 'a little extra help' for the festival, and they sent me a damn small army of diplomats! I'm not qualified for this!"

"With all due respect, Ma'am." Murai almost chortled. "That is what you said about making a trade deal with the Mil'Nor people, and you ended up getting a very favorable deal for us. Spirits, you practically got us a new ally."

"And I got screamed at by Minister Kure for six hours for committing her ships to this place without asking first!" Her quiet yelling continued.

"Forget about Kure! Didn't the Empress call the deal a win for Kumosenkan and Mil'Nor alike?" Her assistant served back.

"In public, yes. Who knows what she's thinking in private?" Sugii returned.

Readying a lob, her assistant continued. "The Empress isn't conniving like that. You know that. She is a kind, honest woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. Plus, if she didn't like the deal, she could've just overwritten it herself."

Sugii winced, unable to catch a return like that. "Fine. That still doesn't make me qualified to lead a dozen diplomats."

"You've led me for a decade, Sugii-kama. And I'll be by your side the entire time. I promise." Murai squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Excuse me, are you Sugii-kama?" A new voice interjected into the conversation.

Sugii nearly leaped into the air in surprise and flung away her subordinate's hand. "Y- yes!! I am Miharu Sugii." She turned and locked eyes with the Kumo, who towered a good foot and a half over her. She wore a naval dress uniform, and her collar device identified her as a captain. "H- how can I help you, Captain?"

"I apologize for the start Sugii-kama." The officer bowed deeply. "I intended to introduce myself to you before we departed, but our schedule was moved so abruptly that I was unable. I am Captain Chitsuko Kashiwazaki, commanding officer of the RBS Aso and the Quick Response Force assigned here."

"Oh! Kashiwazaki-kan! I have heard nothing but good things. It's my pleasure to meet you." Sugii offered a short bow and smiled as brightly as she could muster without looking forced. "Is there anything I can assist you with?"

Kashiwazaki nodded curtly. "I have orders to attend official meetings or parties with you."

Oh great. Fleet's giving me a babysitter. I guess Kure wants to make sure I don't get her into any more commitments she doesn't intend to fill. Kashiwazaki must have noticed the souring expression of the diplomat. "I understand if this situation is not to your liking. If you find this objectionable, I will heed any orders to back off, Ma'am."

Shit! I must maintain my expressions better. "Oh, not at all, Kashiwazaki-kan! I insist that you attend with us. You'll be here a while, yeah? You should get to know the local leaders then." Sugii's warm smile had returned to her face.

"Oh, okay!" The Captain responded in surprise. "I'd enjoy that, thank you. Also, if you'd like, you can call me Kashi-sen. I get that my name can be a bit of a mouthful."

"Kashi-sen?" The diplomat laughed a bit. "That's a cutesy nickname for a fleet Captain."

[Artsy Astra]

The Invitation would reach the Marrlan Embassy and then be routed to the Foreign Affairs Office. Leia already preoccupied would ask another representative, Goe Kells, to attend in her stead. It would quickly be accepted and he would be dispatched.
He would arrive with a small entourage of 3 AS ISO agents 2 Army Guards and General Sarah Decker. Their boat would arrive on time to the slight chagrin of the general. Goe Kells would wear a black dress suit and black boater hat, the Shazzak man stood at 7"1'. The General would wear her dress greens, the standard officer cap "Cylinder hat", and uniform with light webbing and medals. The human woman stood at 5"9'.

[Kira]

Joining the Franerri Delegation stood Clan Chief Talamore. The Chief had been especially dressed for the occasion, adorned in his Clan Meiyo colors of silken purple, pearl white and gold. Clan Meiyo was headquartered, for the own internal politics of the Mil’Nor, in the docks, offices and warehouses of the city. As a result, the Clan Chief had been given the pleasure of receiving the Franarri in the name of his people.



A carriage had been acquired for their transport to the Representational Offices, Talamore not seeming the most cheerful to the Trio. In fact he seemed mostly dismissive, giving the barest of respect beyond what might seem offensive to ignore. Regardless, they would arrive early to the meeting place, with only the UKUG delegates arriving before them in the country by train.



-



The arrival of the Taoiseach had been unexpected by the High Chief, but by no means unwanted. Upon receiving word of his acceptance of the invitation, work would immediately be done to prepare for O’Donnel’s stay within the country. Given his early arrival, the Gaelic delegation would be first to the meeting hall, with refreshments and seating offered in the large lobby area of the hall. Kathrine had given a greeting to the delegation when they entered, making sure they were seen to before handling the Franarri party soon after.



-



The Ashinarians were an appreciated response, given as they were currently occupying some of the port space with the city. An appropriate response was needed in return, thus Clan Chief Gravos along with a complement of personal guards adorned in the dark green, brown and sliver colors of Clan Gruvar. Beside the Clan Chief stood a young yellow Mil’Nor, the woman wearing rather plain dress by comparison to the Ashinarian Princess. The one oddity that was to be noticed, as the Mil’Nor delegation greeted and then escorted the Ashinarians along was the amount of gold and gems they wore. The almost platemail-like attire of the guards was filled with trimmings and décor, while Dravos’s own was more lavishly decorated. They’d greet the Ashinarians as friends, the trip going without incident on Mil'Nor's part.



-



Fleet Captain Torres had been dispatched to greet the Marrlan delegation. Only a pair of guards would accompany him, Torres escorting the delegation by carriage to the Representational Offices. The Captain was open to discussion through the trip, answering minor questions and asking a few of his own in conversation, if offered. The Marrlaners would find themselves arriving after the Kumosenken to the meeting hall.



-

The arrival of the Kumo had not gone unprepared for, as dock teams stood at the ready to aid in both the maintenance and refueling of the vessels. Contracted work groups of service workers were even on station, hired to give what baggage and other support there could be to the Kumo. Having left the work at the Offices, Kathrine herself had gone to meet with the delegation. She had taken one of the few cars the Mil’Nor government had especially leased to handle Kumo officials within the city, meeting the trio at the docks soon after they arrived. The trip to the back to the office was quick enough, despite the crowded streets of midday. The city had already begun it’s daily routine, with many of those on the streets gathered or play games due to the festival.



-



It’d take until nearly three in the afternoon before the Orthorians arrived, Field General Tryann meeting them at the docks. The carriage ride to the Offices was quiet, the General leaving little room for conversation and standard greeting from the moment the Anatoly Molotov arrived. The man had arrived last, bringing the expected members to a close.

-



The Meeting Hall itself was well lit and decorated, a mix of art and sculpture from both Mil’Nor and Mil’Nor Inselni on display along the walls of the room. A small selection of drinks and snacks was set to one corner of the room, with seating scattered around the room to allow for easier conversations and rest while each group waited. There’d at least be some time to spend in thought or conversation before the delegations were to move to the Castle.

[aimway921]

The Ashinaran Princess would greet Clan Chief Gravos with a shallow bow. A split second descision, trying to think of a bow that would carry the respect she had for the Mil'nor people as fellow Toulians, but at the same time would befit her status as future leader of, if everything would go according to plan, one of the most powerful nations in Touli. Foreign Minister Tagomych, uncharacteristically for him dressed in a traditional Ashinaran outfit instead of his usual business suit. He has been wearing a green Kuntush coat with elaborate patterns on it, with a red Zhupan jacket underneath it. Gray fur Mazepanka hat sat atop his head, adorned with several hawk feathers, while his feet were fitted with yellow-brown Levant boots. As the Foreign Relations Minister, he was the one who presented Clan Chief Gravos with a gift - a bottle of the finest honey mead from the Royal personal collection.

As they have followed their hosts towards the place where festivities and official meetings would be held, most, especially the Princess, would look around in awe - after all, barely any of them has been outside Ashinara before - while one of the members of the delegation - a man who looked much more human than the other Ashinarans - with tan skin, and the only features marking him as being of Ashinaran descent were his ears and tail - who mostly kept to the back of the group, was on the lookout for the Franerri group, hoping to get to business as soon as he can.

[Greywall]

O’Donnell thanked Katherine warmly before accepting a drink. He looked around as guests came in, his eyes stuck a bit on the Kumo but he expected some to show up. A reclusive man he kept to himself making small talk with those around him. He intended, despite his position in the government, to keep a low profile and enjoy his time here.

[callmedelta]

Gustaw, Lehran, and Sylvain enjoyed being early, if not the first, to arrive. It allowed them to make small talk with the Taoiseach, and later the Ashinaran party when they arrived. Overall, the Franerri delegation was happy with the turn out for the Day of Rising celebrations. The Ashinarans and the Franerri could present a strong unified front, the Gaelians and Kumo hopefully too busy with each other to present too much of a challenge to them. The Marrlan delegation ultimately wasn't a bad one to see in Mil'Nor, despite the incident with Franerre not being informed about Marrlaner troops. Orthoria was a wild card, but ultimately not likely to be a relevant one. Lehran was sad he hadn't the chance to meet High Chief Tolvaj in person yet, though Lehran would make sure he wouldn't leave the country without giving his penpal a visit in person.

[Sophie]

Miharu Sugii and Yukiko Murai, joined by Captain Chitsuko Kashiwazaki and her dozen underlings, followed Kathrine to the office. Murai had the idea to bring along some dagashi from a small shop in Kumosenkan and hand it out to the children on the streets. Each of the diplomats had done the same under Murai's orders. All fourteen of them kept bright smiles and waved to every person who looked their way. All except for Captain Kashiwazaki, who maintained a stiff posture in both spine and smile. Murai hoped to leave a strong impression on the populace of Mil'Nor as she knew as well as anyone that the Kumo body left a strong impression, but not a friendly one.

[omega]

Anatoly was more than a little surprised to see someone quite clearly from the military escort him to where all other dignitaries would be, but he was not pleasantly surprised. The ride over was, indeed, quite silent, and although the aging diplomat could've initiated a conversation with his escort thanks to his former occupation, he felt such a thing was more appropriate for another occasion. Evidently, if anyone from the cadres arrived in his stead, they'd appreciate a military man's presence far more. When he had arrived, Anatoly did his best to relax, and perhaps even strike up a small conversation or two with anyone willing, but overall, nothing too serious or committing - they had all just arrived, after all.

[Artsy Astra]

General Decker would apologize for being 'late' as they boarded the carriage. Kells was happy to chat on the trip but Decker was a little more Icey and would continue to keep things light as they arrived. They would mingle with other guests and generally try to put on a friendly demeanor.