Emoria: Chapter 1; Vatienne

A couple hours earlier

The sun was still rising in the city of Ambitienne and the smell of freshly cooked bread filled the air of this peaceful city in the country of Vatienne. The only sounds you could hear around you were the chatter of elderly citizens and the laughter of playing children, who were always up before their parents. It was indeed a picture perfect scene in the morning moments of the awakening city. Everything would have stayed that way too until the sun would set down and then restart the next morning again …if only something quite extraordinary had not happened.

Shattering the veil of tranquility, a man in leather armor sitting low on his horse and galloping at lightning speeds, coursed through the city. Through the narrow streets, uneven roads and low bridges he raced, until he finally got to the gates of his destination; the Palace of Ambitienne, where the Governor of the province lived. His horse flew up the winding road that led to the habitation and, without even shooting a glance to the guards, he jumped off his horse and quickly paced to his ultimate destination: le Maitre Generale de l’Armee Imperiale de Vatienne, Joachim Murat.

Le Generale had been in Ambitienne for three days now, inspecting the installments of a new dockyard and shipyard in the central port of the province. It couldn’t have come at a better time, nor could the installations have been finished at a better time. Le Generale was soon to found out why.

The messenger sprung through numerous corridors, flying left and right, seemingly turning only at the last second, as if he chose at random. He finally struck gold. The messenger turned a sharp right and found himself in a vast room that seemed to be richly decorated and garnished, but he had no time to notice; he had to deliver his message. The messenger walked to the Generale at an unaltered pace. The Generale was standing over a large oak table that had been placed there for the occasion. He was conversing with the Governor of Ambiti and the provincial defense and interior ministers. The Generale barely had time to notice and turn his head to the messenger when the leather armored man stopped abruptly before the Generale, kneeled on his right knee, bowed his head without lifting it and extending his arm, scroll in hand.

The Generale snatched the scroll and simply stared at the messenger. He slowly started opening the scroll and said aloud: “What is the meaning of this…” His voice was slightly annoyed. But it wasn’t so for long. As he read the contents of the scroll, his eyes widened in disbelief, horror, excitement and rage all at once.

Present time

Le Maitre Generale Joachim Murat stood at the forefront of a Victory-class Vatiennien frigate, peering over the seas with a telescope. He scoured every inch of blue for a sign of what that disturbing report had brought to him. They were only a couple miles away from the visible shoreline and he was sure that he would run into... them soon enough. Indeed, the scroll had announced the arrival of a foreign navy in Vatiennien controlled waters. No contact had yet been made with them. All he knew about them was that they weren’t from any nation known to Vatienne and had about 10 or so boats or in their formation. Murat decided that it was best that he himself set out to greet these potential new friends… or enemies.

Murat continued to glare to the seas when a drop of sweat started making its way from his forehead to his cheek. His silver-white armor was glowing brightly in the sun, and his golden cape did nothing to help his situation. Le Generale put down his telescope and looked behind him, over the bow of his ship and to the other frigates behind him in tight formation. 17 other ships where forming a triangle shaped formation behind him. It would have been more, but only soo many could be readied in such a short time period. Besides, this foreign nation only had 10 boats at their disposal. 17 should be enough to take care of them, should the need arise…

Le Generale turned gaze to the front of his ship, scanning the horizon. He lifted his telescope back to his face and muttered to himself: “Where oh where did the foreigners go, oh where oh where can they be…” He was slightly sarcastic, slightly anxious to see what was in his waters. Only time will tell.

Two Months Ago

The fanciful, and almost delicate, halls of the famed palaces of Bael Shala shone brightly in the mid-morning sun. It was quite a peacefully day for most of the city. Sure it had all the hustle and bustle that any city of size had, but there was still a peaceful demeanor to the activity. It could have possibly had to to with the citizens using simple spells instead of actually partaking in manual labor, but it couldn't have been at the same time. It just felt... natural even in such a large city. Most citizens carried on with whatever work they had to do, whether it was the blacksmith forging a new set of horse shoes for a patient customer or a guard warily watching over the stall of a peddler who had experienced several thefts in recent months. To reiterate, the city was in no way perfect. There were still poor people, still thieves, and still crimes from assault to murder. It was just that the general energy of the city on this fine day was... nice. Just nice.

A man looked out from the window of one particularly lofty tower that spiraled into the heavens and looked down onto the city, offering a view like no other in Arad Toman. The man smiled lightly as he looked down, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Just from looking at him you could tell that there was something infringing upon his mood even on a day like this. His fingers danced impatiently on the rounded table that he was sitting at. Clearly, something didn't sit quite right with him. The drumming went on for several minutes. Only speeding up and gaining a stronger sense of urgency as the seconds drifted by. Slowly, even slower than the changing tempo of the fingers, a scowl began to slowly crease the man's face, as if each second that ticked by irritated him even more.

There were other men in the room, actually seven men and three women to be exact, each showing a different emotion. Some radiated a similar feeling to the first man, and others still seemed completely uninterested in the annoyed feelings of their fellows in the room. The atmosphere was in no way tense, however, it was simply varied. After all, different view points were what made the oligarchical governing body of Arad Toman so effective. It wasn't a true oligarchy after all, for all the members didn't come from places of wealth or even royalty, but all their backgrounds were rather varied. Some used to be traders, some farmers, it truly didn't matter much to the Council. What made it an oligarchy was the fact that each of the people in the room had the most magical prowess and sheer power in all of Arad Toman, barring the archmages of the military. Not only were they the leaders of the nation, they were considered by the majority of the general populace to nearly be divine. In short they were the next best thing to a Fae in the views of most Veloren.

"She's late." The first man said, his fingers reaching a crescendo of annoyance.

"I'm sure she'll be here promptly. You know what it was like when you were first elected. It can get overwhelming." A man in the corner said, his face looking borderline bored with the first man.

As if on cue the doors to the meeting room swung open, revealing a woman in her twenties striding into the meeting. She was moderately tall for a Veloren, probably about 5'11" if anyone bothered to measure. Her eyes were a bright green that spoke of youth, but at the same time remained mysterious in their intentions. Her hair was cut short, against the current fashion, framing her pale face and outlining her bone structure. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but it was safe to call her pretty. Currently she wore a light blue dress that hugged her slim figure before flowing off her hips and nearly pouring to the floor. The neckline was cut in the current Veloren fashion, high but split to show a sliver of skin down to just below her clavicles. It had been a gift for when she was elected to the Council of Twelve not a week ago. The death of the former member had been abrupt, but it was honestly his fault for trying to pull too much of his own life force into a spell he was experimenting with. Either way it was tragic.

"So I see you have finally arrived, Elaine." The man with the tapping fingers said, practically spitting it out.

"That I have, William." Elain responded, a smile crossing her face. "I'm sorry that I was delayed. Something came up, and I was... preoccupied." Elaine smoothly took her seat around the circular table, and the few left standing with her. They were all assembled like this for a routine meeting that was called once every two weeks to discuss what was happening in the country, foreign affairs, and to sign any new laws. This particular meeting was no different than any of the others.

"Alright, first thing's first." A shorter woman announced. Her name was Victoria, and she was the most senior member of the Council. Although this technically didn't give her any more power of voting, she could often use her influence to sway votes. Victoria cleared her throat once before continuing. "Clarence, I believe you had something you very much wanted to address this meeting." Upon her urging, a frail looking man stood, slowly twisting a signet ring, the ring all Council members wore, as he took a breath in to speak.

"As you all know, we did not originally come from this land. It has been written that we were once the subjects of a mighty nation that came from the west. We were loyal subjects of this nation until war overtook them and we broke free from them. On that day many years ago, we broke out ties to that western world. I say, we reattach those strings." Clarence stopped briefly to swallow. "What I propose is that we take a few of our more seaworthy vessels and assemble a party to sail west to look for trade and to spread the word of the wonders of the Divine and the magic they bestowed upon us in a time of need."

"You have all heard Clarence's proposal. We will now take it to a vote." Victoria stated with a calm, neutral voice. "All of those in favor, say 'Aye'."

"Aye." Nine voices chimed in.

"All of those opposed, say 'Nay'."

"Nay." The remaining three said in lackluster tones.

"Then it is decided." Victoria smiled, although she tried not to let any of the others see. "Guard!" A young man with a single knot of rank on his general mage's uniform darted quickly into the room, bowing low to the Council members, "Send a message to the Archmages. We have an expedition to arrange"


Two Weeks Later

The barracks of Mur was still a hub of activity. Two weeks ago the order had traveled from Bael Shala to the port city of Mur to ready a fleet of ten ships to travel west across the ocean. A team of sailors, traders, diplomats, and soldiers was to be assembled with utmost haste, which it had. Today was the scheduled day for the departure and there was still so much to be done. The entire city was alight with the news, and eagerly awaited the departure. Allister on the other hand was simply living in the now. He was a lieutenant, so it was his job to make sure all the mages of his battle group, numbering 75, were working and getting every last bit that was required for them to take onto their vessel. All in all the entire expedition was about 2500 people, or 250 per ship. The ships that had been commandeered were mostly in the size class of frigate, though some were large enough for 350 souls, while others could carry only around 100. The military force that was being taken was 1250 mages. Of those, 500 were general mages, 150 were ballistic mages, 75 were battle mages, 150 were shield mages, 100 were earth mages, 125 were illusion mages, and the remaining 150 were healers. The force was rather stander for this kind of expedition. Not too large, because it after all wasn't a military operation, but large enough to protect the sailors, traders, and diplomats if anything were to happen.

Allister sighed. He didn't know why troop information or the number of Veloren on each ship was running through his head. Perhaps it was just nerves. After all he had never been on a ship before. Hell, he had never engaged in battles larger than simple skirmishes with only a few dozen combatants. He silently muttered to himself about over-thinking things before snapping back to the task at hand.

"Hurry up people. We need to get all the rest of this stuff down to the port within the hour." Allister began to walk to his own set of belongings, silently chanting a simple spell to lift his trunk into the air in front of him. The walk wasn't all that long from the barracks to the port, for after all Mur was not exceptionally large like Bael Shala or Dyara. It was still large by the standards of farmers and villagers, but it was small in comparison to the massive capital city or the northern port. Allister brushed sweat from his forehead as he neared the port. It wasn't a long walk, indeed, but focusing the energy into lifting the trunk with magic and carrying it all the way was a slight work out.

Allister smiled slightly in relief as he deposited his trunk with the others near gangplank to the ship he would be spending the next undetermined period of time on. Wasting no time, Allister quickly boarded the ship, taking one last look back at the city of Mur. Sure he hadn't been born there, but it had been the closest thing to home for the past two years. It was a little sad to think he would be leaving for an unknown amount of time. It was also a little unnerving that this would be his first time on a ship when he had lived in a port for two years. How had he managed to avoid travel on a boat for this long?


The Present

Allister looked out at the vast expanse of sea in front of him, lazily wondering when exactly they would site land. He was sure that they were getting close, because on a few occasions they had seen boats off in the distance. They hadn't attempted to contact the boats, because from the looks of it they boats they had spotted were simply there to watch the Veloren fleet, and would have probably fled the instant they had decided to try and contact the small observing boats. Allister was actually quite ready to see land at this point. It had been quite an odd experience spending six weeks on a boat with no land in sight for the majority of that time. All in all, he was ready to have his feet touch land again.

Allister's attention flicked to the horizon. Something was off in the distance a ways. Several spots, most likely ships, waited for the Veloren fleet maybe two miles from their current location. Allister quickly stood and made his way to where some of the other officers were quickly assembled. Someone produced a telescope, and spent a moment studying the shapes.

"Definitely ships. I can't tell how many there are right now. More than a dozen, though." The voice was a female's. The military in Arad Toman was equal opportunity, if a woman wanted to join, she was more than welcome to.

"Well then we wait." An older man stated quietly. Minutes rolled by, turning into a half an hour. The telescope changed hands more than a dozen times. Everyone was eager to see exactly what this other fleet was. They were Westerners. A fabled tale and an obscure piece of Veloren history. Finally after nearly forty-five minutes, the telescope became significantly more useful. They were maybe half a mile off, and details could finally be made out. Allister wished the winds had been slightly more favorable, so that they didn't have to wait so long. The current man with the telescope was slowly scanning the other fleet when a look of shock crossed his face. Several people began to hurl questions his way.

"What is it, lieutenant?" The older officer chimed in.

"Sir, it's... their colors. They're the same as... they're the same as the nation the history books described. You all remember the class. It's... Vatienne." A murmur broke through the officers, and even began among the others aboard the ship that had overheard. What were the chances? Sail off west and just happen to run into the nation that used to be their masters... It was incredible. When the expedition was launched there was only a faint hope of finding Vatienne. Some weren't even sure if the history books had the name or the flag right, but there it was floating a half a mile off, and soon they would meet face to face with their ancestors.

"This just seems too good to be true." Allister mumbled to himself. Either way, they would soon find out in just a matter of minutes.

The distant, mysterious boats were finally starting to take shape. They were starting to look less mysterious and more and more normal. Now, Murat still had no idea who or what he was dealing with, but by the shapes of the beings on the boats, he could confidently presume that they were human. Or at least human looking. Murat looked at the 10 boats that were in front of him, and then turned his head to face the 16 boats behind his own. They were 17 in all, and it was probably a little much. These new comers didn’t look like invaders. If they were, they were stupid and horribly underestimated Vatienne’s naval might. However, the new ships had done nothing to indicate that they were aggressive in the past. They had left the scouts alone and even now it didn’t look like they were getting ready to attack. It seemed like a well-organized exploration party, not a war host.

If it was indeed a foreign exploration expedition, it was highly curious. There was only one place where a foreign expedition could arrive on Vatienne’s shores and have never been seen before. They must have originated from the eastern continent. It was the only logical solution. Vatienne’s eyes and ears extended all around Talonia and Irrihyánë so it was impossible that they were a nation already living in those areas. They could have possibly come from the southern part of the continent, but as far anyone knew the whole place was highly inhospitable and home only to savage beasts, Tynir and the ever so friendly I’nak. Murat shook his head in disgust when he thought about what happened to the squad of the Vatienne Expeditionary Force that was sent down south at the hands of the I’nak. Truth is he didn’t know what happened. All he did know is that they had never come back. That, and scouts had reported seeing abandoned boats on the shorelines, evidently showing that they were dead. It was only much later that the metropolis had realized that there were sentient races on the southern continents and that they were the ones who had slaughtered the VEF. But, that was a long time ago and totally irrelevant to what was going on at the moment.

Murat returned his attention to the task at hand. He stared at the beings on the boats that were now starting to get very close. It seemed as if the boats had been on a long journey. That was to be expected. Murat looked, with his telescope, to a man on one of the foreign boats who was staring at the imperial flag with his own telescope. The face he made when he removed the scope from his eye was odd for a man who had probably seen the flag for the first time in his life. But the look on his face insisted otherwise. It seemed as if he had already seen Vatienne’s flag before. That somewhat disturbed Murat. However, he shook off the feeling as soon as it arrived. It was probably nothing. The man was probably just surprised at the number of boats that were in front of him. That must be it.
The boats were getting very close now. Murat was about to give orders to get his boat alongside the vessel that seemed to be leading this foreign expedition when a flicker caught his eye. When he saw it, his heart nearly stopped. He turned his body fully around and stared at the piece of cloth that was flying at the top of the mast. Murat squinted his eyes, and then rubbed them hard, not believing what he was seeing. The flag that was flying atop these boats were none other than that of the Veloren, the people who had revolted against Vatienne’s rule thousands of years ago. Murat was having a hard time remembering what the history books had to say on the cause of the revolution for all that he could remember were the colors of the their flag and that they had won. This was an extremely odd circumstance. He had no idea how to react.

More importantly, however, was how the Veloren themselves were going to react. Did they hold a grudge against their old colonial masters? Were they still bitter? Perhaps they had come to wage war upon Vatienne for revenge? Murat hoped not. The recent events with the kidnappings and activities involving the Mountains of Night and the southern continent were enough to keep him and the army busy. He didn’t need a new enemy and front to worry about. It was for this very reason – that of uncertainty – that Murat decided to do what he was about to do. Le Maitre Generale made his way to the back of the ship where he entered the captain’s cabin. From there, he walked to the very end of the cabin and to the huge windows that gave to the rear of the ship. Right on the walls to side of these windows was a large caged door with pigeons in it. They were the principal means of communication in the navy for Vatienne. Murat took the pigeon that he knew would bring the yet unwritten message to every ship that needed to heed his orders. Le Maitre Generale put the pigeon on his shoulder as he advanced to the captain’s desk and took out a small scroll on which he jotted down his orders: Lower anchor, pass to ship VIN-AF-VF11-17.

The order meant, in plain words, for the ships of the Vatiennien Imperial Navy, Ambitienne Fleet, Victory-Class Frigate numbers 11 to 17 to hoist anchor. That way, only 10 Vatiennien vessels would approach the 10 Veloren ones. Murat carefully rolled the scroll and attached it to the pigeon’s leg. He then approached the massive windows at the end of the cabin and released the pigeon through an opening. As it was trained, the pigeon made its way to each boat. The boats who were concerned would then obey its orders. Before leaving, le Maitre Generale thought on the possibility of having the same number of pigeons and boats, so that the messages would be delivered quicker… but as soon as the thought came up, the potential problems that scenario could post immediately arose. Murat stuffed that idea away in his brain and made his way back to the main deck of the ship.

When Murat arose from the depths of the captain’s cabin, he could already see some ships lowering their anchor. That and the 10 Veloren and Vatiennien ships were just about neck and neck. Murat walked to the very edge of the vessel, calling his soldiers up to him. He could see the other 9 Vatiennien vessels were doing the same. Good. In only a few seconds, the sides of the 10 Vatiennien ships were saturated with their captains and soldiers. Murat’s own ship was just about to align with the vessel that seemed to be leading the entire expedition. After a couple minutes, they were finally aligned. His sailors then lowered the sails and got the ropes ready to potentially tie the boats together so that they could board each other. The other Vatiennien boats did the same.
Murat was the first to speak. He spoke in Common, not sure if this long lost colony remembered the language or not. “Greetings, Veloren, and welcome to the shores of Vatienne!” Murat opened his arms as if to hug the new comers. “It is a great surprise to see you here, brothers, and indeed an honor to receive you, be it improvised or not. I would indeed like to speak to the leader of your expedition. For that, I ask permission for boarding.”

Murat looked at every single Veloren face that was in the reach of his gaze. He patiently awaited their answer.

“Greetings, Veloren, and welcome to the shores of Vatienne! It is a great surprise to see you here, brothers, and indeed an honor to receive you, be it improvised or not. I would indeed like to speak to the leader of your expedition. For that, I ask permission for boarding.”

Allister looked at the man coolly as he spoke. It was indeed Common, but the way in which some of the words were pronounced seemed so odd to Allister's ears. It seemed that Vatienne didn't harbor and resentment for the rebellion thousands of years ago. That was good. Unless, this could have simply been a ploy on the behalf of the Vatienne commander to get the majority of the Veloren military and civilian officers in one place and killing them all. Unlikely, but possible. Sure it would have been simpler if the commander had just decided to engage in head to head naval battle, but something told Allister that if they were looking to fight the Veloren, it wouldn't start in a straightforward way. He sighed, brushing the thoughts out of his head. It was really no place for Allister's mind to wander. Sure, he was an officer, but he had little sway over the civilian commander, the old man who's name he couldn't really remember. That man was really the one in charge. The military commander, Captain Abaya, really had little say in how the expedition worked if it wasn't a truly military matter.

"I give you leave to board, Commander." The old man called to the other ship, also speaking Common. Allister cursed under his breath at his inability to remember the man's name. Isiah Hassett. Expedition Leader Hassett. That was it! Allister cursed himself silently one last time as the name came back to him. "We harbor no ill will towards Vatienne, so please I welcome you onto my ship with open arms." The Vatienne commander issued a quick order to what seemed to be a lower officer, and within a minute both ships had dropped anchor and planks were being sent from the Vatienne ship over to it's Veloren counterpart. Hassett turned to regard the group of officers that Allister was a part of.

"I wan't everyone in my cabin this instant. While you're going, someone see if the cook has anything nice that he can make in a hurry." With that all the officers, including Allister, scurried off to do as they were told. Even though Hassett wasn't a military man, and usually had a quiet and cheerful disposition, he could make a man wish he wasn't born if he chose to. Allister was in the middle of the pack when he entered the captains cabin of the ship. This particular ship, which he hadn't bothered to learn the name of, was the largest in the small Veloren 'fleet', and this cabin reflected that. It was separated into two different rooms. The one the dozen or so Veloren officers were currently standing in was reserved for meals and meetings. One long table split the room, with enough space to fit about thirty men if they sat shoulder to shoulder. It was sparsely decorated, with only a few odd items decorating the walls, but it was rather nice it it's simplicity. The other room was Hassett's personal quarters, and Allister didn't actually know what it looked like. Allister thought back to the order from Hassett, and quickly slid into a seat near the middle of the table. Within the span of another few moments, all the Veloren officers were seated and patiently waiting for Hassett to return with whoever the Vatienne commander brought with him.

The energy in the room was a mix of curiosity, nervousness, and general excitement. All in all it was pretty hectic feeling even though all the officers were silent. Ages seemed to pass, even though probably thirty seconds went by, as the group of officers waited for their leader to enter the room. Most of them had little to no training in diplomacy, but if you scanned the faces of the individuals in the room it was clear that each and every one wanted to be able to help in some way. Help what exactly, Allister did not know. So far, Allister was simply wondering just what would go down in this meeting between former master and freed colony. The possibilities were just plain exciting. Almost startling Allister from his thoughts, the door to the room began to open slowly, as if it was pushing through muck. Each Veloren officer corrected his or her posture in their seat and turned their heads smoothly to the door. You could have been able to hear a pin drop, the room was that quiet.

Joachim Murat listened to the Veloren speak his welcoming and acceptance of Vatienne’s own welcome. Joachim felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and soldiers at that moment. He, nor his men, had the intention or will to fight these foreigners now, nor even in the near future. Not only were the Veloren practically Vatienniens themselves, but the Navy was busy elsewhere.

Indeed, after the kidnapping of Arthur Sullivan, a Senator and high ranking priest of Vatienne, in the middle of the Capital, Army High Command and the Emperor ordered the navy to all kinds of places, most notably Illuria, Sretin and the Sunset Isle provinces. The Navy's, which was starting to get stretched out, position provided countless logistical headaches for him and many naval planners in the Empire. He did not need another theater to wreck his already sleepless nights.

Joachim ordered his crew to haul the two ships together and to get some planks across so that crew could move freely to both sides. This was done in a very short time, seeing as how Vatiennien and Veloren naval expertise were combined in this instance. It was by looking at this concerto that some idea flew in Joachim’s mind: he was thinking on ways to suck the Veloren into a strong, military alliance to bind them into helping Vatienne during the inevitable great and bountiful wars ahead. Together, father and son nations, now equal friends, would fight a common enemy, all while inviting Vatienne’s second son, Am, to the fray, was a sight that Joachim would love to see. Those three banners working in perfect, harmonious concert on the rippling waters of the sea was something that he could only dream of and, until time could tell, hopefully eventually see as a reality.

Snapping back from his day dreams, Joachim, as with his immediate lieutenants and guards, walked over to the Veloren ship and was greeted by its sailors. Joachim took the time to shake hands with every sailor who came and greeted him. Oh yes, he thought, fine allies indeed. Joachim thought he could read concern or even distrust in some of the sailor’s eyes, but it must have been nothing. Although he would understand if some of these men, and more particularly officers, harbored some sort of ancient ill-will towards the naval Commander and his nation, he would make sure to dissipate those feelings if they existed quickly. He was here, firstly, to intercept these foreign vessels, but he was also present to find and recruit any potential allies, wherever they may be.

Joachim finally listened to the sailor’s directions and went below deck to the captain’s cabin. He slowly pushed the door open and was met with a large room, filled with seated Veloren officers staring intently at him. There was a cold dead silence. Joachim spoke first.

“I feel greatly humbled by the greeting I just received and I would like to return it to you all.” Joachim’s lieutenants walked inside the room with him, while his guards and other men stayed just outside the door, continuing to speak with Veloren sailors and crewmates. “My intention here today is very simple,” said the Admiral, walking to an empty chair and standing behind the seat. “I, as does the Empire of Vatienne, demand to know what a flotilla of Veloren ships are doing in Vatiennien coasts, and, more importantly, why this has happened now, and not before.” Joachim decided it prudent to keep the talk of alliance creation until their relations got on friendlier terms. Afterall, this was just the beginning of a family reunion, per say.

Joachim looked at every single officer present, lingering a moment on the one who seemed to be in charge of it all. It was only now that his lieutenants strolled next to him and stood in the corners of the room. He hoped that those two buffoons weren’t trying to act intimidating or anything of the sort in this diplomatic cabin. They weren’t the Sanctus Unus here, they were the Navy. Apparently, his nation's priests liked to act as a bad influence to his soldiers when it came to politics and diplomacy. Joachim made a mental note to yell at a priest as soon as he could.

The Admiral waited for reaction from the Veloren.

"We too wondered why it was happening now." Hassett replied, "I can only guess that out government was only now willing enough to allow us to venture west again, after... well... after the rebellion." Hassett cleared his throat, slightly worried that the Vatienniens still harbored resentment towards the rebellion, if you could even call it that. "As for the reasoning, we are simply here to expand our trading opportunities and potentially arrange alliances, and although I technically do not have the power to sign an alliance, I would like to at least put the offer up on the table. We may at least speak of an alliance of some kind, but before anything is decided a message must be sent back to Arad Doman." Hassett paused for a second before continuing, "I do hope I am not being to forward, but the potential crafting of alliances had always been a part of this mission."

Allister sat in silence, simply observing the beginnings of the conversation between the two leaders, although Allister mildly resented Hassett. He was a trader and had no real experience in anything other than negotiating trade agreements. It was actually slightly pitiful how he awkwardly proposed the idea of an alliance. That was another thing, Allister wasn't exactly for an alliance with Vatienne. They had broken away for a reason, and he didn't exactly see the point in creating a military alliance with the Veloren's former parent country. Sure, there would be military benefits, but Allister felt like it would be a betrayal to their ancestors if they allied with Vatienne. The Vatiennien commander would have to do quite a little bit of convincing if he wanted to propose an alliance. Actually, Allister felt he should speak his peace now, and let the rest of the negotiations continue without him.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Allister said, all business.

"Uh, yes, please do so, Lieutenant." Hassett said, a look of surprise being barely suppressed. Allister stood curtly, another thought about the expedition leader crossing his mind that he stifled quickly. He turned to face the Vatiennien commander, a neutral look on his face.

"I have no doubt that you also had a proposal for an alliance on your brain, we all have, more or less. I simply want to address a few points that have crossed my mind. First and foremost, if we were to enter into an alliance with your country what military, economic, and social benefits would we see? How would this alliance pan out? Would we simply become your subject once again, or would you acknowledge us as your equal in every way? Additionally, why exactly should we even want to ally ourselves with Vatienne? We broke away from you long ago, and it couldn't have been without reason. What would you change in order to woo us back, so to speak. I for one am not interested in an alliance without equal power and recognition. Arad Doman has many resources that the people of Vaitenne would like, and I am sure that Vatienne also has goods that would sell quite well on the other side of the ocean, but I am not interested in either nation controlling the trade. Additionally, we can offer you a large amount of military might, but only if we are still recognized as utterly autonomous. We would help you in any war that you may engage in, but would like to be in no way subjugated to Vatiennien rule. We are a sovereign country and wish to remain that way. That is all I have to say at the moment." With that Allister sat back down and looked at the Vatiennien commander for a few moments, "Also, I didn't catch your name. I am Lieutenant Allister Breaux, ballistic mage." Allister simply waited for a response.

Murat listened to the Veloren who apparently was the chief of the operation speak. He somewhat seemed just as confused as I did. It seemed, to the Admiral at least, that this Veloren had no idea what he was doing or saying. Tripping on his words, sounding unconfident… they didn’t seem like the Veloren that Vatienne’s history books speak of. History speaks about the Veloren as confident, hardy people who were able, against all odds, to fire up a successful revolt against the world’s most powerful colonial empire and actually achieve success. Murat was starting to question the qualifications of the currently speaking Veloren. He seemed more of a trader than anything else, not an emissary or ambassador.

Immediately they were speaking of an alliance. Now this was going a little too fast. It was clear now that this Veloren was not too accustomed to diplomatic negotiations. He came at the subject rather awkwardly and bluntly. Murat just sat there. He waited and watched with utmost attention. Then, suddenly, another Veloren stood up abruptly, asking permission to speak freely. What the Veloren said forced Murat to work hard at suppressing his smile. Now this is what he was expecting. This man was much more decisive in his words, although they were still rather rushed and strict, they were still to the point. It then came to the Admiral that an agreement with these people was not going to be a cake walk. These new comers had some fire to them.

When they both had finished speaking, a couple things rang in Murat’s head. For one, they still harbored some resentment towards Vatienne even after all these years. Talk about a vengeful child. He wasn’t sure how much he could persuade them on the new values of Vatienne today compared to back when it was its colonial masters. Granted the nation had not changed that much, but what has changed was the way it viewed its pass colonies. They also feared that a new alliance or relationship could end in the eroding of Veloren sovereignty. Sovereignty: that was the main focus of these people for their mission. The whole expedition looked not only like a way to acquire new trading partners and forge new relations, but to cement Veloren nationalism in general as a independent nation. For all Murat new, they could even be on a colonizing mission, having conquered the entire eastern continent already. They were of Vatiennien descent, after all.

Murat cleared his throat and put on a warm, comforting smile. “I understand completely all of the concerns that you both brought to light in your speeches. I can assure you of Vatienne’s goodwill regarding matters with former colonial nations. The Empire has progressively decolonized its far away territories and reduced its global territory to the mainland and its surrounding islands, although we have conserved our strength as a world power. All I can do for you now is to give you a brief overlay of what an alliance with Vatienne means, because I am not completely authorized to do much of anything else regarding new relations.” The Admiral leaned in on the table to get more comfortable.

“With regards, first of all for I cannot stress this enough, a Veloren alliance with Vatienne will see the Veloren maintain their full sovereignty and autonomy. Vatienne has no interest what so ever in returning the independent Veloren people back into the Empire. Secondly, the general military and economic benefits of an alliance with Vatienne for the Veloren are potentially immense. Vatienne sits as one of the preeminent military powers on the Continent, and has the economy to back it up. Not only will a strong relation with us benefit our mutual securities, but will without a doubt serve as a definitive boost to our potential trades.” Murat looked at every man present in the room straight in the eyes. His military training was getting the better of him: look your opponent in the eyes, and you walk into his soul. He guessed the negotiation room wasn’t all that different than the high seas. So far, he was spot on with that assumption.
“
That is about as far as I am authorized to speak as Admiral, however, what I am authorized to do, is this,” Murat leaned back into his chair and reached for his inside coat pocket. From there, he pulled out an envelope with the Vatiennien Imperial Seal, which is identical to the eagle on its flag, and placed it on the table. “I, on behalf of the Emperor and people of Vatienne, invite the Veloren and its leaders to the Capital of Vatienne, Vatienne city.” Murat pushed the letter so that it was within reach of any of the Veloren who wished to reach for it. “That is all the negotiating I am authorized to do. The only thing I can do now is escort you to our ports where you can rest for awhile and either wait for an emissary to be sent from our Capital to meet you or return to your country and accept the invitation the Emperor extended to you.”

Murat sat back in his chair, relaxed. “Oh and where are my manners, I am Joachim Murat, Admiral of the Imperial Fleet of Vatienne.” Murat just waited for any signs of an answer.