Cefnor Conference (1982-???)

[Khem]

The Austrasian representative walked as if to the beat of a dirge. His charcoal three piece suit was a throwback to the more elegant tastes of 1920's Rue de Maison. Both his silver hair and grey eyes lacked any luster, light or signs of life. Lefun was as much a throwback as his suit, his memory clear as the tunnel he traversed, he remembered the genocides and wars of the past. How could he forget the horrors of the Great War? The people of Cefnor deigned to gather for once not in bloodshed and he wished to see it remain as such. The weight of the Basin he felt upon his shoulders like the weight of the past on his soul.

Moving into the foyer he was almost astounded by the expense such a room would have in Austrasia. He remembered of course this had been built on what was essentially slave labor, the cost to the Library had been merely materials and man-hours. Amazing the dedication of the artists. We should get some curators down here for some snapshots. The gentleman at École Beaux-Arts would adore this.

His attention to the walls was broken by the sound of representatives naming themselves. He didn't need an introduction to know who most of them were, he had read the case files or had direct correspondence previously in the case of Kno'tai and Pelrin. Those two should get on quite well I should think. Kno'tai was always fond of observant people. he smirked laughing to himself, Look at Gilas squirm. Bet the smokes getting to him. If only the Empeuress had come, she'd have had much more fun than this carré. Perhaps the Ozians will teach him to lighten up.

Slowly moving forward without any hurry he came up to the group, speaking in his melancholic drone "An honor to meet again Librarian Kno'tai, Ta shine on you. Minister Vambaum a delight to finally see you in person. An honor Serjo, leter and Feridnha. I am Austrasian Premier Diplomat Dr. Francois Lefun. It is with great joy that I greet you."

[Allama]

As she descended the stairs of a modest government jet and stepped onto the tarmac of the muggy Carcossa airport, Esteemed Ambassador Tezcatlipoca wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

Being an Ambassador in Jutensa had for several decades involved primarily writing and responding to letters. The Jutensan people were fanatical about keeping physical records of all official communications, thanks to an historic Ozian betrayal*. The Honorable Premier had, however, made the opening of Jutensa a cornerstone of his electoral campaign.

------

"Come right in and have a seat."

The voice of Jutensa's new Honorable Premier came from the other side of the filigreed office door upon which Ahuiliztli Tezcatlipoca had just knocked. She entered slowly and gracefully, her serene brown eyes taking in the details of the room without seeming to as she glided to the chair nearest an enormous desk. First impressions are everything to a politician, after all.

All of the furniture in his office appeared to be carved wood, the brobdingnagian desk dominating its surroundings by mass alone. It was less ornately decorated than the pieces around it and seemed to be much older, the lacquer worn thin in places to show the grain of the wood. None of the other pieces showed such lack of care, but were freshly lacquered and shone in the sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling openings in the walls. The breeze stirred the small windchimes hung in each corner, setting them tinkling.

Apparently this man had a taste for the old-fashioned, though you'd never know it from the ease with which he wore his crisp designer suit. New to the Capital, Matlalihuitl Cipactli was making an impression.

"I've received a very interesting invitation," he began as he handed Ahuiliztli a sealed note.

She already knew what it said. Every government official in the country knew about the missive from Khem, though they weren't supposed to until it was formally announced. In Jutensa, a lot less was formal in reality than in appearance.

Once she'd made a show of reading the paper before her, Premier Cipactli continued. "I'm sending you to this conference. Jutensa's reentry into international politics is long overdue and given your past diplomatic efforts, I trust that you can handle the assignment."

Snorting inside at the mention of her past "diplomacy", Ambassador Tezcatlipoca calmly stood and extended her hand to indicate acceptance. "I will go to Cefnor for you, Honorable Premier."

"Go for Jutensa. Bring us back into the light of day. Let them all see that we are prepared to take the world stage once more."

------

At least the riot of color bursting forth from frescoes, flowers, and the vivid garments of Khem's people was comfortable and familiar. It brought to mind the ancestral home of Ahuiliztli's family, a low but sprawling stone manorhouse just outside of the capital city, surrounded by lush, vibrant rainforest and decorated with brilliantly-painted murals both inside and out. Often they would remove the light, portable outer walls to gaze upon the foliage and luxuriate in the glorious scent of a thousand competing blossoms.

Ahuiliztli stopped to admire some impressively tall purple bromeliads for a moment that turned into several, her impassive expression belying the intensity of her thoughts.

Stepping up to her shoulder after a minute, her blue-eyed guide finally spoke up, "Esteemed Ambassador, we really must be going. Ours will be the last delegation to arrive."

This is the closest he'll come to admonishing me for tardiness, I expect.

Without a word, Ahuiliztli gathered onto her arm the trailing hem of her lavish golden gown, glittering with sequins, and swept ahead into the crowd.

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*OOC: Oh yes, this event will be RP'd.

[Allama]

Esteemed Ambassador Ahuiliztli Tezcatlipoca approached the shining rail platform to find the other delegations already engaged in introductions and lighting up cigarettes. Excellent, she thought, this gives me the perfect opportunity to make an entrance.

Dropping her filmy train, she allowed the dress to flow down naturally, causing its myriad sequins to shimmer with light as the gossamer fabric fluttered behind her. She stepped up to the robed figure at the heart of the group and embraced him.

“Greetings in Gaea's grace, Librarian Kno'tai. My heart sings with the honor of meeting you in person after so many years of distantly exchanging communiqués.”

After releasing the ancient Librarian, Ahuiliztli turned to address her fellow guests. “I am Ahuiliztli Tezcatlipoca, Esteemed Ambassador of Jutensa. With some of you I have exchanged correspondence, while others present today are new to me. It is an honor to greet each of you. I hope that we may all come to know and understand one another during this conference, for the betterment of all our nations.” With this she walked around the platform, shaking hands and exchanging bows as appropriate, stopping finally by the Ozian delegates.

Noting Ieter and Feridnha's zuavka cigarettes with envy, Ahuiliztli found herself wishing for a smoke. Odd, that; it's been at least a decade since I indulged in zuavka. May as well commit to the celebration while I'm here.

“Psst... Ieter.”  Ahuiliztli made a smoking gesture and pointed not-so-subtly to the pocket from which she imagined the cigarettes had been produced.

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OOC: Jutensans, you may come to note, are not a terribly punctual people. Time to someone like Ahuiliztli is less firm, less strictly measured and observed than you would expect from Myrorians or Letonnese, for example. It's more of a vague method for planning the day's activities with little attention paid to minutes and more to hours. A Jutensan is more likely to arrive on time if you ask her to be there at sunset than at 7:30pm.

[Khem]

As leter lit up a zuavka cigar for Ahuilztli the primordial Librarian realized that all of the responding delegations were in attendance. With a grand gesture he motioned the group towards the open train doors. In a soft timbre he said, "Come we shall away to the conference room. We have much to discuss. The will of Ta waits on no Khem." With that he stepped aboard the train disappearing into the crowd of servile to fetch himself some Ksher and a seat in full view of the cabin.

Sitting comfortably on fine Khemish silk, Kno'tai pulled out his cherrywood pipe and silently puffed as the representatives were inundated with offers of food and drink by the servile mass. He laughed to himself as Dr. Lefun was the first to make his way through the crowd, with a drink in hand no less. The ancient Austrasian sat beside the Librarian with a solemn air.

"You know this isn't going to end well Bibliothécaire. They can not understand peace when all they have known is war."

Kno'tai shook his head as one would at a foolish child, "I advise you hold that thought to yourself Francois. You know as well as I that the future is unwritten. Also I would not have you poisoning the dialogue with your pessimism. Relax and just let this happen. Enjoy your drink and view what the young would have become of the world."

[Letonna]

Pelrin remained silent as the crowd moved onto the train car. He saw the Librarian and the Austrasian diplomat move to the front. He moved closer to the back, approaching a servant standing near a table with beverages on it.

   “Whiskey on the rocks, please.”

The young servant obliged, grabbing a glass bottle of a deep brown liquid and pouring it in a glass with 3 perfectly spherical ice cubes.

   “Thanks.”

Giving the glass a swirl, he noticed engravings in the ice. He brought the glass closer to his face, and saw a royal crest engraved in each of the spheres.

   “This is so impressive it's almost silly.”He thought to himself.

He looked around the room. There appeared to be mostly chatter among the servile, Khem officials and other ambassadors. He was the only one not socializing at the moment, well, pass the Myrorian diplomat who made it quite clear he was not enjoying himself through his body language.

The servant who gave him the drink was still staring at him, unflinching with a warm smile on his face. Pelrin, still inexperienced in making conversation with other cultures, simply gave the man a nod and walked to a group of officials making conversation.

[St Oz]

Ieter winked and responded to the Jutensan in Inglish, "Take it in slower, it's bit fancier and more potent than the regular cigar."

Meanwhile Feridnha puffed about three times and said, "Whoops."

Then the Librarian led them to the train, Ieter motioned her head to the train towards Feridnha, "Oi, Ahu-... Ahui-lizli? Ahui! Come sit with us, talk with us. Let's not let our history make us strangers." Her residence was in La Sava, not more than 150 kilometers from the Jutensan coastlines, but she couldn't say Jutensan names properly.

Just as she walked into the car she stopped paying attention to Ahuiliztli, talking to a servile back in Ozian, "Oi koele'zhi! En'vini ey virae vižiçin getiermi." (Servile, bring wine and beer for us)

Freidnha picked out a table somewhere in the middle of the car, picking out a booth for four people. Feridnha and Ieter sat opposite of one another near the windows.

[Myroria]

Gilas adjusted his tie and walked to the impromptu bar at one end of the car.

"Strawberry brandy," he said to the Servile bartender, pausing to nod at Pelrin. The Servile man shrugged. The sickly sweet Myrorian liquor was apparently unknown here. "Cognac, then. Please."

 In Pelagis, inside the Council Hall, he could mingle with the best of them. Here, though, he was an outlander in a foreign land, and he was paranoid that it showed. Alcohol always had a way of soothing his anxious mind, as his father and grandfather and great-grandfather knew all too well.

Taking a sip of his cognac, Gilas coughed almost directly into it as the heavy stench of zuavka entered his nose.

"Revolting," he whispered under his breath. Stepping out of the way and placing his brandy snifter on an open table, he reached into his jacket for his inhaler. The sweet sweet albuterol only seemed to let the zuavka more deeply into his lungs.

Gilas, writing the whole thing off as a lost cause and deciding instead to just deal with the smell, stepped back to survey the sea of brown skin inside the car. Normally he would complain to the Eluvataran or Prydainian delegation, but with their conspicuous absence he had to make do with the Letonnan, who presently seemed absorbed in his ice cubes.

"Wonder how long we'll have to babysit this dusky bunch;" he began, taking a sip of his cognac. "White man's burden, eh Pelrin?"

Much to Gilas' dismay, the Letonnan diplomat didn't gleefully take part in the racist whining, but instead nodded and walked off to some other group making conversation. Gilas grimaced and took another sip of his drink.

[Khem]

As the representatives took their seats, the doors of the lavish train closed with a soft whoosh, the wheels began to grind gently forward. The bustle of Servile was minimal due to the low number of representatives on board, they were much more used to crowds of Librarians all with persnickety orders and grabby hands. The Myror and Leton were especially a relief barely even saying a word to the Servile. This suited the bartender Manti just fine, he would prefer as few conversations with the n'khem as possible. He watched the old Librarian most closely of all. Perhaps if only he could talk to the old man he could get some answers about when the rest of the reforms promised to the revolutionaries would come into play. Maybe he could reason with the Librarian. As he thought this he heard the Myror exclaim something stupid about albedo burdens. The n'khem obviously hadn't carried a burden in his life. Hands of one afraid to touch Gaia.

"Another Sera?" he asked as he set down another snifter of cognac laced with coca extract. With this he walked away to the next car. The kitchen car was bustling with activity as gators were roasted, turtle eggs made to omelettes, fruits diced into spectacular geometries and vegetables stir fried with rice. He offered a bottle of ksher to k'Lund the head chef.

"Don't mind if I do." He replied in a thick Ozian accent.

Funny that the top chef of Khemish cuisine is an n'khem thought Manti. "You wouldn't believe the shit that... Keihesse'zhi just said."

"Oh I am one to believe things Manti. It is you who are the unbeliever."

"Not your Ozi Gaeanism again. The Ghedde has the nerve to speak like he sucks the cock of Ta just because his ass be pasty as cottage cheese! Sayin some shit about babysitting this '"Dusk Bunch"', HA! You watch old man Kno'tai he'll be babysittin all these albedo. Not one knows a good drink if they got dumped in a lake of it!"

"Shh Manti don't let the Da'kavo hear."

"Let em hear, they'll get a right laugh at these albedo Ghedde talkin like they higher in the cosmic order than a Khem!"

"Well then how about shutting your face so I can get this cayman in the oven okay?"

With a sigh Manti calmed himself and said, "Okay." Then took another swill of Ksher.

[Zimmerwald]

COUNCIL COMMUNICATION

Agathos Daimon Atri kos
The Great Library
Carcossa, al' Khem

Klara Lethen
Gwendhouse
Krith, Commw. Zimmerwald

Forgive the lateness of this reply. My fellow tribunes and I were unsure how to
respond to your invitation. Terms like "matters of mutual benefit" and "assistance"
are a far cry from specific items on a discussion agenda. Furthermore, "conference"
suggests more than the bilateral meeting to which those terms allude, but offers no
criteria for invitation. Fortunately, Ely Remmen has volunteered to act as temporary
legate until there is a specific agenda and we can grant a true mandate on that basis.

Ely squeezes through the doors just as they close, and takes a moment to compose himself. He tucks his hair, still long even after he had discovered it was too straight to dred properly, behind his ears, and loosens the wool scarf wound around his neck. Normally it's stiflingly hot, but the Carcossan underground has been air-conditioned for decades and today of all days Ely wants a memento of home.

He looks around just in time to see one of the Khem sidle out from behind the bar and into what sounded and smelled like a busy cookery. He looks very familiar to Ely, but that's just how things are here.¹ After generations of...breeding, most everyone has a near-exact double within twenty kilometers or so. In the big cities it can be difficult to tell a stranger from a friend. Hopefully Ely will get the chance to find out before the conference is over. He takes a swig of water from the flask he keeps on his belt, and grimaces. What as shame it would it be if he didn't get to visit the bar!

Unfortunately, while Ely was running late they'd all congregated into little knots, except one lonely-looking man in a maroon silk jacket. The fine texture of it is not a hopeful sign, but there's nothing for it. Ely takes a breath, walks over, and puts a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Sorry to be late," he says, pulling his hand away as the man turns around. "Ely Remmen. Do you have any idea what they want to talk about?"

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The idea is that Ely and Monti have met before. Unfortunately for Ely, Monti's holed up inside the galley car.

[Letonna]

Pelrin wasn't used to trains. They didn't have many trains from his district back in Letonna. Even in Letonnasburg, he never took the subway, and usually drove to work. He wasn't motion sick, but it took him a second to get his footing, especially with the speed of the train.

The Austrasian representitive finished his conversation and walked his way, wearing a warm inviting smile. When he arrived to Pelrin, he stuck out his right hand.

“Pelrin, We haven't had a chance to chat one on one yet, in person at least. It's a pleasure.”

Pelrin didn't return the smile, but shook his hand.

“Lefun, a pleasure. You're not as tall in person as everyone back at the ministry says you are.”

“Yes well, isn't it funny how that works. It seems a lot of foreign agency's paint me to be something I'm not...or no longer am.”

“Yes, funny.” Pelrin said coldly.

Lefun still has his warm expression on his face. Pelrin went to move away back to the bar before Lefun grabbed his shoulder, gesturing him to stay.

“What did your master say before letting you off the leash?”

Pelrin shot Lefun a dirty look.

“To make friends and play nice, even with the smelly neighborhood kid down the street.”

Lefun chuckled.

“You may tout your here on good will Pelrin, and it may have fooled them, but it didn't fool me.”

Lefun leaned close to Pelrin to whisper in his ear.

“Not a single Letonese will step into those lands. Ever. You people can't see past your greed. This world needs someone to stand up to your crap, and it will be me.”

Lefun leaned back from Pelrin, still holding his warm smile. He patted his shoulder, and walked back to the front of the car. Pelrin had a look of shock and surprise on his face, before shaking it. He waved to the bartender, who had just returned, gesturing for another drink.

[Khem]

The train ride passed pleasantly for most of those aboard. There was more food than all of the trains occupants could eat, with the Servile and Da'Kavo not partaking it was all the much more. Courses of roast cayman, boiled gha'kell eggs, turtle soup, fried rice and fruit were brought out with quiet ceremony. Though there was enough liquor and drugs aboard to choke a lake turtle, much went untouched as all but the Ozians seemed to want to keep a clear enough mind for the discussions ahead.

Along the way there was much mingling between the delegations, yet the tension in the car was thicker than the fogs of Lake Haali in November. Ely in an animated whispered discussion with Manti, the bartender obviously agitated. Lefun making a point to avoid further conversation with both Pelrin and Kno'tai, he decided he would converse with Gilas at length about "Old Myroria" and the Great War. The ancient Librarian smoking a pipe resembling a Jutensan death whistle filled the car with the aroma of his herbal blend drowning out the scent of zuavka as he made jokes with Ahuiliztli in near perfect Jutensan. Ieter and Feridnha deigned to sit with Ahuiliztli and Kno'tai assuring Jutensan delegate about reparations for the nuclear disaster, suggesting that they could lend some environmental remediation crews and contamination kits. Pelrin sat quietly for much of this carefully taking notes with a precise hand.

The train finally came to a rolling stop deep beneath the surface of Carcossa, those few delegates versed in Khemish architecture would know they were likely at the base of the icosahedron of the Great Library or at the very least near it. The ride itself with gentle curving and descent threw most peoples sense of direction, they were not in fact opening the doors to the Great Library or any other structure known to the surface. The building shaped like a squashed dodecahedron was austere in comparison to the lavish train ride and station of embarkment. The cold stone walls were uncarved, the lighting provided by small electric sconces along the walls and tracks of halogen above. It appeared in all ways very gray and almost lifeless. As they set foot inside they were briskly guided down a cramped hallway to a room no bigger than a train-car. In the middle of the room stood a circular table covered in blank sheets of paper, many writing implements and a large map of the Cefnor basin stretched across the center.

Kno'tai took a seat at the far end of the table giving himself a view of the map in which north was directly in front of him. A pair of Servile bowed at his side handing him a 3' silvered pipe with delicate flowering detailing. As he gripped it they packed a strange mix of herbs and resins into the pipe.

With a quiet yet commanding tone, "Welcome to this Conference. I know our terms were vague but I imagine we will have less stubbornness sitting in person. As each sits and speaks their name for the record-" He motioned to a young librarian dutifully typing out each word said. "I ask that you please smoke of this peace pipe as is our custom. Even if you do not inhale, such is necessary as we begin."

He motioned and the Servile duo lit the pipe with a small creme brulee torch. "I am Librarian, Most Pure Kno'tai of the Children of Ta, Talla'mah of the Hermetic Fraternity of Truth Seekers. I bid you welcome and pray. It is by Hermetica alone we set our minds in motion. It is by the fruits of Gaia that our bodies flourish, it is by the light of Ta alone we set our souls on The Path." With that he takes a long full pull on the ceremonial pipe exhaling a dense fragrant cloud of indigo smoke.

[Myroria]

Gilas raised his dark eyebrows in surprise as soon as the Librarian spoke the words "peace pipe". His expression then turned to one of shock as he realized that he, personally, would have to take the smoke of the strange concoction in his mouth. Soon, though, he wore an expression of abject horror as he realized that due to his seating position beside the Librarian that he would have to be the first to smoke the pipe.

Gilas tried to relax his facial muscles as the Librarian continued talking. The closest he had ever been to a peace pipe was when he, feeling adventurous, once bought a can of Calumet Baking Powder rather than his usual brand. He scarcely had time to go over the motions of actually smoking such a pipe before the Librarian handed it to him. Gilas felt the eyes of the Iseltov from Ozia on him as he grasped the pipe with clammy hands.

Raising it to his mouth, he drew the heavy smoke in and held it for a moment. He pursed his lips in preparation to open them again when -

Slam!

Ieter Iseltov hit the table, ostensibly to kill a fly. Gilas immediately gasped and felt the smoke clogging his windpipe. Trying as hard as he could to suppress a cough, he handed the pipe to the delegate next to him and reached inside his coat for his inhaler.

[Letonna]

The hiss of an inhaler could be heard in his right ear, but Pelrin paid no attention to it. He gave himself a second to study the pipe that had been passed to him. Intricate and gilded in design. He had tried tobacco, but never the more notorious substances that came from Al’Khem.

The table of delegates all were looking at him, with the exception of the Myrorian who was fidgeting in his seat and had his eyes closed. His gaze met Lefun’s, who stared at him with mischievous eyes and a devious smile. Pelrin ruffled his brown and shot him a look as he took a deep inhalation off the pipe. He didn’t even have a chance to exhale before his mind suddenly became more focused, his vision sharpened, his heart jumped, and his muscles relaxed.

He exhaled, paused for a second, and passed the pipe to the left.

“I just might have to look into procuring a little of this before I leave” He thought to himself.

[Zimmerwald]

Ely nodded once, slightly, at Kno'tai's announcement that they would all hear the Librarians' proposal soon. Eager to begin, he took the pipe as soon as the minister to his right offered it, and passed it on himself as soon as the smoke he'd puffed settled in the back of his throat. The blend wasn't exactly familiar, being somewhat easier on the insides than the stuff he'd been asked to smoke before, but it shared the same characteristic taste.

Not expecting anyone else to cater to his impatience, Ely settled in for several minutes' wait, clicking his throat every now and again and blowing little smoke rings through his lips. They puffed out of existence on the ceiling, their white wispiness lost against the dull gray.

[Khem]

As the introductions and peace ritual concluded, the room was left with an ambrosial air. The atmosphere lightly obfuscated by roiling vapor trails. As Kno'tai stood one of the servile drew forth a ream of documents, passing them quietly to the Librarian with her blue eyes downcast. Pulling out a folder marked with the Khemish symbol of beginnings, he cleared his throat.

"If it pleases I shall begin with the larger picture of our intent and we can dig into the finer details after we understand our positions more clearly. We have called you forth to set a new standard for the nations of the Cefnor Basin. We would like first and foremost to ensure that the horrors of war and genocide remain lessons of the past by establishing an international organization with the capacity to monitor and police member states."

The aged Librarian looks at Pelrin meaningfully, indigo eyes mournful. Letting out a sigh he continues.

"We would like for this organization to be composed of your esteemed nations. We seek for this to be more than a mere international court, nay we wish for this to be a unilateral mutual defense pact such that none of us should fear our neighbors and yet allowing us to remain a strong force on the face of Gaia. We seek exchanges of military training and scientific advancements to ensure our collective stays at the fore of modernity."

Shuffling papers, Kno'tai takes a moment before continuing.

"We seek internationally agreed upon standards such that when we buy Eluvataran wrenches they shall fit Jutensan nuts and bolts. Standardization of safety protocols, material storage, freight labelling and many other areas would be a mutual boon to all whom sign on to such a system."

As an example he passes around an Eluvataran wrench and various Jutensan nuts and bolts, which indeed are an ill-fit regardless of size.

"We seek an end to practices which harm Gaia and poison the waters of Cefnor from which we all draw resources, environmental protections not only protect bio-diversity but the future generations of your citizens. To this end we offer to divest profits from our oil sales in the creation of a fund for cleaning toxic sites and implementation of more environmentally sound methods of industry."

Looking around he begins attempting to read the faces of the assembled delegates, knowing full well this was going to be halfway between pulling teeth and herding cats.