Print Page - The Empire of New Letonna

Taijitu World Building => Pre-Modern Era Fiction => Topic started by: Letonna on July 28, 2014, 01:49:21 AM

Title: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on July 28, 2014, 01:49:21 AM

   It was the typical rainy day in New Letonnasburg. However, walking the back streets you never hear anyone complain. The Letonnese people have never been a stranger to the dampness. Ever since the great migration to new lands many years prior. Though the rain came naturally, other challenges arose for the Letonese people. After the fall of the Neustrian government after the great war, the Letonese government and its followers, in exile due to an uprising, were welcomed by various splinter groups. However, much like the Letonese Government(in exile), and it's heavy handed leader Emperor Titus, began influencing local politics in the capital of Neusburg. They had their hands in with the church, the underworld, and prominent members of the fragile reformed government.

   On April 16th, 1923, what remained of the Letonese military(in exile) and the military of the frail puppet government of Neustria over threw the leadership. Instating a replica of the government of The Empire of Letonna, with its Emperor, as head of state, and renaming the capitol New Letonnasburg. Many of the former citizens of Neustria welcomed a change, although cautious of these outsiders. Their caution would soon turn to discontent and suspicion.
   In an attempt to satisfy the demands of the natives, the Letonese government made an effort to register all citizens to vote, welcomed the parties of the natives(although poorly represented in upper government) and extent education and social services to people, regardless of decent. It was not enough however, that protest became more and more frequent as disgruntled Neustrians Lost faith in this foreign Government.

   On the 11th of December, 1941, Emperor Titus died. Official media reports claim he had a heart attack in his sleep. Unofficial reports claimed he was poisoned while eating his evening meal. His only son, now Emperor Ulfrum, assumed the throne. He was 9. His ministers ruled the state while he was in his youth. In their ignorance, they thought that moving Neustrians into the country side and dispersing them, away from New Letonnasburg, would quell the cultural rivalries.

   The Ministers made them a deal: Accept 4.4 acres of land 30 km from the city, or be forced from it with nowhere to go. Many accepted it, many refused it, and many adopted Letonese accents and lived in the shadows and in the underground. Although it did quiet the streets of the capitol, it would only spell trouble for the future...

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on July 30, 2014, 01:13:12 AM

September 9th, 1963

   Ulfrum sipped his earl grey tea while reading the city paper. It was his one way of keeping in touch with the people without going through his biased ministers and advisors. Although his Empire could be considered a more controlling one, the press were granted many freedoms as long as they didn't directly oppose the leadership in upper government.

   Most of today's stories were the same ol' same old. The elementary school in the Bannett district was holding a fundraiser for cancer, a petrol station was robbed, some mayor in a suburb town is caught in a sex scandal. One story did catch his eye: 'Neustrian resistance cell ousted in Letonnasburg.' It had been a while since he had heard of any organized resistance in the city. He paused on it and though for a minute.
   Placing his paper down, swigging down the last of the tea, he got up. A servant quickly moved to remove the saucer and paper. Leaving the room through a set of large gilded doors, one of his advisors stood perfectly still waiting to meet him.

   "Good Morning sir, was the tea I sent over satisfactory?"

   "It was average, nice aromatic after taste."

   "Excellent, I acquired it from a contact of mine in western Myroria. They claim it to have medic-."

   "Cut the bull shit Temford. What's this about a rebel cell in Letonnasburg?"

The advisor was caught aback, but quickly gathered himself. The Emperor was usually soft spoken, but could be cold when something worried him.

   "Uhh, well, we're investigating it. So far, the LIB(Letonna Investigation Bureau) thinks it might be organized Neustrians under the influence of a foreign nation."

   The two walked down gilded halls for a good 5 minutes in complete silence until they reached another impressive doorway with Imperial Guards on either side.

   Ulfrum pushed open one of the doors with force, causing a loud bang. His ministers sat around a large oval table with the crest of the Letonnese Royal Family on it. His ministers all stared at him with cold gazes until he took his seat at the head of the table. Ulfrum thought they acted like this because they secretly wanted to take over, or they didn't like his style of leadership, or because he didn't send a birthday card to their daughter, he didn't know.

   His ministers briefed him on typical happenings and developments. Increased trade with Myroria to the west, crop harvests were lower than expected due to heavy summer rain, the spread of the flu is expected to be lower due to advances in sanitation. The meeting ended with the Minister of Internal Security, Albaum Krik, saying in a slightly nervous voice:
   "It appears the rebel cell did indeed have connections abroad, although mostly through funding and advising. When the raid occurred, log books, notes on bomb making, 2 way radios, and small fire arms were apprehended. We have captured some of the suspects alive, but they are badly injured and may not survive."

   Ulfrum tapped his index fingers together as he though. He had nothing personal against the Neustrians, it was his power crazy father and his gang of advisors that did. But he can't just let them back in the city and give them back their lands. His people would never have it; caught in their racial ideals that they are somehow better than them.

   "Let the LIB handle this, tell them to follow all leads. But remind them they are paid to investigate, not start race wars. They are given guns to defend themselves, not burst into private basements without a warrant."

   "yes, my lord."

And with that, the ministers gathered their papers and left Ulfrum alone in the large echoic conference hall. His brow wrinkled as he worried about that might be brewing in his own city that he didn't know about.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 01, 2014, 02:54:10 AM

A large, boxy black car - probably Novmiri-produced - was rolling down a long-disused logging road in southwest Myroria towards a river making up part of the border between County Traval and Letonna. The car, containing two agents of the Myrorian Intelligence Agency, as well as a backseat and trunk full of firearms, had been driving off of any paved road for a little over two hours before finally the road dipped and a blue river with wide banks came into view.

The car rolled to a stop by the banks of the river and two men got out. Both were tall and slim, as most field agents of the MIA were, and were wearing gray flannel business suits, probably too hot for work in the middle of a forest on a September day.

"Do you see anything, Galyn?" asked the man in the drivers seat.

"Nothing. They were supposed to be here, Dalvus." The names, fake of course, were one of two ways to tell the men apart - in all other respects they were so unremarkable and similar looking they might as well have been brothers. The other way was by their ties: Galyn, a House Quarrovth man, wore a deep reddish-brown tie, the color of which could either be described as "burnt umber" or "a rusty nail covered in dried blood". Dalvus, a House Moomintroth man, wore a black tie with gold diagonal stripes - a formal, tired pattern for a formal, tired family. The color-coded ties were hardly necessary to their work, but so many MIA agents did intelligence for Great Houses on the side it helped to know who might stab you in the back as soon as you finished your work for the royals.

"They'll show up." Dalvus replied. Opening his car door to step outside, he was immediately assaulted by a flurry of mosquitoes, black flies, and gnats that made the forest their home. Giving the door a nice slam, he put his sunglasses on and stood, staring at the wide river with his hands on his hips.

"There." Galyn said, turning to face a raft with six men buzzing its way across the river.

"one... two... six men?" Dalvus said with a mixture of confusion and anger. "They didn't tell us they'd be sending six guys." Galyn sighed and shook his head. As the raft beached itself on the bank and the men climbed out, the two MIA agents moved a hand towards their sidearms. The men coming towards them looked disheveled, hungry, and in desperate need of a shave. Dalvus held out his hand as the gang approached.

"Agent Dalvus of the Myrorian Intelligence Agency. This is my partner, Agent Galyn."

"Fernand Decoteaux," replied the man at the front of the pack, looking the least disheveled and the most recently fed. "We represent the Neustrian resistance." Decoteaux looked at Dalvus' outstretched hand for a moment before ignoring it and continuing. "My grandfather fought yours here 60 years ago. The resistance back in Letonnasburg might trust you, but you'll have to earn it here." Dalvus used the hand he was planning to greet Decoteaux with to slap a black fly that landed on his neck.

"Alliances change. We can assure you that the highest reaches of the Myrorian government are sympathetic to your plight." Galyn interjected.

"Pah! Your foreigner king might have sympathies for us but we know your populace feels the same way as we do."

"Gentlemen," Dalvus said, wiping the fly carcass off his fingers, "Allow me to show you how far His Majesty's government is willing to go to ensure your victory." Leading the group of men around to the back of the car, he fumbled with the keys in his pocket for a minute before opening the trunk. Inside, carefully stacked, must have been at least twenty-five assault rifles and ten more bolt-action guns, as well as two tripod-mounted machine guns on top like a cherry on a milkshake. Fending away murmered excitement from Decoteaux's men, he walked around to the left-hand back passenger door and opened it, showing off three rocket-propelled grenade launchers laid down lengthwise across the bench seat.

"His Majesty's government is very keen on having a Neustrian state as an ally," Dalvus said to Decoteaux, who could hardly take his eyes off the arsenal. "In fact, he's willing to give you these free-of-charge in exchange for a promise that you'll... shop with us again in the future." The men behind Decoteaux chuckled and he wordlessly nodded affirmation.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 01, 2014, 04:18:51 PM

It was a rare sunny September day in the city. You could hear the loud pops of a tennis ball being smacked back and forth. Ulfrum and the Minister of Internal Affairs were playing a game of singles while discussing recent developments with the Neustrians. Ulfrum wasn't very good at tennis, but his ministers and advisors always let him win, which he was fine with.

   "We suspect...*smack*...The Royals in Myroria *smack*...are somehow propping up resistance*smack*. How much *smack* and to what extent*smack*...we aren't entirely sure." The Minister spoke while running and hitting the ball.

Ulfrum remained silent while he smashed the ball right between the ministers legs. Game, set, match. A palace servant quickly ran up to Ulfrum to give him a towel.

   "Do you have any definitive proof? Any confessions? Spottings?"

   "Our contacts in Neustrian country have reported unusual movements to and from the boarder. We've ruled out fishing because this isn't the season the salmon and other fish run, and we've also consulted with the Ministry of Development and found out no new settlements are being formed there. Most movements have also been through farming communities near the border."

   "These aren't just seasonal workers going in to help with the harvest?"

   "Unlikely. The Ministry of Agriculture monitors all workers in the event suspicious shortages and poisoning. Especially since a lot of the migrant workers are Neustrian."

Ulfrum laughed inside his own head at the fact that bloated bureaucracy came in useful for a change.

   "What do they have to gain? Why would the Royals support instability so close to their boarders?"

   "We hypothesize, though this is unconfirmed, they may be selling the arms, or may be investing in a puppet ally. "

Ulfrum's eyes squinted. Although the two governments never became 'friends', they kept differences and grievances aside to allow trade. He knew they Myrorians well enough to know there's likely much more to this than appears. They were very good at weaving webs. This may even be a House acting on its own. Right from the beginning he really hoped it wasn't them, but always suspected.

   "Minister, contact General Vess, tell him to deploy scouts to the boarder. Make it clear to him I was him to WATCH, not fight. Remind him of the incident in 1954 if you have to. If his scouts see anything, I want to be the first to know."

   "Yes my lor-"

   "And Minister. Contact our embassy in Myroria. Tell them to..put their ear to the ground."

   "Yes my Lord."

Ulfrum Grinned a sinister grin. If the Myrorians wanted to play with him, he would join in. Just because they made the first serve doesn't mean he's at a disadvantage. His ambassadors and him often had secret code phrases they used incase their messages were being intercepted. For example, "Keep an eye on your check book" would be interpreted as: I give you permission to bribe. "Invite guests over" would be kidnap someone. "Put their ear to the ground" is code for make contacts in the underworld/unsavory tiers of society/look for friends in government or power. He knew not all Houses in Myroria agreed with one another, and although the Royalty there is likely behind this, there's always someone who's quick to take an opportunity to get ahead, especially in Myroria.

As Ulfrum walked back into the palace, he heard something faint in the background, like a soft boom. He turned around to find a pillar of black smoke rising from the other side of the city...

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 02, 2014, 03:53:32 AM

The "Q" Club in Traval City, about fifty miles from the border with Letonna, was like many other "Q" Clubs throughout the nation: Dark both outside and inside, covered in wood paneling, and filled with cigar smoke and Quarrovth men. Agent Galyn entered the old boy's club immediately after parting ways with Dalvus upon entering the city; nodding his head towards a doorman-cum-bouncer standing by the entrance, he walked up to the bar - barely visible through the thick smoke - and stood between two stools.

"Sidecar, please. With Armagnac." As the bartender silently nodded and turned around, a man approached him from behind.

"Agent Galyn," the man said. Galyn knew before he even began to turn that it was Aldos Quarrovth, head of the Traval Meetinghouse and the queen's first cousin once removed, which he made sure to remind anyone who would listen of.

"Sera," Galyn said straight-faced. Hearing the bartender shake Galyn's cocktail, Aldos spoke up.

"There's a gentleman in the lounge who was asking for the two of us. I figured you'd be in tonight," he said. Galyn sighed and scratched his head.

"Just let me get my drink and I'll be right in."

"He came all the way from Pelagis."

"Did I stutter, Aldos? I said just let me get my drink." Aldos, holding up his hands sarcastically, pushed himself off the bar and walked towards the back of the club.

"Sera," the bartender said, handing him his drink. Galyn put a ten guilden note on the bar and took his glass. Winking at a cocktail waitress as he passed, Galyn half walked, half swaggered to the door at the back of the club that led into a private lounge.

The air inside the lounge was much less smoky than the air in the club, and Galyn breathed fully for the first time in at least fifteen minutes. Giving a quick scan of the place - just as wood-panelled and darkly furnished as the rest of the club - he saw Aldos and a man in a cream blazer sitting at a booth in the back. Aldos beckoned him over with his hand.

"Ralmyn," Aldos said. Galyn, taken aback by the first use of his actual name all day, stuttered for a second. "This is, uh," Aldos continued, forgetting the name of the man seated opposite him.

"Gothren Quarrith," the man said, extending a hand.

"Uh, Ralmyn Prolrovth." Galyn - well, Ralmyn replied. "Serjo Quarrith... you used to work in the Imperial Residence, right?"

"Uh, I was Imperial Chamberlain for some length of time... " Gothren said, pausing as if the following words still hurt him, "But His Majesty saw uses for me... elsewhere."

"Ah," Ralmyn said, taking a seat beside Aldos.

"I understand you wanted to speak with us, Mr. Quarrith?" Aldos said in the way an old woman might ask for the latest gossip.

"Well, actually," Gothren began, "I'd just like to speak to Mr. Prolrovth. Or is it Agent Galyn?" he asked.

"Oh," Aldos said, obviously hurt. "Well I won't keep you." Ralmyn stood to let Aldos out and watched as he hurried away back to the front of the club.

"He doesn't take exclusion well, I take it?" Gothren said with a chuckle.

"Something like that," came Ralmyn's reply.

"So, do you prefer Ralmyn or Galyn?"

"Depends on the job, I suppose. If that's why you drove all the way from Pelagis to speak to me."

"Well, to be honest I think I would probably prefer your Quarrovth name rather than your Imperial name." Ralmyn chuckled.

"Whatever works for you, guy." Gothren looked behind his shoulder before continuing.

"There aren't many more agents House Quarrovth can trust," he began. "We understand you've done work for us before and so that puts you closer to the top of our shortlist for this job. I'm not sure how much you know about my departure from the Residence."

"I don't follow Pelagis politics. I just follow orders."

"Good. We can use someone like that. I've been the eyes and ears for... certain high-ranking nobles of House Quarrovth since His Majesty let me go. We've gotten some very concerning intelligence regarding MIA movements near the border with Letonna, and just recently we've heard reports that Neustrian rebels are moving around those parts as well. Now, Ralmyn,"

"I don't know what you're asking me to do, sera."

"Well, Ralmyn, I don't know what you know or what you've done with the MIA, but we're willing to offer you a significant cash reward if you'll be our eyes and ears out here in County Traval. House Quarrovth has little interest in seeing our trade partner fall to a bunch of Neustrian rebels who would probably restart the Great War the first chance they get."

"I've never been a double agent, Mr. Quarrith. At least not for the length of time you're asking for. Who knows how long these clashes will go on for? I don't. Ulfrum or the Neustrians don't even know that."

"I can assure you," Gothren said, reaching for a satchel next to him, "The rewards of your work for House Quarrovth will be in proportion to the effort." Ralmyn, unsure until he saw the volume of cash sitting next to Gothren, smiled.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: St Oz on August 02, 2014, 06:26:28 PM

Travel City

A wealthy landowner with his amateur poet of a wife owned an upscale apartment in a building across the street from the "Q Club". A recent publication of his wife's poetry caught the attention of dignified La Sava literature critics. Much to the surprise of the literature community, La Sava even had critics. Not only that, but they took an interest in an aristocratic woman's bad poetry, which compared her love of her husband to a dewy morning in April. Though the poetry only created distorted, confused faces when published, the Ozians in La Sava loved it for its ‘geniuine love story’, and they offered the couple a free, all-expenses paid trip to La Sava to accept the award and 10,000 Pei prize from an anonymous donor. However, this anonymous donor was none other than STIA. There was a second prize the couple won. Two women, one with dark blue eyes and the other with maroon eyes, unlocked the door to their exquisite apartment with a copy of their key. They found their way through the dark apartment to the wife’s library. They called the one with blue eyes, Larry, and they called the one with maroon eyes, Saul. Randomized Inglish first names were usually selected to each on the first day of training, and only if you’re close friends in real life do other agents actually know your real name.

The cat greeted the two by rubbing up against their leg as they unloaded the large radio boxes from their bags. He hopped up onto the wife’s writing desk to gain further attention. The orange tabby wore a collar with a heart-shaped tag on the front of its neck and inscribed on it was “Tiger”.

Larry rushed to connect one wire to another on the large black boxes featuring several dials and meters, and Saul peaked outside at the Q-club with a pair of binoculars. The two women both wore jeans that were accented by their keffiyehs. Under normal circumstances they’d wear more local clothing, but their covers were Ozian auditors from the Staii direship. They both had young faces, but Larry had a beauty mark on the right cheek, and Saul had a beauty mark on the left cheek. Though they looked similar, Saul had darker skin, and foreigners commented that Larry was prettier. The context of the word pretty in Ozian made this insulting to the Larry, because to be called pretty meant someone had nothing else to say about the person.

“Oi, there’s a tacky Novmir’zhi car driving in. Did you make connection with the bugs yet?” asked Saul.

“I might need some help.” She fumbled to untangle some headphone wires and connect them to their ports. Meanwhile Saul just watched, “All right, all right, tuning and decrypting.”

“Hurry up Larry. We can’t send anot-”

“It’s done, come help me listen.”

She waved a hand to her, “I want to see him.”

“Who?”

“Gothren of course!”

“We don’t even know if he’ll be here,” Larry grumbled, listening into two headphones at a time to find which bug Galyn would sit by. “Focus on the job would ya? He’s not going to show. What’s your deal with Gothren anyways? Are you going to be one of those prissy Catholic girls waiting for a prince charming to marry you?”

“Fuck no! I just want to spend a few nights with him, not sex with him, you know, I just want to-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence, I don’t need to know my partner is a Dominata” (specialized Ozian dominatrix)

“Shhh! He’s here! He’s here!”

“Great you saw him, now get on the fucking radio and take notes. I think I found out where Galyn is sitting.”

“Why aren’t we the cocktail waitresses? I hate listening to bugs, and I want to see his face.” Larry pouted.

“Because last time we did you made a man sing falcetto for grabbing coping a feel, and then we were deported!”

Larry sighed as Gothren walked into the club, “Oh right.” Then she flopped her hand with the binoculars down and retreated to the writing desk. She places the binoculars next to the cat and gave Tiger a quick behind the ears rub. Larry and Saul now hit record on the bugs’ radio signals, meanwhile listening in with their headphones.

Agent Galyn… Sera… crackled the radio in the headphones. He chatted with the bartender, but Larry quickly realized that he was moving again. She smacked Saul, “Are you listening to this? We need to find where he’s moving to.”

“Oh, he’s at Gothren’s table!”

“You were only listening to Gothern weren’t you?”

“So what if I was!”

Larry rolled her eyes and switched the headphone jack to listen into this table now.

Ralmyn… this is uh… the radio crackled again.

Saul finally took her job seriously now, “What’s with these MIA guys and announcing to the world their codenames and titles?”

“Non-Gaeanist men like to convince each other and women about how important they are. Then Ozian women like yourself are attracted to that because they think they can flog sense into the man.”

“You’re not wrong, I do like me a spunky man. Ozian men are just too docile.”

Uh, I was Imperial Chamberlain for some length of time…

Larry mocked Gothren by sticking her right hand in her jacket and sinking her voice with a Myrorian accent, “Unnnh… Ms. Saulie Paulie, I used to be Imperial Chamberlain, for some length of time.”

Saul furrowed her eyes, “Don’t call me Missus. Ugh, the nerve of you.”

So, do you prefer Ralmyn or Galyn, the radio headphones continued. Larry motioned her hand like a mouth, rolling her eyes, bobbing her head, and opening and closing her hand as they listened. “On with it you two.”

Good. We can use someone like that. I've been the eyes and ears for... certain high-ranking nobles of House Quarrovth since His Majesty let me go… The two of them perked up, jotting down the time stamp, and clearly more interested in the conversation.

Saul looked over at Larry’s blue eyes, “That’s certainly interesting.”

“Gothren’s looking for a double, what’s he trying to investigate?”

“A Neustrian Affair.”

“Exciting!”

“Imperials undermining Imperials, it’s like a historical telenovella back home. Ozi’pol’s going to love this”

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 03, 2014, 04:08:31 PM

Ulfrum grumbled. The paper was riddled with stories and accounts of the Letonnasburg bombing 3 days before. He had delayed making a public statement for too long. He wanted to wait until he had more information. He didn't want to go before his people to say their very country men and neighbors to the west were turning against them without having a definitive plan . Although he wouldn't use the term 'countrymen'. Although they technically had rights, Neustrians were considered second class citizens by most government and common Letonnese citizens.

He rubbed his chin, feeling the 3 day stubble. Staring at a portrait of some long dead Letonese noble, he thought deeply. Rumors had it other nations besides Myroria had showed interest, although these were just mumbles. His generals wanted military retaliation; outright invasion. He of course dismissed them, they were just looking for more stars and medals, bored with policing Neustrians. General Voss reported that he did indeed see craft crossing the river, although exactly what was occurring on the other side is unclear, although Neustrians came back with things.

Ulfrum picked up his phone and told his secretary to prepare a press release for later this afternoon. He had to tell his people something. He grabbed a pen and paper, and prepared to jot down notes. His buzzer on his desk let out sharp artificial noise, alerting to him he had a visitor.

   "Come in."

He hadn't remembered scheduling any visitors. It must be something important if his secretary hadn't alerted him.

A medium height man walked in. He had on a grey uniform and insignia signifying he was a lower rank member of the Ministry of Diplomatic Relations. He stood before Ulfrum's desk and bowed.

   "My lord. Our Embassy in Myroria has made contact with possible allies. They are willing discuss the current situation, but only in person, and only with you. No other details have been given to me from Ambassador Vechs in Myroria."

There was silence for 30 seconds while Ulfrum thought this over. The messenger remained silent as he remained bowed, trying to be perfectly still.

   "Where?"

   "They would prefer at the border, or as close to it as possible. Ambassador Vechs had the idea of meeting in the settlement of Ingsfaulm. It's close to the border, and there is little Neustrian resistance present."

   "Tell Vechs I agree to this, but let them know they will be watched, and I will have protection in case they plan anything dubious."

   "Yes my Lord."

The Messenger stood up from his bow and promptly left. His earlier hunch proved fruitful. Not all was as it seems in Myroria. Although a politically awkward place, there's always someone willing to throw you a bone if you agree to throw one back.

Ulfrum let out a deep sigh, and went back to writing

==============================================================================

It was a little before 7 p.m. Ulfrum had the Ministry of Communications create a half hour window on all TV stations for him to make a broadcast. He picked this time, because this was when most citizens were home, and it was right before the hit talk show, Late In Letonna with Belrum Sengi.

Ulfrum adjusted his tie. He wore a charcoal grey suit, with a lapel pin with the Letonese Royal Crest on it. He sat behind his desk, fidgeting with uneasiness. The man behind the camera said he would be on in 30 seconds. He took a deep breath, and slowly released it. He was usually ok with public speaking, but he was used to just speaking to his inner circle and delivering holiday messages to his citizens. The man behind the camera counted down from five on his fingers, then pointed at The Emperor. Six seconds of silence went by before Ulfrum cleared his throat and began to speak.

   "Good evening my people. Three days ago, a bomb went off in Letonnasburg, killing seven civilians, one police member and injuring four others. I'm deeply hurt by such actions. As many of you may already suspect, these attacks come from within, from groups within our walls and boarders. I have been working close with all branches of government to see that we are not struck in such a vital spot again.

   Now, as I'm sure a lot of you also know, these attacks have come from our own civilians. Radical Neustrian cells in the city and country side. I ask you to mourn the dead and their families, but heed caution in your blame. Remember a lot of Neustrians are good, hard working people, and a radical minority is not the face of a people. If you need someone to blame, someone to hate, someone to despise, hate people, Neustrian or otherwise, who support terrorism against innocent civilians on their way home from work.

   I will see to it that these groups, and their supporters are brought to justice. Letonna is intolerant of these groups. If you have any tips or knowledge of possible cells, you are encouraged to contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs or your local police station.
   Now, I also regret to inform you, due to possible activities with our Boarders to the west, we are closing all civilian travel to and from Myroria and Austrasia. Trade will continue, but will be audited and monitored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and be subject to searches for illegal transport of arms and supplies by the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. Citizens abroad will be allowed to cross the border and return home, but will be subject to searches. Civilians, Neustrian or otherwise, are discouraged from traveling at night, and may be subject to questioning if suspected of illegal activities.

   And finally, many military personnel will be called to report to their respective commanders for active duty to ensure the safety of our people and borders. This is not a call to war, but a need to booster our policing force, and keep you safe.

   Now, I wish you, my people, a restful evening. Trust in your police, your government, your Emperor, and even yourself, to bring about a safer Letonna, like we've known and loved for so long. Goodnight."

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 07, 2014, 11:52:08 PM

Gothren nervously tapped his foot and looked around. The rural areas of County Traval were always full of Pelagians, and the town of Larochille, near the border, had an especially large number of them. Even the bus driver that dropped Gothren off seemed urgent to get out of here. Adjusting his sport coat, he saw a white Earth Rover come rumbling down the badly-maintained road. Breathing a sigh of relief, he picked up the briefcase standing on the ground next to him and put his cool face back on.

“Ralmyn? I didn’t know they were sending you. This is a sensitive operation.” Gothren said through the open passenger-side window, annoyed.

“I’m perfectly capable of being sensitive, Gothren. I wasn’t followed. But now that you bring it up, I don’t remember my contact saying someone of your… stature would be assigned for this.” Gothren, who now looked as well as sounded annoyed, climbed in the passenger seat with his briefcase.

“We were going to send an aide, but our employer insisted I meet with Ulfrum myself. Royal protocol demands someone of some stature, in your words.”

“Buckle up,” Ralmyn said, changing the subject. “These roads are rough.”

Ulfrum sat in a Letonese military scouting vehicle, parked on a dirt road separating two fields. They had already been harvested of their bounty, so it was unlikely any workers would be around. A scouting vehicle was chosen over a Limo because that would draw attention, while vehicles patrolling the countryside were common. A body guard dressed as an aid was sitting in the drivers seat, while a representative from the Ministry of Diplomatic Relations sat in the back along with another armed guard. Armed snipers were also in the forest surrounding the fields.

   Ulfrum checked his watch. He was early, but his protection incested it so they could monitor the area.
   “Do you have the name of the contact? Is he someone of status? I don’t want some errand boy.”
   “We’re told they are well respected members of their organization.” One of the guards spoke.
Ulfrum grumbled. A radio clicked to life in the vehicle, and a crackly voice said “They’re here.”

   “Finally. Let’s go out and welcome our guests, shall we?”
Ulfrum opened the door of the vehicle, and stepped out to see a white Myrorian vehicle approaching with a large cloud dust behind it.

“Look, there he is!” exclaimed Ralmyn, pointing.

“Keep your hands on the wheel,” Gothren said dismissively. “Why are you so giddy?”

“I’ve never met a king before,” Ralmyn said with a frown. Gothren rolled his eyes. The white vehicle slowly rolled to a stop on the side of the road and Ralmyn unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Follow my lead. I’ve never met a king before,” Gothren said, repeating Ralmyn sarcastically. Gothren closed the passenger-side door behind him and buttoned his sport coat, looking up. It was a clear day when they entered the forest in Myroria but now it looked like rain was coming. Ralmyn rounded the back of the car and stood next to Gothren, the pair walking towards Ulfrum. Gothren bowed as he approached, clearly experienced after spending ten years working with the Myrorian Imperial Family, but Ralmyn bent himself at the waist a little more awkwardly.

“Your Majesty. My name is Gothren Quarrith; I represent Great House Quarrovth, and this is Ralmyn Prolrovth, an associate of mine. I understand some associates of Your Majesty’s requested House Quarrovth send a delegation to meet you?”

“That is correct. I thank you gentlemen for making the trip.”

Ulfrum paused to observe the men in front of him. They held nice posture, and looked him directly in the eye. He liked that. Many of his own men, ministers and advisors couldn’t even do that.
“Well, let’s get down to business. I have been informed that your house many not see eye to eye with your greater governments actions. I’m also aware a lot of the trade between us benefits your house especially. What I want from you are movements, times and locations where the arms trades are going on. If you can do this, I might be able to sway more business and contracts your way, maybe even wave some import and export taxes.”

Gothren and Ralmyn looked at each other for a moment before the former asked,

“Do you think that’s practical, Ralmyn?”

“I think that’s doable. But Quarrovth doesn’t have men everywhere. It’s possible an agent or two that we don’t have connections with might be assigned to a drop, and if that happens they’re off our radar.” Ralmyn replied, looking at Ulfrum. “Ever since Peté took the throne he’s been tightening his hold on the MIA and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a few associates in the offices back in Pelagis as well. But I think the Quarrovth has enough loyal men in the MIA to make a deal like that practical.”

   “Excellent. I know you gentlemen will try your best to convey my wishes.”
Ulfrum turned around and gave a nod to his representative from the Ministry of Diplomatic relations, who opened the vehicle and took out a briefcase. Walking up to Gothren and Ralmyn, he opened it. The briefcase was padded, and in it were three bottles of green liquid.

   “A Letonese delicacy, reserved only for the royal family. A gin, infused with the rare Laum flower. I gift for the two of you, and the third for your house leader.”

Gothren hesitated before reaching for the briefcase. In Myrorian politics, the most common gift one would give to another would be a knife in the back.

"Your Majesty is very gracious, sir." Handing the briefcase to Ralmyn, he continued. "I'm afraid we don't have anything of similar worth to present you, Your Majesty, but I can let you in on some intelligence our House has recently acquired. We can't say for sure, but we've had... indications that Eluvatarans might be infiltrating the MIA. Whether it's lone actors or EROB I can't be sure but..." Gothren paused as Ralmyn slammed the car door and returned to the impromptu meeting. "if EROB is trying to get its fingers in our pie we'll do our best to hinder them. Our employers have little tolerance for foreign influence."

“Hmm.” Ulfrum said aloud as he rubbed his chin. “This is an interesting development.”
He let a few seconds of silence pass as he stared into the distance.
“Very well, I thank you for this information.I wish you gentlemen a safe journey back into your nation.”
Ulfrum gave a nod to them and turned back to his men behind him. They got in, and drove past Ralmyn and Gothren, back to the main road.

“He’s shorter than I thought he’d be,” Ralmyn said. Gothren sighed.

“Get back in the car.”

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 09, 2014, 04:15:38 AM

You could hear a fountain in the background trickling, while birds chirped overhead, and the sound of a teaspoon tapping against a cup. Ulfrum starred with a bored expression into his cup of tea while the two of his ministers talked on. He kept slowly stirring his tea, while they kept explaining to him why he should do this and how he should not do that. It could be said he had the same respect for his ministers as they for him, the only difference is they answered to him. Today for tea, he had Byrin Dempfon, Minister of Internal Security, and Ferra Kevvris, Minister representing government media representation.

   "...So that's why it's in your best interest to crack down harder on illegal Neustrians in the city, we simply can't afford any more incidents." Byrin said in a monotone voice.

Ulfrum blinked a few times before snapping back to attention.

   "You can't appear distant and uncaring in the eyes of the people. We need the populace to know you will not tolerate such crime from...savages, living in our very own city." Ferra said, equally monotone as Byrin.

   "I'm not sure if you two are aware of this, but these are still human beings, and I'm also not sure if you're aware of this, under the Equal Representation and Reform Act of 1957, they are citizens like the rest of my people. True, under law they can't be in the city, but I refuse to break down doors and install martial law in my own city to root out a few bad eggs."

Both Ministers put on a sour glare and scowl.

   "My Lord, allowing these people to continue on will start outright war. What of the Neustrians in the military? They could be inspired by this riff raff and turn against their officers!"

   "We're unable to censor the news reports under law. People all over the nation are aware of the situation, and who's to blame. Neutrians all over the nation are seeing what's happening. They could be inspired to take up arms!" Ferra chimed in.

Ulfrum sighed, and went back to looking into his tea and tapping his spoon.
   "There's a solution to this, it just hasn't been made clear yet. Options will make themselves known in time. "
Byrin was engulfed in anger. He clenched his fists and grinded his teeth. He wanted to knock that damn spoon out Ulfrums smug hands that instant, but resisted. Striking the Emperor was punishable by death. He closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh, and said "Yes.....My Lord."

The two ministers stood up, bowed, and dismissed themselves. Ulfrum picked up his cup, took a sip, and whispered to himself "...Coward."

A light drizzle had started in Letonnasburg. It was about 5 p.m. and many people in the city were on their way home from work. Fritz Ronfer walked down a busy street with shops and business on both sides. He passed tired looking men and women carrying brief cases. He also had a brief case, but it didn't have papers in it. He was on his way to the corner of 6th and Victory St, a very busy intersection. He avoid saying anything or making eye contact as he passed people in the crowded side walk. He didn't want to arouse any suspicion that he was actually Neustrian.

His heart raced. He had just signed onto a cell in downtown Letonnasburg that made bombs. His first mission was to throw his briefcase into busy traffic, and try to make it out alive. His eyes watered up as he thought of home. Vauumstrefn, a small Neustrian farming village near the border with Austrasia. He missed the simple days of herding cattle and plowing fields. He hated his brother at this moment for pressuring him to join the Neustrian Resistance Movement.

A man rushing through the crowd bumped into him, knocking both their briefcases to the ground. They both looked at each other. The man wore a black suit with a lapel pin on it. The pin appeared to be the insignia of some ministry, Fritz wasn't sure what one.

   "I'm so sorry, I was rushing home. My kids are sick and I need to get them to a doctor. Let me get your brief case for you."

Fritz panicked. He stared with a look of fear at the man as he picked up both brief cases.
   "Again, I'm really sorry, but I must be going. What was your name?"

Fritz's eyes widened. He had to think of a Letonese sounding name, and say it with a Letonese accent.

   "Uhh, I'm uhh, Traumen....Traumen Gren."

The man gave Fritz a weird look, but didn't seem to give it much though.

   "Well Traumen, sorry again. Have a nice day. Glory to Letonna."

And with that the man was off. Fritz stood still for a second while he tried to gather himself. "That was a close call" he thought. Tightening his grip on his briefcase, he continued walking. He was closer than he realized, only about 100 feet away. He slowed his pace. He could see two elderly women chatting on the corner as cars sped by. They would be right in the blast range. He got pains in his stomach as he thought of his own grandmother back home.

As he stopped at the corner, he overheard the women discussing a deal on canned foods at some grocery store. He wasn't familiar with Letonnasburg so he couldn't really process it anyway. He stood staring into traffic. A Letonese policemen stood in the middle of the intersection and directed traffic . Fritz wondered if the man had any family. A wife, a kid? Who knew. His breathing slowed. If he didn't do it, his comrades would consider him a traitor and a snitch, and probably kill him. He had to do it. It was either these people on the street, or him and his own people. Swallowing, taking a deep breath, he pressed in a button on the top of the brief case. He could faintly hear a sizzling.

He threw the brief case 20 feet into the middle of the intersection and screamed "Glory to Neustria!" He heard a woman gasp before all noise was drowned out by an unfathomably loud bang and a blinding flash of light.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 11, 2014, 03:20:23 PM

Ulfrum leaned against a balcony on one of the top floors of the palace. He had an excellent view of downtown. The sun had just set, but the sky still had a faint trace of light in it. The red and blue lights of emergency vehicles could be seen lighting up the still rising smoke. He took a long drag off his cigarette. He had given up smoking up years ago. Well, until now. He took a sip of the remainder of his bourbon. It was his fifth, and he waved a hand to a servant to fetch a sixth.

A figure stood behind him, his features barely recognizable in the dusk light. Ulfrum turned around to face the man. He took off a drag, and exhaled. A tear was slowly running down his cheek.

"Do it."

"Yes my lord."

The Hevrum Pub was much more crowded than a usual Tuesday night. Many people packed in to watch the 9 p.m. news and hear about the 6th and Victory bombing from earlier today. A few minutes past nine, the TV cut to a man in a suit with the Letonnese Ministry of Internal Security seal behind him. Everyone in the pub was at attention, and the bar tender turned up the volume.

Quote

   "Good evening citizens of Letonna. It is with a heavy heart I inform you that a bombing took place in our fair city. A Neustrian savage murdered twenty four innocent people, and injured thirty more. Our thoughts will go out to the victims and their families. It is with this sad news, Emperor Ulfrum and the Ministry of Internal Security have decided to enact these temporary measures to keep you safe.

   Firstly, a city wide curfew will be in effect starting tomorrow at 6:30 pm, and lasting to 7 a.m., and will be in effect until further notice. Night workers will need to receive a special permit. Anyone caught between these hours will be detained and questioned.

   Secondly, the military will take over policing duties, and will be patrolling the streets at all hours. If you suspect anyone of misdoing, or have any information regarding the tragedies that occurred today, you are encouraged to report to the Ministry of Internal Security.

   And Lastly, any Neustrian caught in the city will be shot on sight, regardless of circumstance. The Letonnasburg Neustrian Deportation Act is in suspension, and the military has full discretion to use force against anyone proven not to be of Letonese decent. If you suspect anyone of being over 50% Neustrian heritage, you are to report them to The Ministry of Internal Affairs for questioning. Thank you, and good night"

   The Bar immediately erupted in murmured whispers as people talked to those around them. Nobody noticed a man in a trench coat and wide brimmed hat tilted to cover his face, sneak out the door.

   Fritz Ronfer walked at a brisk pace down the street. There weren't many people out, but he still kept his head down and spoke to no one.

He hadn't reported in to his cell yet. They were likely curious if he had made it out alive. He turned down a back alley that would eventually lead him to the basement of an old hard ware store, where his comrades met. He heard a noise behind him, it sounded like a shoe scuffing against the ground. He whipped his head around to see a man in a trench coat following him at the same speed he was going. Fritz's heart began to race. He didn't stop, and instead kept walking, just slightly faster.

Fritz walked another couple hundred feet. "Was the man still behind him?" he wondered in his head. It would be suspicious is he looked again. The suspense was killing him. He can't be followed to the hide out. He look back again and saw nobody behind him. With a sigh of relief, he turned back around to see three men in trench coats standing in front of him, blocking his way. All three men produced badges from their pockets that had the insignia of The Ministry of Internal Security.

   "Identification card."

Fritz's heart nearly stopped. The identification card he did have was fake. His true card was with his cell members. Fritz's tried to keep his hands from shaking as he pulled his wallet from his pocket. Taking the card from its pocket, he handed it to one of the men. The man studied it for a few seconds, inspecting both sides, before giving his companions a nod.

   "Alright, you're free to go."

Fritz nodded. He put the card back in his wallet, and the wallet back in his pocket. He stood still for a few seconds as the men continued to stare at him. He gave them a nervous nod, and walked past them. He began to have a feeling of relief when he heard the shuffling of clothing and three clicks; the sounds of pistols being cocked. He didn't have time to look behind him before his body was his with a succession of hard blasts.

Fritz collapsed to the ground, laying in a pool of his own blood. His mind was quickly fading, along with his vision. His last thought was of flowing fields of wheat in summer on his family's farm, far from this wretched city.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 12, 2014, 04:24:18 PM

"They're shooting Neustrians on sight now," Gothren said to Ralmyn, signalling to the bartender to refill his drink. "One of my employers says that he's heard rumors the king's going to issue a travel advisory to Letonna. Driving down the highway, I saw an army convoy four, five trucks long heading down to Blackwoods Base near the border, each truck filled with soldiers. This isn't some little rebellion over there anymore; it's civil war."

Ralmyn nodded. "I was making a delivery with Dalvus the other day and the Neustrians are looking more and more messy. I think they're about to do something desperate." Gothren looked at Ralmyn, puzzled.

"Making a delivery? Not to the Neustrians?"

"I have to keep my job;" Ralmyn said defensively. "But I took care of it, don't worry. I'm still a Quarrovth man."

A dusty white Earth Rover carrying Ralmyn, with his "Agent Galyn" face on, and Agent Dalvus pulled out of the forest as the logging road it rode on turned back into tar. A black, boxy Novmiri car sat on the side of the highway. Readying himself to get out of the car, Galyn took his keys from his pocket and opened the door.

"You go back to the office, Dalvus," he said through the open door. "I have some business to take care of in town before I head back."

"Alright, see you there, Galyn." Galyn slammed the door and walked to his car, watching the Earth Rover pull onto the highway and drive away, disappearing around a curve. Getting into the driver's seat of his car, Galyn threw it into reverse and swung the front of the car around, driving back down the logging road he just came from. Half an hour later, he came to a clearing, the imprint of the Earth Rover still pressed into the grass. Stepping out of the boxy vehicle and around to the trunk, he opened it with a smirk, took the small portable mortar inside, and set it up near the car.

Walking back to rummage through the glove compartment for his binoculars, he found them after some time and looked across the river to see the Neustrians still inspecting their newest weapon delivery. Kneeling down and making some adjustments to the barrel of the gun before placing a shell in it, he stepped back and triggered the mechanism that sent the shell through the clearing in the canopy with a soft "plunk".

Galyn's smirk quickly turned into a grin as he watched through his binoculars, seeing the shell come down on the other side of the river and blow the rebels to pieces.

"You better have. We can't afford to give the Neustrians any more weapons than we have to," Gothren said. "My employers don't see the big deal with the shoot-to-kill orders but they're not on the ground; it's getting dangerous there now for everyone. I have an associate in Letonna who says he tries to keep going outside at any time of day to a minimum, what with all the gunshots." Gothren grimaced and took another drink of his whisky.

"Well, I'm not delivering anything but I can't say anything for any other agents. Plenty of them are in the king's pocket. If they're not just Eluvatarans." Ralmyn looked behind him as if searching for anyone who might be watching.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 12, 2014, 09:20:27 PM

Captain Selvrin sat behind his desk. He was filling out paperwork for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Usually it's just a few forms a week he had to fill out to notify them of movements and observations of native Neustrians in and around the small city of Ghrel. But the past few weeks, it's been about two hours a day worth of paperwork, as the current political situation has become more unstable. He no longer went on patrols because he was stuck in his office filling out forms and making phone calls and orchestrating his men. He assigned them to five patrols a day now to observe the natives, as well as look across the Tel river to Myroria, and even patrol the streets of Ghrel, about 40 miles from the border.

He was assigned to Observation Station 43-C outside the city. It used to be considered a career ender to be stationed here. A boring observation base with only a medium sized garrison. But now, his station, and a lot of the others in western Letonna were alive with activity. Ghrel, like a lot of western Letonna, is a very heavy agricultural region with a large population of Neustrian workers. It was one of the last hold outs during Titus's war of unification back in the 20's and 30's. But like the others it fell eventually due to rather dirty underhanded war tactics.

Although it was now October, his office had no windows, and was rather stuffy. Selvrin reached to turn on a fan on the corner of his desk, but stopped when he heard a bunch of people yelling orders and running past his office. He thought maybe it was a drill for the new arrivals, and ignored it. Another minute went by when another group of people ran past his office, this time with guns and in full combat gear.

His brow wrinkled in confusion. This was suspicious. He got up from his chair and went to the door of his office. He could see down the hall more people running and barking orders. Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded, meaning for all personnel to report to combat readiness.

Selvrin grabbed his pistol and holster, strapped it around his waist, and ran outside. Upon stepping outside, he saw absolute chaos. Stepping a few feet into the sunlight, he was caught aback as an RPG slammed into a vehicle hanger not 30 feet away. Pieces of concrete and steel flew everywhere, and he ducked in the door way. Soldiers were firing towards the southern exit of the building, but instead of advancing towards the attackers, they were losing ground.

He was caught in shock as he saw soldiers falling and retreating to the command center. Dust and smoke covered the base, and he couldn't make out who was attacking. Was it they Myrorians? Neustrians? Austrasians? He ran from cover to cover, usually in the form of burning vehicles and collapsed structures. He saw an intact phone on a wall outside a barracks. He dialed the number to connect to the base commander, but there was no answer. He slammed down the phone when suddenly a bullet ripped through his left thigh.
The Captain collapsed, and put pressure on his leg while grunting and groaning. He called out to some soldiers firing southward nearby, but they couldn't hear him in the noise and confusion. It was of no use anyway, when a few seconds later an RPG slammed into their position, blasting them to vapor and bits. Selvrin continued to lay there and put pressure on his wound. He could feel himself becoming weaker. His men had retreated further back, and couldn't see him in the dust. He could hear new voices approaching him, talking in Neustrian accents. A man, with a Neustrian Resistance flag strapped to his back ran past him at full speed, firing his machine gun from the hip. Soon, others followed, screaming and firing in every direction.
His vision was becoming darker, and his mind cloudy. The last thing he saw was a Neustrian, dressed in civilian clothing, pointing a rifle at him as he lay bloodied on the ground. Then everything went black.

Ulfrum was in a meeting with five of his ministers. They were discussing the economic repercussions of the situation in Letonnasburg, and the nation as a whole. The Minister of the Treasury and Reserves was reading statistics and percentages off a paper when an aid burst into the room. Ulfrum gave him a scowl and said "What?!" He usually insisted his meetings not be disturbed, because he lost his train of thought when his aids bothered him with trivial things.

The aid bowed, and said "My Lord. I have tragic news that requires your immediate attention."

Ulfrum's gritted his teeth.

   "Well?!"

   "Ghrel. It has fallen to a military force. We suspect it to be Neustrians, but with it so close to the border, there is a possibility they could be Myrorian. We have not been able to make contact with military instillations 43-A though D. "

Ulfrum was silent. This was the first time he was in legitimate fear, and his face showed it. He knew there was unrest, but outright war? He never imagined they would have received enough funding and supplies to actually mobilize and do more damage than the occasional terrorist attack.

   "I uhh....erm"

Ulfrum struggled to find words.

   "Sir?" the aid asked.

   "Uhh....order a full military mobilization. Tell all commanders to be on combat alert."

   "Yes my Lord"

The ministers remained in silence, as they too had looks of fear and worry on their face. Ulfrum pinched the bridge of his nose; he developed a migraine. He had no idea how to proceed. This was beyond a legislative problem. This was an uprising. He blamed himself for not standing up to his ministers, and not making more advancements toward their freedoms when he had the chance.

His ministers were whispering amongst themselves while Ulfrum was in his train of thought.

   "I don't know if we can do this alone. Even with House Quarrovth helping us, it may not be enough to quickly crush this uprising. If they manage to capture all the farming provinces, they'll do the exact thing we did to them 35 years ago. They won't need to have a presence in Letonnasburg, they'll just starve us out."

   "I'll see if I can make some phone calls. I have a few contacts in Prydainia and St. Oz. We may even be able to pull some of our forces from Nova Letonna. And if it really comes down to it, we can see if we can plea to Austrasia." The Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a confident voice.

Ulfrum gritted his teeth, leaned back in his chair, and said "Very well."

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 13, 2014, 07:29:34 PM

Quote

LETONNESE EMPIRE TRAVEL ALERT

The Office of Foreign Affairs alerts Myrorian citizens in Letonna to the ongoing tensions within Letonna between Neustrian and Imperial forces. This supersedes the Travel Advisory dated September 18, 1963 and provides updated information on the security situation within Letonna as well as near the border with Myroria.

The Myrorian government currently has no information concerning active armed threats directed specifically against Myrorians, but does advise its citizens that a state of civil war, as defined by the Office's Manual of Foreign Conflict, has been recognized by the Office of Foreign Affairs and Letonna will remain in this state for the foreseeable future.

Emperor Ulfrum has decreed that anyone of more than half Neustrian blood (more than two Neustrian-blood grandparents) residing in Letonnasburg are to be shot on sight. Any Myrorian citizens of Neustrian blood are strongly encouraged to contact the Myrorian Embassy in Letonnasburg, or their local Myrorian Consulate, and arrange safe travel out of the country. A state of emergency, as declared by Emperor Ulfrum, currently exists across the entire Letonnese Empire and the Letonnese military has been deployed in regions across the nation. Regions with both substantial Myrorian population and substantial Letonnese military presence include, but are not limited to:

Letonnasburg, Letonna
Ghrel, Letonna
Ingsfaulm, Letonna

In addition to these regions, there are also several regions in Myroria near the border with Letonna that have been issued a Travel Advisory. The Office of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Office of Internal Defense, assures any Myrorians living in these regions that there is little danger from the war in Letonna, but the Office of Foreign Affairs has chosen to issue this advisory to these regions out of an abundance of caution:

County Traval, Myroria, including, but not limited to, Traval City, Larochille, New Pelagis, and logging camps in environs near the River Tel
Eastern County Ivorheart, Myroria, including, but not limited to, Grossmoor and Grossmoor Prison, Troshe, and logging camps in environs near the River Tel

Myrorian citizens considering travelling to Letonna are urged to strongly consider changing plans or otherwise postponing or cancelling their trip. Myrorian citizens currently in Letonna are encouraged to contact their local consulate, or the embassy in Letonnasburg, and arrange safe travel out of the country. For Myrorian citizens who cannot leave Letonna, the Office of Foreign Affairs encourages them to keep their legal visa and passport on their person at all times and avoid demonstrations or gatherings in public - the Myrorian government cannot guarantee the safety of any Myrorian citizen and these measures are to help ensure citizens' safety.

The Myrorian Citizens Service Office of the Myrorian Embassy in Letonnasburg assists Myrorian citizens in Letonna. The Office can help you with passport issuance and renewal, registering a child born abroad, House registration and absentee voting, and provides a certified notary public. The Office also provides emergency services in the event of a disaster or in case of illness, death, arrest, or destitution while in Letonna.

This Travel Alert was issued September 20, 1963.

God save the Empeurer, Peté Tar-Ilium, first of his name!
God save the Myrorian people!

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 15, 2014, 02:32:38 AM

   "Why there's no god damn circulation in this room I'll never know. Corner cutting by my fathers architects no doubt." Ulfrum wondered as he sat through another meeting with his ministers. They were bickering amongst themselves as usual. All debating what extreme measures to take against Neustrians not proven to be involved in the uprising. "They're more interested in perusing people with possible involvement than actual involvement" he thought.

   "...We can cut off communications to the infected regions. Mail, phone, travel. That could hinder their communications to some cells closer to the capitol. We can even-"

   "That's a horrible idea. What of the military and Letonese in the area? Are we going to throw them to the fire? Leave them in the dark. Minister, you'll make this problem worse." Ulfrum said in a displeased voice.

   "We need to install a military force in all northwestern towns and cities, and enforce the same rules as Letonnasburg. If we can put the Reasonable Warrant and Searching Act in suspension, it can help us bring down more hideouts." The Minister of Internal Affairs said in an inappropriately cheery tone.

   "No no no. You're all too stuck in the past. This isn't my father's Empire anymore. It's mine. There are other ways to win this without terrorizing every house hold and old woman. We live in a changing world. A world where senseless classism and prejudice can't hold up government any longer. It's you and I that brought this war to our back yards. We can win this with more than just guns. We just need a little diplomacy."

   "Do you mean another nation? I've sent diplomats to nations that could possibly support us but we haven't heard anything back." The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Terrin Ver said.

   "No. I mean with them. The Neustrians want something right? They wouldn't be killing civilians and blowing up military installations if they didn't. We need to see if we might be able to contact their leadership, and discuss this like men."

   "What?! We have no idea where even their lower ranking members hide. The Ministry of Intelligence only has a few vague hunches where they might be." Byron Dempfon said angrily.

   "Don't worry Minister, I wasn't going to consult any of you anyway. You all proved your usefulness when Ghrel was assaulted and 300 soldiers died. Sometimes you just have to look for a helping hand from a willing neighbor."

His ministers all stared at him with mixed expressions of annoyance and disapproval. Ulfrum liked when he pushed their buttons. He looked at Terrin Ver.

   "Ver, contact House Quarrovth. Ask them if they might have any leads to who the Neustrians answer to. If their agents are doing the drops to the Neustrians, chances are they might have a lead to who signs the checks."

And with that they dismissed themselves, some grumbling with disapproval. They would likely talk about him behind his back. But that's fine. They always have something they like to complain about. Collectively and individually, none of them had any idea how to win a war. They are used to signing papers and reviewing numbers. If it's anything his father taught him, it was two things. Keep your ministers close, and if it seems like a too radical of an idea, it's probably a good one.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 18, 2014, 03:23:31 PM

Gothren looked at his reflection in the shiny brass plate affixed to the side of a high-rise apartment building in north-central Pelagis, the image interrupted by rows of buttons and name cards. Running his hair through his thick grey hair, a mat more than a hairstyle, he pressed the button marked "L. Vrotrith".

"Who is it?" crackled a voice a few seconds later from a speaker next to the brass plate.

"It's G. Quarrith, here for our appointment." There was a short pause before a reply came.

"Come in. I'm 605." the voice said, and the door clicked.

Upon entering the apartment building, Gothren was struck by its austerity; smack in the middle of a Vrotrith neighborhood, the apartments were clearly intended for the House leadership, though House Vrotrith's socialist values precluded there being too much ostentation. In stark opposition to the Quarrovth manors across the river in Fellowmoor, with their pastel walls and wide gardens, the lobby here appeared spacious and painted in a solid cream; the polished marble floor seemed to be the only decoration in the entire place.

Approaching the elevator on the wall directly opposite the entrance, Gothren pressed the button marked "UP" and waited. To his left and right were two long corridors lined with doors, as equally undecorated as the lobby. A few sconces brought light to the corridor, but that was apparently as far House Vrotrith was willing to go to brighten the place up - literally and figuratively. The elevator beeped and Gothren stepped in slowly. Hitting the button marked "6", the doors slowly rumbled shut.

Once the doors reopened, Gothren noticed that the only way this floor could be told apart from any other was a large numeral "6" painted on one wall. Finding his way down the hallway to the room marked "605", he stood in front of the door and checked his watch - 10:57. Looking back up towards the grey door, he knocked three times and the door opened after a time.

"You were able to find the place all right?" asked Lleram Vrotrith, a man of about 65. The most immediately apparent thing about the man was his dress; casual and free of embellishment, he wore a cardigan and oxford shirt and simple pleated pants. His bald head caught the light for a moment as he stepped out of the way to let Gothren in.

"Yes, thank you Lleram." The two men had known each other for several years now, though this was the first time Gothren had actually been to his apartment. A veteran of the Indigenous Wars in Nouvé Resdaynia, he had always been broadly sympathetic to the affairs of House Quarrovth, and had collaborated with the House leadership on numerous efforts to expand welfare for veterans. When Gothren got the word from a spy that House Vrotrith was intimately acquainted with the affairs of the Neustrian rebels, he knew Lleram was the only man he had enough of a rapport with to get information from.

"Can I get you anything?" Lleram asked, shutting the door.

"Oh, it's a little early for me." Gothren replied out of habit, having spent years working with the hard-drinking nobles of House Quarrovth.

"I meant tea, or coffee," Lleram continued with a chuckle.

"Oh, well - " Gothren paused. "Coffee please. Black."

"Of course. I'll be right back. Make yourself at home." Lleram left to go to the kitchen, letting Gothren get a feel of the place. It was more decorated than the communal parts of the building, but not by much. The walls were of course a solid cream, and there were few paintings on the wall - the largest, above the couch, was a picture of a wide, flat savannah, probably of somewhere in the interior of Nouvé Resdaynia. Gothren was caught up in the piece when Lleram reentered with two cups of coffee.

"Oh yes, that's of a particular veldt outside Avestown. It's truly a beautiful continent - I try to get out there and see it every other year." Gothren nodded. Most House Quarrovth nobles had their own houses in Resdaynia that they got out to every winter - usually several times.

"Thank you for the coffee, Lleram."

"Oh, don't mention it, Gothren! It's a pleasure to see you again - it must have been a few months." Lleram said pleasantly, sitting on the modern-looking white leather couch below the painting. Gothren took a seat on a recliner opposite him, careful not to spill his coffee.

"Yes, I believe it has. I wish we had more time to catch up, but I'm afraid I'm here on business."

"Oh, I figured as much. Otherwise I'd have had you meet Fervsea - but I think she went out to pick up some things."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm here about the situation in Letonna," Gothren said, adjusting in his seat. The smile faded from Lleram's face.

"A terrible situation over there. Ulfrum is shooting Neustrians on sight, have you heard? Myrorians are fleeing the country in droves. A couple associates of mine are letting some expats stay with them until the situation calms down."

"Yes, I've been following it very - " Gothren paused to find the word. "Feverishly. Though the Neustrians aren't without sin in this situation either," he continued.

"I suppose not," Lleram said. "But they're only trying to gain the rights that the Letonnans took away from them. Same as the Pelagians in '51 - they turn to those methods because there are no other ones. Now I fear Ulfrum might try to exterminate them completely." Gothren again adjusted in the recliner. It felt like there was a loose spring sticking into his back.

"Is House Vrotrith lending help to the Neustrians?" Lleram chuckled and put his coffee on the endtable next to him.

"You Quarrovth men are always right to the point, aren't you?"

"We're soldiers, Lleram." Lleram laughed more heartily.

"I'm a soldier, Gothren. You're not. But I suppose I see where you're coming from. I might have joined Quarrovth, if it wasn't for my last name. Or my brother. I think Rothis would have had my head. We're certainly not funding the Neustrians, if that's what you're asking." Gothren nodded deliberately.

"That's not what my men tell me,"

"Well," Lleram said, jocularly but firmly, "If we're bringing spies up my men have told me you're lending help to the Letonnans. I suppose that's another reason I'dn't've have joined House Quarrovth."

"Listen, Lleram. Ulfrum wants to negotiate. I have it on good authority. But he doesn't know who leads the Neustrians."

"I don't either, Gothren," said Lleram, almost apologetically. "But I'm not entirely sure you're telling the truth about why either. Maybe the Empeurer and the Quarrovth leadership wants him dead." Gothren raised an eyebrow.

"I can assure you the Empeurer does not want the Neustrian leadership dead. But it is a him, you're telling me?" Lleram shook his head and laughed again.

"You're a funny one Gothren. Talk to Rothis. If you are telling the truth he might know more than I. But that's a big if. Rothis doesn't even tell me what's going on most of the time." Gothren smiled and nodded.

"You're always a help, Lleram."

"Anything for you, Gothren. Will you stay for dinner? I think Fervsea is boiling clams."

"I'm sorry, I can't eat shellfish." Lleram frowned. "And I really do have a lot of work."

"Suit yourself, friend. I'm glad I could be of service. But don't tell Rothis I told you all this. He doesn't like my... relationship with House Quarrovth as it stands, let alone if he knew I was interfering in his Letonnan game." Gothren nodded.

"Of course not, friend."

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 19, 2014, 02:45:21 PM

"I have the greatest affection for them, I really do." Peté said, tapping his pen on the desk. His longtime associate and closest friend, Chostamir Dalonmabar, sat on the opposite side nodding. It was six o'clock in the evening, and the sun was beginning to set, casting the Empeurer's entire office in a golden glow.

"But they're not going to make it 500 years. The Neustrians, we can use them now. But I don't see any way they'll even make it to the end of the 21st century - they just won't. Now the Pelagians - they have heritage. You know, they lie and cheat and steal now but they do have some concept of dignity. They don't live like a bunch of dogs - which the Neustrians do live like."

"But we have to fund them," he continued. "We can't let them lose this war - now I respect the Letonnan emperor's willingness to give all to win but we can't let him. The Neustrians have been the only thing keeping Letonna in line - if they're out of the way they'll start pressing border disputes, trying to take over Myroria inch-by-inch. I just know it. If the Neustrians win, they owe us. They'll do whatever we ask them. Then by 2040, 2060 - they'll collapse in a heap and Meneldur or his son can sweep in and take over what's left."

"What if they don't, though?" Chostamir asked.

"Don't what?"

"Collapse. We can't assume they'll owe us for the rest of earthly existence."

"Oh, they will. When Titus and his men marched in in '23 the whole Neustrian government crumbled. As soon as there's some crisis in the new Neustrian state the same thing will happen. You know, I respect the Letonnan's hardiness. Even this civil war isn't shaking them - not too much anyway. If they were on the other side of the world we could even be allies! But Myroria has a sphere of influence to maintain - we need to clear the neighborhood." He adjusted his tie and continued his monologue.

"That's what House Quarrovth doesn't understand. Hlaren, the only thing he's concerned with is the status quo. He doesn't understand how to bring this country to greatness! Or Idris - she just wants the trade bonuses so she can funnel it back home to Ivorheart. That's her district, you know." Chostamir nodded. "Gothren - all he's concerned with is his wallet. Who can pay him the most. That's why I fired him - arguing with me all the time about his check and this and that. Then Fredrika hires him! I still see him walking around the Residence every day - doesn't say much to me at least, thank God."

"Now the MIA is losing weapons shipments. It's Quarrovth, I know it - the place is full of them. Men loyal to their Houses instead of the country. I should have put the IOI on this - at least they can keep things together long enough to get a job done. Ugh, the whole situation is a mess. The Neustrians are about to lose the whole game."

"It certainly appears that way," Chostamir said. If there was any hint he thought the Empeurer was rambling he didn't show it.

"What do you think, Chostamir? Should I send troops in?" Chostamir looked like he felt like he was in over his head.

"I'm not a general. But I think that's too much."

"Intervening?"

"Yes."

"We have a lot of interests in Letonna that need to be protected. Citizens who can't get out."

"You can't tell the Neustrians apart from the citizens;" Chostamir replied. "I think it'd be a quagmire."

"Citizens;" Peté replied, his speech tinged with bitterness. "I suppose you're right. Maybe I'm being paranoid. But we need to win this! I just don't want to take any chances."

"Put men you can trust in the MIA."

"I have been!" Peté said defensively, "There's so many Myrorians in it it's like trying to rid a house of cockroaches by putting one spider in it." Chostamir nodded.

"What does House Quarrovth know?"

"It's impossible to get any spies in the Houses, at least not at a high enough level for something like this. After the whole Indiotrovth affair they've become so entrenched in their old families it's impossible for outlanders like us to get any men inside. The only thing that can spy on a Great House is," Peté paused and smirked. "Another House."

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: St Oz on August 19, 2014, 03:39:37 PM

Pelagis

The dreaded first fog of autumn descended on Pelagis, and the less noticeable pedestrians vexed the natives on their commute to work while amateur artists roamed the sidewalks and parks taking perspective shots of fountains and statues with faded building silhouettes in the background. Gothren drove home when the sun set, and the misty street lamps did their best to illuminate Pelagis’ wide streets. He turned into his home spot, pulled the parking brake, and stepped out of the car. Though he did not collide with any civilians, the scent of zuvaka did. On his stoop he spotted the flicked bud of a zuavka cigarette. He grimaced, “Filthy.”

   He kicked it to the side behind a bush, figuring nature or a gardener would take care of it. Walking up his stoop he found his key and raised his hand up to unlock it. The door squeaked open, and he sighed wondering when the landlord would oil it again. On the thought of sound, the apartment had an uncomfortable silence to it. He walked up the stairs and midway down the second story hallway to unlock his door into his apartment.

   The creepy feeling never settled, but it wasn’t going to keep him from his daily reading rituals. He stepped to the kitchen to grab a beer, and when he flicked on the light, a set of dark blue eyes were watching him. He flinched back eyeing the tan Ozian woman up and down, his heart quickly pumping the adrenaline throughout his body. She wore one of those Ozian keffiyehs over a black coat that hugged her body all the way to her thigh and propped one leg over her knee which showed gray slacks and scuffed women’s flats.

   “Looking for one of these?” She waved three bottles of beer in her hands and opened each with the bowl of one of his spoons.

   He clenched his chest with his right hand and took a few deep breaths before speaking, “Sure, help yourself.”

   “Come sit.”

   He rolled his eyes until he felt a presence behind him. Turning his head he met the barrel of a silenced .22 pistol. Behind it were a pair of maroon eyes staring down the sights, she spoke now, “She said come sit.” She wore very similar attire as the other woman.

   Back at the table, the woman pushed beers on each side of the breakfast table, “I’d do as she says, she’s shot the fly off a bison’s ass with that.”

   Gothren had to tell himself not to freeze and move towards the table, the woman behind him kept to his pace, still pointing the silenced pistol towards him. She eased into her seat at the same time he did. The blue eyed woman pushed the book he was reading towards him, “I was a bit disappointed with your collection, The Ethical Man is Reasonably Socialist book by that hack of an Aelu’zhi philosopher. Read the source.” She leaned in, “We Ozians invented socialism. Madame Ousi herself came up with both the utility function and the merits of controlling rogue markets.”

When she finished talking he took a moment to look at the gun then back at her, “I take it you’re not from a direship if you’re mentioning Madame Ousi, you managed to find your way into my apartment without breaking anything, and you opened these bottles with a spoon, which I never fathomed could be possible, so you’re probably some scary operatives from Ozia.”

The blue eyed woman responded, “You see Saul? He’s a bright one. Most of the MIA think we’re just petty criminals or lost from little Ozia.”

Saul talked back to her, still staring at him with the pistol drawn, “Right you are as always Larry. Tell him why we’re here then.”

“Right, the reason we’re here.” She took a leather case from inside her jacket, removing two zuavka mini-cigars, and lit them with a match from a Q-club matchbook. “Want one?”

He grimaced and shook his head, the smell would be in his kitchen for weeks now.

She passed one of the lit cigars to her partner then held it idly next to her with her arm leaning back against the top of chair, “Let me just clarify that we’re on your side.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“We trust you the most, mostly because you have the most to lose. We also have information you’d greatly like, but first let’s just get the unfriendly stuff out of the way.” gripped a folder from a pile of manila folders next to her on the table, and she spread out large photos of Galyn and him meeting with the Letonnan Emperor. “We also have you on a recording talking to Agent Doofus here about hiring him on as a double agent.”

Saul spoke, “That’s treason against your King”

“Right, the weasel wouldn’t like these. You’d be hanged for this.”

He looked down at the photos then took a long deep drink of his beer. He wiped his mouth and looked up at Larry, “So you’re blackmailing me, and you’re helping me?”

She looked around the room then nodded, “Uh, yeah. As far as we’re concerned, we never met. This is just the evidence needed to make you not missed.”

Saul said, “If not us, one of our comrades would happily make you disappear, and you’d wish you were hanged.”

Larry nodded, “So, say you promise or else,” she pulled another leather case out, and she unrolled it onto the table. Inside lay a couple of syringes and a bottle. “You’ll go to sleep, and believe this was all a dream.” She held up the bottle and read the label on, ”Also you’d be at risk for brain cancer later in life.”

The beer was harder to swallow now, but he managed to gulp it down, “I promise, we never met.”

They both said in unison, “Good.”

Larry picked out another folder, this time throwing out papers of account information an internal memos, “So we have some treats for you, for your loyalty. We have here some definitive proof that Petê issued the material and financial support for these Neustrians. Just in case you don’t have any.”

Gothren arched an eyebrow towards her as he looked through the documents, “Why are you giving this to me?”

“We’ll get to that.” She then selected another folder. “We also know that you’re trying to find the elusive leader of these pesky Neustrians. We’ve pinpointed his approximate location at this old Neustrian estate outside of Khenstein.”

She pushed the rest of the reports to him, “Some Myrorian armory records, before and after tampering, showing what was given to them. Then of course, why we’re here. Why are we here Saul?”

Saul spoke, “We want in.”

“We want in Letonna that is with your imbecile MIA double too. He could be useful.”

Saul laughed.

“He can act as our ‘RIP’”

“Tell him what RIP stands for”

“Resident Indigenous Person. It’s a joke because we Ozians are tan, and you’re white, and we have these buggy eyes and can’t blend in, so we use these RIPs to get into dangerous situations, and then most of them die. Thus why RIP is so funny.”

“Larry you can’t explain the jokes, then it becomes unfunny.”

“He’s Keihesse’zhi, he can’t understand our humor.”

“Whatever.”

Gothren realized while the two were talking that they had impeccable Inglish accents for Ozians, but his amazement dwindled when he saw how much zuavka smoke they were generating. The two continued to talk between each other like they were completing each others’ thoughts.

“So we need this white guy to do errands for us, and we think we can find the leader, soonish or whatever.”

“Larry, you haven’t told him why we came to him specifically yet.”

“Oh yeah. You’re easier to blackmail. Also the Letonnan Emperor and our MIA contacts aren’t very discrete.”

“We also shipped something to your apartment so we’re going to stay here until arrives.”

“Yes we need our guitars.”

“More than that piccalo she’s got pointed at you.”

“Iseltov guitars.”

“They didn’t want to send SOSOT, Ozian People’s Army, or Ozian Rats, so they sent us.”

Gothren could finally stop moving his eyes between Saul and Larry like a tennis match when Larry said, “What do you say? Will you harbor Ozian agents or have mush-brain for a night? Either answer we’re going to drink all your beer before we leave. To help comfort any inhibitions we can act as an Ozian folk band hosted by yourself.”

Gothren picked up one of the folders listing contacts and approximations of the estate in question, then looked between the two Ozians and the gun. Sera, they’re good. After all this time facing a gun he became quite comfortable, “Why do you have to stay here?”

“It’s just easier and because beer.”

Saul nodded, “Beer.”

He shuffled all the information into their respective folders again nodding to them then furrowing his eyebrows at the amount of smoke in his kitchen, “I have a living room where I smoke. If you have to smoke zuavka, and are you going to point that damned gun at me the whole time?”

Larry nodded to Saul, and she slipped it back into her coat holster. Larry said, “So who wants another beer?”

Saul raised her hand, “Oh I do!”

“Then go grab three!”

Gothren sighed.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Prydania on August 20, 2014, 04:19:10 AM

Becaonsfield

"It's too bloody bright out today" Sir Sanders Bellamy remarked, looking out the windows of the Prime Minister's office to the street below.
Bellamy was the first Prime Minister in twenty years to not sit in the House of Commons. His seat was within the House of Lords. Lords PMs were, historically, a frequent occurrence. They got rarer and rarer as the democratic franchise grew, however. Bellamy and the Tories' victory, though by a decent margin, almost seemed like the last hurrah of a world with both feet in the grave. When politics were the affair of the elite and the elite only. The stuffy cabinet appointed seemed beset by a feeling of their own demise even as they celebrated their electoral victory.

"Letonna..." he repeated a moment before turning to face John Lesley, his Minister of Foreign Affairs and the government's highest ranking member in the Commons.
"No other people as decent have suffered as much" he finished.
"Agreed Mr. Prime Minister" Lesley answered, "though this has all the makings of a quagmire we ought to stay out of, I fear what the implications would be if these Neustrians are allowed to succeed."
"Eire" Lesley responded.
"Eire" the Prime Minister answered, nodding. "Well Minister, give Emperor Ulfrum our deepest well wishes."

The Minister nodded, though he remained worried. The Myrorians had been quiet on the matter, and he worried about the potential ramifications of crossing a traditional ally. Still, the government was unanimous in its decision, and it was said that Richard VII was sympathetic as well. Letonna would not be allowed to fall.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on August 28, 2014, 04:31:46 AM

Quote

WEAPON SHIPMENTS FOUND DIVERTED TO NEUSTRIANS; RESIDENCE DENIES INVOLVEMENT
-----------------------------------
DISARRAY APPARENT
-----------------------------------
Was Not 'Fully Informed' About Weapons Shipments, Empeurer Asserts

by ORVYN VERANISETH
Special for the IVORHEART POST

Pelagis, Sep. 24 -- His Majesty Peté Tar-Ilium said today that he had not been in full control of his regime's Neustria policy, and the Residence has said that as a result up to 3,000 arms intended for use on military bases near the border had been diverted to Neustrian rebels in the Empire of Letonna.

At the same time, the Empeurer announced that one of the men he held responsible - Maj. Gen. Fendel Sadiroth, the director of the Myrorian Intelligence Agency, and several members of the general's staff, had resigned their positions.

With the Residence already in upheaval over the earlier disclosure of a military buildup near the Letonnan border, and with speculation rampant that His Majesty is planning a massive overhaul of his staff membership, the Empeurer's statement only seems to confirm earlier suspicions that the Residence is in disarray. All signs indicate that the Empeurer faces the most serious crisis of his almost fifteen-year long reign.

-----------------------------------
Investigation Imminent
-----------------------------------

His Majesty shocked assembled Councillors, ranking regime officials, and members of the press by announcing in a televised press conference that he had not been "fully informed" of some of the details of the MIA's operations near the border with Letonna and that General Sadiroth would be leaving after a "serious breach of protocol". He continued by saying that General Sadiroth was not being fired, but had "asked to be relieved of his post at the head of the Myrorian Intelligence Agency".

After the Empeurer's announcement, the Council of Great Houses' Imperial Oversight Committee said it was still investigating how Neustrian rebel forces recieved "between 1,800 and 3,000 arms, including at least one hundred rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 40 portable mortars".

Myrorian and Letonnan sources told the Ivorheart Post that agents of the Myrorian Intelligence Agency played a "central role" in coordinating and organizing weapon shipments to Neustrian rebels. The details of the "Neustrian weapons affair", as the scandal is quickly becoming known as, were revealed to the Post by an anonymous source.

In Mets, Austrasia, and Traval, Myroria, spokesmen for the Neustrian rebel coalition said they knew nothing of weapons shipments organized by Gen. Sadiroth.

-----------------------------------
'Lone Actor'
-----------------------------------

"The only person in the Myrorian government that knew what was occuring near the Letonnese border was Major General Sadiroth," said Minalcar Ilium, the Imperial Representative to the Council of Great Houses. "IOI Director Helerith, Minister of Foreign Affairs Novroth, Minister of Defense Andulorovth - none of us knew. Major General Sadiroth was truly a lone actor."

"The Empeurer knew nothing of this affair until I reported it to him yesterday afternoon," Sera Ilium said before the assembled reporters in the Residence's Press Room. "I alerted him as soon as I confirmed the reports."

Later the Imperial Representative said that Gothren Quarrith, former Imperial Chamberlain and currently serving as an aide for Her Majesty the Empeuress Consort, likely knew of the plan. Sera Ilium said that Sera Quarrith was likely aware of the plan "from its beginning".

Asked why Sera Quarrith failed to say anything to the Empeurer, Sera Ilium said "I don't know". Neither General Sadiroth, nor Gothren Quarrith could be reached for comment.

-----------------------------------
Unanswered Questions
-----------------------------------

The Residence's account, though admittedly incomplete pending the ending of an official probe, left several questions unanswered, such as:

Whose idea was it to help the Neustrian rebels and why did the Minister of Defense, who oversees the Myrorian Intelligence Agency, not notice up to 3,000 arms missing from its inventory?

What did the Letonnese government know about these arms shipments?

Why would Great House Quarrovth publicly oppose the Neustrian rebels while being involved in weapons shipments to those rebels? What does Gothren Quarrith know?

Did other Myrorian officials know of this plan to help the Neustrian rebels?

-----------------------------------
The Empeurer's Brief Appearance
-----------------------------------

His Majesty devoted less than five minutes to address this surprise disclosure and left Sera Ilium to field press questions. His Majesty seemed tense and almost angry. Asked if anyone else in the government would be let go, he shortly replied: "No one was let go. They chose to go."

His Majesty then walked quickly out of the press room.

Gothren folded up his copy of the Ivorheart Post and placed it on the table next to him. Standing up, and walking to his hotel room's only phone, he dialed his contact in Letonna, grabbing a manila envelope off the bedside table as the other end rang.

"It's Gothren," he said, taking pictures of an old manor outside Khenstein out of the envelope.

"I'm in Letonnasburg with some very interesting documents. When can we meet, sera?"

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on August 31, 2014, 12:47:13 AM

“They could do better. If this war was spilling into their borders they would be more concerned. Rusty out dated rifles and small explosives won’t stop those Imperialist pigs from cutting us down.”

Nenrin Bauflaum was inspecting some new weapon shipments that had just arrived from Myroria. He was the only clean shaven, and nicely dressed of them. A lot of them haven’t seen a shower or a shave in weeks. They were thin, hunched over, and tired.

   “Well, it will have to do. Get these rifles to the new recruits; this can be an opportunity for them to learn how to clean their guns.”

   Nenrin sat down in a rickety wood chair. He was currently in an abandoned plantation on the outskirts of Khenstien, a town about 20km from Myroria. This used to be a Neustrian estate, back when Neustrians had social status. The walls had mold on them and the roof leaked, but it also served as a temporary hide out for the time. He had to keep moving to avoid detection form scouts and loyalists.

   “We may need to plan for a reduction in arms shipments for a while. Looks like Myroria’s media caught wind of the shipments.”

   His advisors and commanders stood around him with a demoralized and tired look on all their faces. They may have had it bad under the Letonese, but at least they had warm food and a roof back then. He sympathized for them. Being a revolutionary was no way to support a family.

   “It’s been two weeks since Ghrel, I think we should plan another major assault. I was thinking we should hit Vems, rumor has it Ulfrum put a large deposit of weapons there to support the influx of troops passing through.”

   “No. Vems is too big. We don’t have the manpower to overpower the garrison. We may have caught them off guard once, but they won’t make that mistake again.” A pale man in a cameo jacket said. “We really only have the man power to raid a small settlement. However there’s never much there, we would get very few supplies, and it would be more of a gesture than a tactical assault.”

   Nenrin rested his forehead in his hand. He remained silent while he thought, constantly under the hollow gazes of his advisors.

   “Have we heard anything from our men in Letonnasburg?”

   “We haven’t heard anything in days. They’ve all gone silent.” The same pale man said.
Another few seconds of silence went by. Nenrin sighed and put on a frown.

   “Then it’s time for us to turn out attention east. We’ve done what we can here, we need to strike closer to the heart of the beast to wound it.”

   He gave his men a second to exchange glances of concern.

   “The Grittens Communication Center. It services all of western Letonna. With it down, we can have a chance of taking these towns and cities. It will hopefully delay the military for calling in reinforcements, and give us a chance to make some strategic gains.”

   His men were silent. They didn’t object to the idea, but their faces didn’t show approval. Nenrin let a few second go by to allow them to process it.

   “Then it’s decided. We will send a strike team in the morning. Dismissed.”

They all shuffled out, whispering to each other. Nenrin went back to cradling his head in his hands. He had commanded men before, but never on this scale. Years ago he was a Captain in the Army; the highest ranking Neustrian in the whole military. But he was dishonorably discharged after he refused to fire upon Neustrians protesting over a labor dispute. Although he was blessed with a formal education, it never would have prepared him to be a leader of his people.

   He reached into his pocket and pulled from it a small leather wallet. He opened it, and pulled some wrinkled pictures from alongside some Letonese bills. There was a picture of him in his military uniform from years ago, a picture of his mother, but what he was after was a picture of a young woman in her early 20’s.
He remained silent as he stared at it. He let out a sigh, and put it back in his wallet. Grabbing his pistol and holster from the table, he walked outside into the daylight.

“hmmm….I see, very interesting.”

Ulfrum leaned back in his chair while looking shuffling through papers in a manila folder. With one hand he flipped papers in the report, and the other he tapped a spoon against a ceramic tea cup and saucer.

“Just as interesting is why Terrin Ver isn't here taking all the credit he doesn't deserve.”

“Minister Ver is busy talking to our ambassador in Prydainia my lord. They are arranging the transfer of funds from the Prydainian government to ours to help support our interests in the conflict sir.” An aid from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said from a bowed position in front of Ulfrum’s desk.

“You must be new.”

“I’ve only been part of the Ministry for 3 months sir.”

“Well, you’ll learn quickly your bosses are all boot sucking brown nosers. The only reason they exist is so they can take credit for your work.”

“Yes my lord.”

Ulfrum grumbled as he flipped a few more pages in the report.

“What do you think of the conflict uhh…”

“Hern Gelrum Sir, MOFA rank 3 sir.”

“What do you think of the conflict Gelrum?”

“We should do what benefits the crown and the government the most sir.”

Ulrum stopped flipping through papers when he saw a photograph paper clipped to a military personnel file in the folder. He saw a young man, who appeared to have the qualities of a Neustrian, in a captain’s uniform posing for a photograph. He picked up the photo and studied it.

“And what does benefit the crown and government Gelrum? These Neustrians, not all of them are rebels. Many are hardworking people. Many are respectable members of society. Many are, or were, one of us.”

“I’m sorry sir, but I don’t underst-.”

“You’re dismissed; tell Ver I expect a follow up report tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes my Lord.”

The aid bowed and dismissed himself. Ulfrum kept staring at the photograph, intrigued.

“Well well well, looks like I found you, Captain Bauflaum.”

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on September 07, 2014, 11:45:35 PM

“I don’t know man, how can you even trust them anymore after what they’ve done?” One guard spoke to another, standing outside a fenced gate to a large walled complex with wires coming out from all directions.

“There’s no way to tell. According to the reports they look just like normal laborers. That’s why we haven’t squashed them yet. If one were to walk past me right now I’d have no idea if they were the good ones or the bad ones.”

The other guard mumbled in agreeance while flicking a cigarette butt with his fingers.

“Man, and to even think of all we’ve given them. Jobs, shelter, protection. If they had had the audacity to throw that back in our face then I don’t even want them in my coun-“

A single shot rang out, and fractions of a second later the guard knocked back, blood spraying out.

“SHIT.” The second guard said, throwing his cigarettes butt to the ground. He fumbled with his rifle. The guard whimpered in fear. In his hurriedness, it jammed, and he frantically cursed and hit it to get the jam unstuck. All the while, a lone figure with green face paint walked forward out of the bushes. He approached the guard, who hadn’t noticed him out of his frustration.

“That’s good, because I don’t want you in my country either.”

Nenrin pulled his pistol from its holster and shot the fumbling guard.

The crack of a short range radio could be heard.

“South gate secure, but not for long, there’s a patrol due in three minutes.”

He wiped some paint from his face, making a hand gesture to the brush behind him. Men dressed in mostly civilian clothing came forth, holding various assortments of rifles, pistols, and duffel bags. About 30 of them emerged, and they slowly made their way to the gate.

The Grittins Communications was a heavily guarded complex, vital to not only civilian and business communication, but also for military. Officially it was owned by WireCross-Letonna, a private communications company; however it was guarded and protected by the military because of its importance.

Even with a country on the verge of an all-out civil war, it was still rather lightly defended. It was almost suspicious.

“Alright men, the plan is still on. Alpha will cause a distraction in the southern end, while Gamma will plant the explosives. We will rendezvous 1 km west of here. Once the blast goes off, they will come pouring out of the wood works to kill us. You have permission to use whatever tactics necessary to make it out alive. Hostages, explosions, smoke grenades, whatever. If you aren't back by 22 hundred hours then you’re being left behind. Questions?”

Nobody said a word.

“Good, then move out.”

The men broke into two groups and moves into the complex. One team went south to some large power pylons, while the other went to the large building in the center of the complex. Nenrin accompanied the team heading towards the center building. Normally he would be commanding from the background on these sorts of things, but he was one of the few Neustrians with demolitions experience.

Nenrin had a bad feeling in his stomach. This place was to quiet. No patrols, no guards, and more eerie of all, no noise. He could see it bothering some of his more senior members as well. They kept creeping along until they reached the exterior of a large square building with wires coming out in all directions from the roof.

He waved to his men to begin setting up the explosives. They placed down the bags near support beams, power cords, and below large structures supporting communications cables. Nenrin reached for his short range radio, and was about to activate it before he heard explosions go off in the background. He looked to the south and could see smoke rising from the base of some power pylons and support structures.

“Hurry it up! They’ll be on us soon.”

Nenrin pulled out a timed detonator, and set it to three minutes. Attaching the cables his men laid out to it, he primed it, and set it down carefully.

“Alright, now we move out men, get a move on!”

His men picked up their rifles and made their way back to the west gate. They ran as fast as they could, but in the distance they could no longer see the green of the forest, but instead a horizontal layer of black. As he approached, Nenrin recognized the sight as a line of Ministry of Internal Security soldiers. They formed a line two deep, and held their rifles in standby.

“Hault!” Nenrin shouted aloud.

Nenrin and his men stopped. He was about 400 feet from the gate with the soldiers, but they did not react.
“Make for the North gate!” He yelled out.

He and his men went to turn around, but a second group of soldiers were marching from the east, cutting them off.

“Hold your position, and ready your weapons!” Nenrin yelled out. Both groups of soldiers were marching towards them, but had not yet fired. His men formed a circle around Nenrin, and pointed their weapons at the wall of approaching soldiers.

The soldiers stopped about 40 feet from the group of rebels and remained still. A young officer, also in a black uniform, stepped from behind the soldiers. He held a single piece of paper and a pistol.

“Nenrin Bauflaum, you are hear by ordered by the Ministry of Internal Security and the Ministry of Justice to surrender your arms and be taken into custody on charges of Terrorism and Conspiring against the Crown. How do you stand?” The young officer shouted at the group.

Nenrin was covered in sweat. There was no way out of this. His men kept sneaking panicked glances at him. His only option was to try to confuse the soldiers. He snuck a hand into a soldiers back pack, pulling out two grenades.

“HOW DO YOU STAND NENRIN?!” The officer shouted again.

Nenrin sighed and whispered “I’m sorry my brothers.”

He pulled the pins from the grenades and put the grenades in a soldiers pocket in front of him.

“I STAND BY YOU BURNING IN HELL IMPERIALIST PIG!”

And with that Nenrin gave the order to charge. His men ran towards both groups of soldiers, shouting and firing their weapons. The officer only had time to give the order for his men to fire before a massive explosion rocked everyone to the ground. Smoke was everywhere; the stench of seared flesh burned the eyes.

Nenrin ran into the confusion. He ran through the smoke, trying to avoid the twisted mass of Rebel and Imperial soldier’s corpses, along the wounded and dazed. He made it through the smoke and chaos before the remaining soldiers realized what had occurred. Shots rang out behind him, and he could hear bullets whizzing past his head. He made it to the gate, and only had a short distance before he made it to the forest when a strong blow hit him in the thigh.

He yelled out in pain, and put his hand on the wound. He could feel the warm trickle of blood on his fingers. He looked back to see soldiers gaining on him. He clenched his teeth and hobbled along as fast as he could, holding back the pain. Making it to the forest, he put on a camo poncho someone had left behind, and dived into some thick bushes.

He continued to hold back the pain as soldiers reached the forest edge and ran past him.
“He ran this way, follow me!” he heard someone yell. More soldiers ran past him. He would wait here until night fall, and then he would try to make it back to the rendezvous. He could feel himself growing weak; he had just enough time to put on a tourniquet and bandages before he passed out.

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on September 08, 2014, 01:42:40 PM

"Don't give me that shit, Hlaren!" Gothren exclaimed under his breath, tossing a newspaper that read "Letonnese communications complex raided, scores dead" to the side. He leaned forward and put his hands on the table that he and Hlaren Quarrovth, a Quarrovth councilman and a man about 10 years his senior, sat at. "I didn't drive all the way out to the Quarrovth Estate from Ivorheart to hear you hem and haw. My men are scared shitless in there. We need to get out, now. And besides, with this scandal with the king breaking, there are no Neustrian shipments to stop. My men are sitting there, twiddling their thumbs, hoping they don't get blown away tomorrow."

"It's the opinion of the Quarrovth Ruling Council, Gothren," Hlaren began, "That our interests in Letonna must be protected. We can take you off this case, if you'd like."

"I don't want to get taken off this case and have some politician come in and get my agents killed."

"Then I recommend, Gothren, that you follow the directives the Council issues to you."

"Hlaren, you're not on the ground out there! It's a civil war! The Neustrians feel it, the Imperials feel it, the civilians feel it - and I feel it too. Now that the Empeurer is pulling out, I don't see any way that - "

"Gothren, sera, I should remind you that we don't know for certain the Empeurer is pulling the MIA out."

"Once he does - and he will - the Neustrians will collapse. They won't have any support abroad except maybe the Ozians, and my... sources tell me they want to keep as distant from this as they can. They see how unstable the situation is."

"I don't particularly care what the Ozians are up to," Hlaren began, slightly exasperated. "My job is to ensure that the Great House's interests are protected in Letonna, and that's it. And until this war ends, our interests need protecting." Gothren sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. The grey mat of hair sitting on his head was more than disheveled.

"I think you're making a big mistake, for our agents in Letonna and for the House."

"Your opinion is noted, sera." Hlaren used a term of respect but the tone was all annoyance.

"I agree with Gothren," came a voice from the room's doorway.

"Your Majesty!" Hlaren said, quickly rising from his chair as Gothren did so at a more leisurely pace. "Please forgive me, I didn't see you standing there. Gothren and I were just discussing House matters while we waited for our meeting with you regarding - "

"Regarding the next reapportionment, yes. I do have a ledger, sera." Fredrika said. "But I do find this train of conversation much more interesting." she continued, removing her tweed hunting cap. "I hope my earliness is not of concern; Bervaso and I just ended the hunt early. I've never seen the grounds so devoid of grouse."

"Of course not, ma'am." Hlaren said, still cursing himself for not standing for the queen earlier. "I was just informing Gothren of House Quarrovth's objectives in Letonna. Now is certainly not the time to withdraw our forces."

"That much I got, Hlaren," Fredrika said, loudly dragging a chair across the tile floor to the table and sitting down. Taking her cigarette case out of her jacket, she sat silently for a moment. "You can sit." Hlaren and Gothren both sat - again, Hlaren quickly and Gothren leisurely.

"I believe the situation is too dangerous. We can't afford to lose any of our kin;" Gothren began. "And with the Empeurer pulling out following the armrunning scandal I don't see why the Letonnese need our help."

"What's Idris' opinion?" Fredrika asked no one in particular, referencing a Quarrovth councilwoman also present on the case.

"I think she agrees with my opinion," both men said almost simultaneously.

"Oh! It sounds like either one of you is lying, or Idris has a doppelganger none of us know about."

Gothren coughed nervously.

"Well, regardless of her opinion, I think we should listen to our man on the ground. Hlaren, I want you to pull our men out of there. With my husband tied up in this scandal the Letonnese are more than capable of handling an unfunded, disliked, disorganized rabble."

"But, Your Majesty," Hlaren said, reaching for the Quarrovth Press-Times on the table, "What about the attack yesterday? It looks like they're getting more organized, not less. Letonna needs our help more than ever."

"Listen, Hlaren," Fredrika said, leaning in. "I don't have any particular attachment to the Letonnese cause. Shooting Neustrians in the street like dogs... innocent women and children. We should have withdrawn our forces weeks ago, but now that my husband's dealing with this scandal, it's the best chance we'll get. Let Letonna and the Neustrians finish their fight. I have no doubt who the victor will be, but at least we can keep any more blood off our hands."

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Letonna on September 11, 2014, 06:09:35 PM

“So you’re telling me, you had a whole battalion of men there and you let one wounded man outmaneuver you, am I understanding this correct General? This is not going to look good on your record.”

A thin, tired looking man stood in a bowed position in front of Ulfrum’s desk. He had a black sash over his decorated military uniform showing he served with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“He was able to slip through the dense brush undetected sir. My men aren’t trained in hunting or tracking, but enforcement. It started raining soon after, which would have washed away any blood. My men attempted to block all major roads off but we still never found him.”

“I don’t tolerate petty excuses General. You lost 23 men and let a high risk target escape. These are mistakes we can’t have in our Empire. You’re on suspension for the time being, and General Grimbell is taking charge of the situation. You’re dismissed.”

Ulfrum kept a scowl on while the man left the room; his head bowed in shame.

He let a few moments of silence pass before he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed an extension.

“Get me Ambassador Vechs in Myroria.”

Nenrin lay panting and bloodied in a ditch. The ground rumbled as two large halftracks rumbled past on a bumpy dirt road. When they were out of sight, Nenrin got up, and ran across the road into a large corn field. In the distance there was a large house with a barn.

He clutched his leg while hobbling through the field, the house growing ever closer. When he reached it, he stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. An old man, clearly not of Neustrian decent, answered the door.

“Vera Sey Helmaufen”[old Neustrian for ‘Live On, Revolution’] Nenrin said through heavy frantic breaths.

“Come in, come in. Looks like you’re a bit under the weather friend.”

Nenrin shot the man a fowl gaze. He made his way to the kitchen, and collapsed in a wooden chair. The old man reached into a cupboard and brought out a dusty first aid kit. The man began to tend to the wounds.
“We….we were set up.”

“Hmmm, why do you think that? I heard the explosions from here, sounded like you really did some damage.”
“I’m…(pant)not sure what happened. Imperial troops showed up from nowhere. I had to blast through them to escape. I don’t….(pant)know if anyone else made it out alive.”

Nenrin winced as the old man poured alcohol on the wound.

“I’ve heard interesting things through the grapevine in the past few hours. Supposedly your forces in Khenstein split in three groups after they heard you were dead. All went in different directions.”

“I’m not dead! AARGHHH. Those idiots. A bunch of timid children trying to fight a lion, as soon as their man in front is down they scatter.”

Nenrin winced again as the old man began digging around in the wound looking for the bullet.
“Well, you’re a likeable person. You can always rally more to your cause right?”

“With what? The promise of fighting a power who can out fight, out maneuver, and out man you at every turn? The dream of being cold and hungry for months to years? Unless you die first. No, no amount of salesmanship will sell the rebel life. My people are too afraid. They are blind to the potential they could be.”

“Perhaps some revolutions are not meant to be fought behind a gun, but rather with ideas; with pens and type writers. Strike your enemy in their weak spot, their ears and eyes if you will.”

“Yeah, whatever doc.”

The old man smiled just as Nenrin yelled out in pain, the doctor producing a bullet with the tweezers.

“You may stay here tonight, but you’ll need to be off tomorrow. Those troops are going to start searching houses soon. They know you couldn’t have gotten far with that wound.”

“Alright, thanks doc.”

The old man carefully stitched up and bandaged the wound. When he was done, he brought Nenrin some tea.
“Do you have a gun I can borrow? I feel I may need one with all these Imperials around.”

“I do not. I did take the oath after all.”

“Well, alright. At least try to send word to whoever you can and tell them I’m still alive. I’m going to try to make it to Vems, we have a hide out there, and maybe I can get some men to rally with me.”

“That’s a long way to go without transportation. I hope you don’t plan to do something reckless.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill any civilians, I’ll just need to borrow one of their cars. If I do it at night it will buy me a little time before they report it.”

“Well, alright. It’s getting late; you should really get some rest. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to sleep in the cellar. If troops come in the night they will easily find you if you’re in a bedroom.”

“Thanks again Doc. When we win this I’ll make you a national hero.”

The old man smiled.

“Let’s just worry about getting through the night ok?”

Nenrin smiled back.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Ambassador Vechs sat behind his desk, flicking a pencil back and forth with his fingers. He was looking at some papers that sat alongside a square black briefcase. He didn't like the orders. They didn't just come from the top of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they came from Ulfrum himself.

“…use House Quarrovth contact to establish an underworld contact. Myroria has infamous Assassination families. Use provided funds to establish a contract. Nenrin Bauflaum must be captured alive.” The letter said.

“Ugh, now were turning to common criminals? How far we've fallen.” Vechs thought in his head.

There was a buzz from the com system on his desk, letting him know he had a visitor.
“Come in!”

A Tall grey haired man walked through the door, and made his way to his seat.

“Ahh, Gothren is it? Please sit down. You’re from the House? We have some mutual business to discuss.”

Title: Re: The Empire of New Letonna
Post by: Myroria on October 12, 2014, 11:49:55 PM

Gothren pursed his lips and sat with a sigh. His face wore an expression that screamed "I'm tired of this shit, and tired of this shit he was indeed. The question of whether or not his House would stay involved in Letonna had been unanswered long enough, and the plan had changed enough times, that he decided to attend the meeting mainly just to wash his hands of the whole situation. Despite denying it to anyone who asked, he indeed knew individuals in Omaryntown who specialized in "eliminating problems" such as the one the Letonnese had.

So when the Empeuress sent Gothren a telegram at his home in Novrith stating "LETONNESE LOOKING FOR CLEANERS", he reluctantly booked a flight back to Letonnasburg. Rubbing blood-shot, jet-lagged eyes, he spoke quietly.

"The pleasure is mine, Ambassdor."