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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,200 Views)
Cetatsenia
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If one was to take a place from the nation of Demoness to Cetatsenia, one would most likely see the dichotomy that the nation was rather known for. In the southern parts of the nation one would notice the highlands, heavily forested and almost untouched by man aside from the winding roads and the occasional town. But further north, the terrain would give away to the lowlands of the Centric Basin. This land was flat, and lacked the expansive forests, though there were smaller isolated forests. But the main difference one would notice would be the level of development, it was dominated by a large amount of farmland as the lowland soil was incredibly fertile, but there was also the occasional city, bustling with people.

Albraustana-zid was one such city, and it was the primate city of Cetatsenia, the richest and most populous and most important of them all. It was built along both sides of the great Albastru River that ran through much of Cetatsenia, though most of it was on the southern bank of the river. This was because of the simple fact that Albraustana-zid had begun life as three separate forts and settlements built along the river. Albrau and Stana had been built on the Southern bank, and over time had grown together until they were finally united into Albraustana. And while Zid would eventually become part of the greater whole, for a long time it was simply considered a city separated from the capital only by the river.

Since it had grown organically over the numerous years, and had once been three separate cities, the streets and roads had a habit of being winding and could be complicated to navigate for those unfamiliar with them who had no map. Though the roads had over time been widened and revamped in order to accommodate cars, and the newest sections of the city on the outskirts actually had a gridded street plan. As it was the middle of the day, the streets were currently filled with cars and buses, and the sidewalks filled with pedestrians, while the newest addition to the city's transportation network, the subway system, ran below the streets.

While there was a number of attractions in the city, such as the museums and baths, one of the most prominent is the Palatul Regal, the Royal Palace. The site of the original settlement of Albrau and lying atop a hill, it has been torn down or otherwise destroyed and then subsequently rebuilt several times throughout history. The most recent being the ascension of Ioan I to the throne of Cetatsenia, though it has been renovated and updated since then.

The Palace itself is surrounded by a wall that rings the entirety of the hill, with only a single gate leading up to it. The wall is patrolled by a special corps of Cetatsenian soldiers, easily identified by their bright blue ceremonial uniforms and ornate, pointed helmets. After that, a road lead up to the palace proper, an expansive building with a stone exterior that shared more in common with a medieval castle than what one thinks of when they hear the word 'palace'. It was home to a fair number of servants, as well as the guardsmen, and a small number of government officials. Most of those lived out in the city, and worked in their own buildings. It was absolutely huge, and in front of it was an expansive pool of water. Overall, it was an impressive sight that could be seen from a good portion of the city.

At the moment, however, Voivode Gavril IV Suveraneshti was not at his home in the palace. Rather he was at the airport, which had been cleared of any citizens besides him, the guards arrayed with him, and those who worked there; all flights to this airport had either been delayed or rerouted to other nearby airports. Today was an important day, as this was the decided upon day of Jia Li's visit to Cetatsenia. As two nations whose relationship could be accurately described as "mutually neutral", this was a rather important meeting, and Gavril did not want to mess anything up. So he stood alongside his older sister Andreea, the Steward of Cetatsenia, in the airport, ready to head out onto the tarmac to greet the Empress as soon as her plane set down.
Edited by Cetatsenia, Apr 22 2014, 09:58 PM.
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Cetatsenia
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"Okay, I want to make somezing very clear, I am not afraid. I just do not like it; zat is all," Gavrila said, assertive but not defensive in any way.

Gavril just chuckled at his cousin's response, it was fun teasing her sometimes. But Jia Li mentioned something that he wasn't sure what it was. He wasn't certain if he'd heard about it and just forgot, or if he'd just never come across the term before. But either way he decided to ask. "Anyway, what exactly is Du Isa?" he said, "I do not zink I have come across ze term before."
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Demoness
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"Ah, that's because she is not mentioned often," Jia Li replied. "'Du Isa' is not a term; it is a name. She is what you would describe as a minor goddess. Her main function is to assist her twin sister in defending the country from threats, but she has many other 'responsibilities' and realms and she is most closely associated with standing water." She frowned. "She's hard to describe because when you read about her, she sounds like an evil entity, but she isn't considered one; she's simply associated with it. If anything, she's closer to being a trickster than evil."

"That depends on which stories you believe," Xel interjected. "Her official mentions in the Bible are rather bland, but they give enough description to give her attributes. However, it is known that several things about her were moved to the Apocrypha and even though we don't know what it was, most things that were removed were not benign. Apart from that, there are several folk stories about her and they range based on what the region believes about her. Clan Shimizu depend on her for safe passage over water, so they would of course have a favorable opinion on her, but some Vultania worshipers believe it was she who tried to tempt Vultania, not her father." He shrugged; he found the mess of mythology indicative that the religion was not true.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril listened closely to the explanation, nodding his head as the Empress and Xel spoke. Once they were finished he thought for a short moment before deciding to respond. "I suppose zat does make sense," Gavril said, unable to continue before Gavrila interrupted.

"Why would zey have a favourable view of her if she is associated wiz standing water?" she said, "Most lakes and rivers I know of have a tendency to flow."
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Demoness
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Jia Li bit her lip as she thought. "Mmm... It is a distinction not easily made in English. We have very different words for water depending on context, but that Du Isa's word would apply to oceans as well as lakes and puddles. Rivers are associated with the Goddess."
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Cetatsenia
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"So... Any water zat is not like a river or stream?" Gavrila asked, before shrugging, "I guess zat makes sense. I mean, zey do not really tend to flow in one direction like a river."

"When you zat say her 'word would apply' to oceans and puddles, do you mean she is supposed to control zem or somezing of ze sort?" Gavril asked, glad that Gavrila wasn't going to make this an argument.
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Demoness
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Jia Li shook her head, but it was Xel who replied. "The Twins are associated with elements. Du Isa is simply associated with water, but not all water simply for the matter that 'shuufu' refers to Daemonesu-kae rather than her. Because her association is so strong, standing water is also associated with eternity and the worst deaths. At some point in history, having one's body disposed of in water was associated with being unable to be reincarnated."
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril blinked as he thought over what exactly he'd just been told. While it did make sense that Du Isa would be considered a trickster God if standing water had such a negative connotation in the culture, he couldn't figure out why it would have such a connotation. "Okay, but why exactly was zere such negative ideas about water zat did not seem to move?" he asked curiously.
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Demoness
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Jia Li look at her husband, who shrugged. "I'm not sure. A lot of her story was removed to the Apocrypha, but the originals were lost in the 1168 Fire, so we're not sure what was recovered and what was truly lost. However, her twin Leilani is associated with fire and transience, so it makes sense for her to be associated with the opposite. Much of their traits attributed to them are opposite sides of a coin," she replied. "And it's stranger in the context that certain bodies of water already have a ryuu associated with it."
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Cetatsenia
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"Huh, zar is razer strange," Gavril replied after a moment of thought, "I mean, it makes sense for a God associated wiz, for example, ze night and darkness to be seen as evil. After all, if you went out alone in ze middle of ze night in ze past it was far more likely zat you would not be coming back. But I cannot see any sort of reason why a deity associated wiz bodies of water like zat to be seen in a negative light."

"And it is not even actual stagnant water, just zat which does not even seem to move," Andreea added, "Stagnant water may make sense, since it can be a breeding ground for diseases.. But zat is not really a problem wiz most lakes and rivers."
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Demoness
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Jia Li shrugged. "I do not know either, but either she is the reason water is associated with eternal damnation or she is associated with it because of water," she replied. "As you might know, cremation is the preferred method of disposing of a body, and that is associated with fire and Leilani, who-" She frowned. "Well, there's no direct translation for the concept she embodies, but it is essentially transience and quick reincarnation. After that, the method is natural decay of the body by burial or even open to the elements, preferably without carrion eaters interfering, but to truly dishonor a body and the deceased, one simply dumps it in water."
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