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| Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,185 Views) | |
| Cetatsenia | Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM Post #1 |
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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 | Jun 8 2014, 08:46 AM Post #1511 |
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"I do not really mind wearing my crown, so I am not sure what ze problem is," Gavril said with a shrug, "Zough Voivodes usually do not wear zeir crowns except in certain circumstances." "Gavril, your crown hardly deserves ze name," Gavrila said, "It is a metal circle you just stick on your head." "It is still a crown zough. And it is a solid metal band, so it is probably heavier zan a tiara," Gavril protested. Edited by Cetatsenia, Jun 8 2014, 08:47 AM.
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| Demoness | Jun 8 2014, 02:59 PM Post #1512 |
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Jia Li shook her head. "No, the tiara is rather thin - I think I wore it while you were there - and I believe it was added as more of an afterthought after extended exposure to outside cultures. If the crown is a status symbol, then my throne is more my status symbol than the crown itself." "If we want to discuss indications of your position, our understood sumptuary laws would be a better measure by which to judge," Xel interjected. "Most notably, your hairstyle as you are the only one aside from children permitted to wear it and also your gown during notable events." The sumptuary laws had relaxed over the centuries, of course, but they were still ingrained into the society, particularly in positions of power. Even adopting a simple ponytail had a subtle effect as it had been used to symbol of authority while braids were the realm of warriors and peasants; while men had adopted shorter styles, women had not and in everyday wear kept it up in some style. |
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| Cetatsenia | Jun 8 2014, 03:33 PM Post #1513 |
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"Wait, what ze hell? You have a special hairstyle?" Gavrila asked incredulously, "I get why crowns might be symbols, zey are expensive and crap. But how exactly does a hairstyle become a symbol of royalty?" |
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| Demoness | Jun 8 2014, 04:18 PM Post #1514 |
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Jia Li shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but the style was historically only reserved for children apart from myself, which-" She turned to her husband as she spoke, trying to gauge from his reaction how to continue. "-Somehow indicated innocence- No, purity, which is what children were also believed to have. However, they lost it as they aged, but the Empress did not because she was the only one pure enough to commune with the Goddesses." "It's not a symbol of royalty," Xel continued. "It's a symbol of the Empress alone. Her siblings, spouse, and children would wear the styles of their respective stations, and it is only a part of the symbolism. In conjunction with the tiara, her gown, the throne, and the rest of her dress then the effect is of a goddess who walks on earth." |
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| Cetatsenia | Jun 8 2014, 04:33 PM Post #1515 |
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"Uh huh," Gavrila said, "I still zink it is weird zat zere is a special hairstyle for kids and ze Empress." "Well it is a different culture. And from a completely different continent," Gavril said, "Zere are bound to be differences. We have already been over zis, have we not?" "I am still allowed to point out stuff I zink is weird," Gavrila said with a shrug before wandering off to look at the rest of the exhibit. "Well anyway, I zink we should get an actual look around ze exhibit," Andreea said, "We got a little distracted by zat crown." |
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| Demoness | Jun 8 2014, 05:02 PM Post #1516 |
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Jia Li nodded. "That sounds good," she replied. She liked Gavrila's candor, but she was starting to think that she was a bit close-minded. |
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| Cetatsenia | Jun 8 2014, 09:35 PM Post #1517 |
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The group made their way around the exhibit, examining the displays around it. It wasn't particularly different than the previous room, except that society had seemed to advance in some areas (like the advent of ironworking) but having regressed in others (such as orderly grid-like cities being replaced with unorganized sprawls). It also became exceedingly clear that civilization had taken a further downward spiral towards the end of the era, which historians attributed to a long period of drought and probable famine combined with several plagues that ravaged the population of the Basin. In fact there were several mentions of the next time period, the invasion of the region by Intermarium, though for the most part that was saved for the next exhibit. As the group finished up, and thus inevitably gravitated towards the entrance towards the next exhibit, Aurel stepped slightly away from Gavrila and towards the Empress. "Empress, I just want you to know zat when ze Knezinja refers to parts of your culture as 'weird' or 'strange' zat she does not mean anyzing by it," he said in his usual slow and careful manner, as though he was taking the time to think over and specifically choose each and every word, "She does not zink lesser of Demonessians because zey are different, she is simply stating zat she finds it to be different zan what she knows. But doamna does not always zink zrough her words carefully, and probably does not realize zat ze way she phrases it could be taken badly." |
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| Demoness | Jun 9 2014, 08:27 PM Post #1518 |
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Jia Li nodded. "I understand. She is tactless, but there are times when that is necessary. I don't fault her for it, but I do come from a society that values being inoffensive," she replied. Then she smiled. "Thankfully, a lot of my friends are not particularly tactful either and some have colorful language as well." |
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| Cetatsenia | Jun 9 2014, 09:49 PM Post #1519 |
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Aurel nodded his head as a small smile crept across his face. "I am glad zat you are so understanding; it is more zan could be said of some people," he said, "Now if you will excuse me, I must return to doamna's side." And with that comment he stepped forward once again, shadowing Gavrila once more. She didn't seem to have noticed Aurel's short absence, most likely because she was chatting with her cousins. Then as they entered the next exhibit, Gavril broke away from the conversation and turned to Jia Li. "Ah, here we have ze exhibits on Intermarium," Gavril said, then he chuckled, "And for once, zere are actual documents to go on, and it is not just guesswork from a bunch of artifacts." |
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| Demoness | Jun 9 2014, 10:19 PM Post #1520 |
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"I like Aurel," Jia Li whispered to her husband. "He reminds me of what a grandfather must be like." Xel nodded, suddenly realizing that neither of them had that particular figure in their lives. While it was normal for Xel and his job, it was strange and unfortunate for Jia Li. The closest she had was her father's father, who distanced himself from her since he was part of a Clan. "Intermarium lasted for quite some time though, ne?" she asked. "How much of an influence would you say it had on Cetatsenia?" |
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