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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,179 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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Gavril nodded, leading the group to the next exhibit. While the previous exhibit was about a period of relative stability, with few events important to Cetatsenia occurring, this exhibit was the complete opposite. The most important event was from the 3rd Century, when a barbarian people known as the Ketat swept through the region, conquering it and wresting control of the area from Intermarium. Though the region's independence didn't last long, just shy of a century, the region continued to have greater autonomy even after Intermarium reestablished control. And, even more importantly, the Ketat 'invasion' was also a migration as well. And the melting pot culture that resulted from the mingling of the Ketats and Aramyk would form the basis of the modern day Cetatsens.

And as for Gavrila, it wasn't very long into the exhibit that they found the woman. She was standing in front of a display showcasing a set of Ketat armour that had been dating to around the time of the invasion. It consisted of iron segments over top of chainmail, and had a distinct peaked helmet. Next to it was an artist's rendition of what it had most likely looked like when it was in use centuries ago, which also showed a circular shield of brightly-coloured wood.

When the group approached her, Gavrila simply turned to face them grinning as she pointed to the armour, "Hey, take a look at zis zing. It is cool as hell."
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Demoness
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OOC: About what year would this be?

IC:
Jia Li nodded. "Very interesting, though I'm curious as to why it's so brightly colored," she said and looked at the plaque that came with it in the hopes that it explained.
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Cetatsenia
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OOC: 3rd century-ish

"So zat people knew who ze guy was," Gavrila replied, having already read the plaque, "Rank, tribe, clan. Shit like zat."

"Sort of an early form of heraldry I zink," Gavril added, looking at the plaque alongside Jia Li.
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Demoness
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"Ah," Jia Li nodded. "Like banners and our braids, I imagine, and at a distance xyr soldiers would be able to see xyr leaders and know who to follow. It makes sense. Still, it makes you a distinct target."
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Cetatsenia
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"Actually his armour probably would have made him more of a target zan his shield," Gavril said, "Most Ketats had shields like zat, but only zose of high status would be able to afford a full set of armour like zis."

"And ze fact zat he has a sword," Gavrila said, gesturing to the ancient iron blade displayed next the the armour.
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Demoness
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Jia Li frowned. "Your soldiers did not often have swords?" she asked quizzically.
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Cetatsenia
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"Swords were not cheap to make back zen, at least among ze Ketat," Gavril said, "Ze invaders were not an army; zere was no such zing as a Ketat army. Ze ones who fought were just zeir tribe's warriors, and zey had to provide zeir own gear. Most did not have armour like zis, and many of zem used axes and bows in battle."

"If you had a sword, you were eizer rich or you had killed some poor fucker who had one," Gavrila said, then looked over at Gavril, "Right?"

Gavril nodded his head, and laughed, "Yes. It seems zat you do pay attention when I talk about history."
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Demoness
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"Things were definitely different then. The Clans provided weapons to their soldiers, but they were also constantly at war with one another and the cost, though initially paid by the Clan, was usually redistributed to the common folk in some other manner," Jia Li replied. "Though I suppose it does weigh out since most did not wear real armor of any real kind. The higher ones might have worn leather and the Morigan wore real armor, but the average soldier only wore what xe could afford."
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Cetatsenia
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"Were ze Morigan more warlike zan ozers?" Gavril asked, "Or was zere anozer reason zey wore more armour?"
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Demoness
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"Ze- The Morigan were the unblooded daughters of the Clans. They were more or less an elite group of warriors who would eventually become the generals and other high ranking officers of the Clans," Jia Li explained. "But it started out quite differently. When the wars first started, there was a ridiculous amount of revenge and wergild. The Morigan helped counterbalance that since they were also the 'official' targets of such. A soldier could die and not be avenged, but the Morigan and certain sons would be."
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