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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,162 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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"Er, I guess ze questions would just be 'normal' ones," Gavril replied, "Assuming we do hold one of course."

"I say no; I hate press conferences," Gavrila said.

"You hate anyzing to do wiz ze press," Andreea said, "And besides, you would not need to go."
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Demoness
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Jia Li turned to Gavrila. "Is there a reason you don't like the press? Aside from punching people, of course," she said with a smile.
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Cetatsenia
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"Because all zey care about is getting a good story, and zey are fucking annoying about it too," Gavrila said, then grinned to show that her next words were in jest, "Sometimes I zink we should go back to ze good old days of having a state-controlled press."

"I remember zat my mozer once said zey were 'bloodsuckers on par wiz lawyers'," Gavril chuckled, "And my mozer is an incredibly nice woman."
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Demoness
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Jia Li nodded. "They have not been too kind, but your press is entirely free?" she asked curiously.
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Cetatsenia
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"For ze most part, yes. It was reformed from ze heavy censorship and state-sponsorship it had been by my grandfazer," Gavril replied, "I mean, it is not entirely free. Breaches of privacy and ze like are dealt wiz, and like everyzing in ze country I have complete say and control over everyzing."

"So do we Knezi," Gavrila added, "But rolling back my grandfazer's reforms would really piss people off."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Sep 23 2014, 10:21 AM.
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Demoness
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"Then it doesn't really sound free," Jia Li replied. "I have control over the media, at least to some extent, and there are things they simply cannot report on without my permission, such as anything about my family. For the most part, there is no censorship, but there is always the possibility of it."
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Cetatsenia
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"It is, hmm, complicated," Gavril said, "To be technical you cannot consider anyone in ze country to have any freedom, since it is an absolute monarchy and my word is law. In practice, zings are far different."

"Ze Voivode's and Knezi's absolute auzority is derived from somezing of an unwritten 'social contract' wiz ze people to rule zem fairly and justly," Andreea explained, "But we are still an absolute monarchy underneaz it all."
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Demoness
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Jia Li nodded. "But de jure and practice are important distinctions. You have said that your people would not really appreciate a return to an actual absolute monarchy because it would infringe upon the 'rights' that have been granted to them, but the truth is that a strong and sly leader could easily change that." She raised her eyebrow. "But that would head into another deep discussion," she continued with a laugh, "and I don't think we want that just yet."
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Cetatsenia
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"Hell, zat was pretty much what Ioan II did," Gavrila said, "Not zat I zink it was a bad zing, but hey. Only an idiot would zink he gave ze Voivode back power for completely altruistic reasons."

"True, my great grandfazer was a great man, but far from a Saint," Gavril said, before turning back to Jia Li, "But I agree, de jure and de facto are important differences. People here are exceptionally free except when it comes to politics despite my absolute power."

"In some cases because of your absolute power," Andreea added.
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Demoness
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"How do you mean?" Jia Li asked.
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