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| Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,335 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 | Nov 21 2013, 12:16 AM Post #11 |
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Gavril simply stared at Jia Li for a moment; he'd been listening to her speech, and then she suddenly just stopped. He tilted his head and started to say, "Even wha-" before it hit him. And when the realization struck he just sat back in his chair staring of into space for a moment before he mumbled, "Ah, I see..." Andreea simply looked away from both of them, her hand over her mouth as she shook her head. Her brother generally wasn't that dense, but she supposed that everyone had things like that fly over their heads once in a while. And she was, frankly, a bit shocked that the Empress would almost go there. It was something she'd expect from her cousin Gavrila, the only difference being Gavrila wouldn't have stopped herself from saying it. "Anyway," Gavril said, still somewhat embarrassed by what the Empress had just said, "Yes, zat is indeed a true and interesting point." At that he simply sat there, not quite sure where to take the conversation. He was still slightly shocked by what the Empress had almost said. |
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| Demoness | Nov 21 2013, 02:15 AM Post #12 |
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Jia Li wasn't even certain why she was embarrassed - after all, it was a normal part of life - but at the same time, she knew her prudish upbringing still dictated her reactions even if she had adopted different views. If she had been with friends, she wouldn't have stopped herself, so she supposed it was a subconscious sign that she felt comfortable with Gavril and Andreea. "In any case," she said, trying to save the conversation, "it is an interesting structure and I can't wait to see the interior as well. You probably have more freedom to decorate your home. It's a bit hard to personalize a building where several hundred other people also live." She smiled sheepishly. |
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| Cetatsenia | Nov 21 2013, 08:21 AM Post #13 |
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"Well, not as much as you might zink," Gavril said smiling, "Ze only places which I really decorate as I see fit are my personal rooms. After all, ze Palace is as much a government building as it is my home." At present the only major people living in the palace were Gavril, Andreea, their mother, and Andreea's husband. However, the servants also made the palace home, and as Gavril said it served government functions as well, mostly just for meeting with the Voivode's advisors, but also meeting with foreign dignitaries and other such activities. And he was glad to finally have something other than Jia Li's comment to talk about. While Cetatsens were often considered rather liberal in some ways, sex was still not a topic brought up around anyone aside from close friends and assuredly not in a formal meeting. Which contrasted quite highly with Cetatsenia's liberal views of nudity; to a Cetatsen there was nothing inherently sexual about a naked body, and in fact relaxing in a large bath, whether in private or in one of the public baths, was considered a normal social activity. And men and women both did it together, and thought nothing of it unless it was obvious someone else was ogling them. "And yes, ze interior is quite lovely," Andreea added, "It may appear to be a castle from a bygone era, but ze inside has all of ze amenities of a modern building." |
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| Demoness | Nov 21 2013, 08:57 PM Post #14 |
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Jia Li nodded. "I imagine that was difficult to install. Most of the old Clan buildings are kept as relics or museums because they cannot be renovated. Luckily, the Palace already had running water and a sewer system and it wasn't very hard to upgrade. I think the electrical system leaves something to be desired, but we have enough natural light to make up for it." |
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| Cetatsenia | Nov 21 2013, 09:22 PM Post #15 |
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"Yes, to say zat it was difficult is an understatement," Gavril replied, "But zankfully it was not a process zat was undertaken all at once; zere have been numerous smaller renovations and additions over ze centuries by my ancestors." Then Gavril thought for a moment, "Oh, and I do not believe zat I ever got around to asking zis the last time we met; I know ze Palace in Sacred Rock is far older zan ze Palatul Regal, but how old is it actually? |
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| Demoness | Nov 23 2013, 09:39 PM Post #16 |
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Jia Li paused, determining how to answer. Followers of Morante believed that Daemonesu-kae had sculpted the Palace's form from the rock exactly 5,502 years ago and the product of "living rock" changed to suit the residents' needs. Secular archaeologists, however, believed Sacred Rock had been inhabited since no earlier than 1 BCE, but the palace had been constructed an indeterminate time before that. "It is at least two thousand years old," she replied. "Perhaps much older, even up to five thousand years old, but it's very difficult to pin down its true age when all our records are somewhat religious." She smiled. "Though the age is less of a mystery than other things. When the palace was carved, it could hold a population that had to have been greater than Sacred Rock's population. Our bible is very silent on the matter, but I have wondered when archaeologists will explain why that would have been." |
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| Cetatsenia | Nov 23 2013, 10:03 PM Post #17 |
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Gavril sat back and listened to the Empress's answer, it was rather interesting. He'd always found older nations fascinating; it was almost mind-boggling to think that some countries were older than not only his nation, but his race of people as well. And Gavril expressed as much. "Zat is fascinating; it is amazing zat zere is even ze possibility of it being zat old," he said, "According to archaeologists, zis area was not even inhabited until about 3,000 years ago, let alone having an advanced and zriving civilization. And I cannot even imagine ze palace being able to house zat many people." Then Gavril laughed, "Well, zere is one perk to being relatively younger when compared to some of ze ozer nations. Most of ze history of Cetatsenia proper is razer well documented. No disrespect intended to you or your nation, of course." |
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| Demoness | Nov 23 2013, 10:34 PM Post #18 |
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She shook her head. "No offense taken. For a long period of my life, I was an agnostic, so I understand why people tend to be skeptical of Demoness' 'history'. I prefer to think of it as allegory, but it does make it rather difficult to tease real events from our books and I honestly always felt a bit silly when stories from our founding were taught by the same person who educated me about the Great Wars." She smirked. "So in a way, you have a much better picture of your nation than I do of mine, or at least of the forces that truly shaped it." |
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| Cetatsenia | Nov 23 2013, 10:49 PM Post #19 |
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Gavril nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose we do. And it probably helps zat zere had never really been much organized religion wizin ze nation; ze Aspect Mezyan Church isn't actually much of an organization. While zere is a standardized holy book and priests and priestesses well as, zere's no hierarchy to speak of. And a commoner is considered as much in communion with God and his Aspects as is ze most learned priest. It is a very personal version of Mezyanism to say ze least, even zough zere are some who claim zat it is not a true branch of the Mezyan faith," he said, "And speaking of ze forces zat shaped my nation, you will get a look at two of ze most important once we reach ze Palatul Regal. Or at least representations of zem; near ze entrance are statues of my ancestors Ioan I and Vlad II, ze fathers of Cetatsenia."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Nov 23 2013, 10:49 PM.
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| Demoness | Nov 23 2013, 11:10 PM Post #20 |
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She nodded. "I am familiar with Ioan I, but I'm afraid Vlad II doesn't ring a bell. Who was he?" |
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