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| Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,300 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 | Dec 21 2013, 11:43 PM Post #361 |
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"I can only imagine. And it is not somezing zat I would wish to have deal wiz," Gavril said, "Zough dealing wiz ze Knezi can be a headache as well; it can be a fine balance between what zey are okay wiz me doing and what zey see as me interfering in zeir own affairs. Zey answer to me, but zey are still absolute rulers in zeir own Knezate." Then he shrugged, he wasn't sure whether it dealing with the Knezi was easier or harder than dealing with the Clans; jia Li said the Clans' vendettas were with each other while the issues with the Knezi directly involved Gavril. "Hey, are you part of one of ze Clans?" Gavrila asked Jia Li suddenly, "Or is ze Empress separate? Or are you technically part of a Clan, but not actually affiliated wiz zem because you are Empress?" |
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| Demoness | Dec 22 2013, 08:29 PM Post #362 |
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Jia Li hesitated in answering; not because it was a difficult answer or one she didn't want to provide, but because it was a strange situation. "The empress' bloodline is always traced - we have an entire book of the World devoted to it - so it's got its own bloodline. My direct bloodline traces back to the Katsuragi family through my father, but I have some 'diluted' connections to Nedia through my grandfather and Xel's bloodline. However, my daughter and I have no part in Clan affairs and we are to keep separate. The Matriarch is the absolute ruler of her people, though generally only over her inner family and the inner family of her Houses. I can't interfere with that, even though I'm the granddaughter of a Matriarch, but I can interfere where it interferes with national or local policy." She bit her lip. "The Clans aren't the same as noble houses. They used to be the governors of their own land centuries ago, but they surrendered that right. Their power lies more in intangible things, like companies, the economy, and their influence. In fact, their stewards have more power in their land now than the Clans do because they have power stemming directly from the government itself." She shook her head. "But, despite having no hard power, that does not mean I, or anyone else, shouldn't respect their soft power." |
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| Cetatsenia | Dec 22 2013, 08:44 PM Post #363 |
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"Ah, I see," Gavril said nodded, "It is good zat you are kept separate from ze affairs of ze Clans. I may not know very much about ze nuances of your government, but I do zink I know enough to know zat if you were not, zat such favouritism would most likely cause even more problems." "Hey, ze Great Houses could technically be considered governors of zeir own land too," Gavrila added, "Kind of. Sort of. A little bit. Maybe." "Ze Voivode, who is also Knez of Insemnat, is always a member of House Suveraneshti; ze Knez of Neclintit is always of House Albescu; Miazanoapte's Knez is always a member of House de Gheatsa; and Sudest and Sudvest are ruled over by members of House de Sud," Andreea explained, "And traditionally zeir advisors have been close members of zeir Houses as well. Zough zat is less common in modern times." Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 22 2013, 08:47 PM.
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| Demoness | Dec 22 2013, 09:08 PM Post #364 |
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"That is interesting," Jia Li replied. "Our government is almost the opposite in that the Clans are supposed to stay out of it as well. There are some exceptions, of course, like my grandmother, but politically, it is a very dangerous game for clans to get involved with the government, particularly the ministries which have been meritocracies for centuries. There was a lot of political scandal and accusations of nepotism for appointing Adoni Ruadha to the Ministry of Commerce even though I'd never met her before. The fact that my father was also the Matriarch's son has caused a great deal of problems as well." Xel sneered. "Mostly stemming from imaginary connections through Nedia," he added. Xel was technically related to the Nedia inner family, but his grandmother's line had been purposely invalidated by her sister to eliminate any possible threats of inheritance in the future. It had worked out very well for her - not only had she eliminated a rival, but she had unexpectedly gained a link to the Imperial Family and the Katsuragi Clan. Xel despised her. |
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| Cetatsenia | Dec 22 2013, 09:18 PM Post #365 |
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"Well, ze Great Houses are nowhere near as old as your Clans," Gavril said, "And ze people zey are descended from were ze rulers of ze modern-day Knezates, and whose existence is attested to by numerous historical documents. Zanks to ze fact zat our government is a monarchy ze Great Houses are intrinsically tied to ze Knezates Ioan I gave to zeir founders, especially ze main lineages." He was curious about Xel's addition, but didn't press it. It seemed like something more related to Clan politics and not really any of his business. "Zere actually used to be a hell of a lot more Knezi zan just ze four of today, but zose who did not follow Ioan I were stripped of all zere titles and had zeir lands divided among ze four who did," Gavrila added with a grin on her face, "Hell, ze promise of land is what drew ze twins who would become ze founders of House de Sud to join Ioan in ze first place." Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 22 2013, 09:23 PM.
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| Demoness | Dec 22 2013, 09:44 PM Post #366 |
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Jia Li tilted her head. "Why strip them of their lands and titles? Why not pass it to an heir who is more amenable to the ruling family?" While not probable, it was not unheard of for unpopular matriarchs to become deposed and replaced by her daughter or sister. |
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| Cetatsenia | Dec 22 2013, 10:36 PM Post #367 |
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"Because zey stood against him," Gavril said with a shrug, "Ioan I was ze kind of man who made a steadfast ally, but a vicious enemy. Giving ze Knezi who supported him more land solidified zeir loyalty, and in ze case of ze Twins de Sud was ze only reason zey joined him to begin wiz. So he replaced ze nobility, sometimes even down to ze Bans, wiz zose who would owe zeir loyalty to him and his House."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 22 2013, 10:37 PM.
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| Demoness | Dec 22 2013, 10:41 PM Post #368 |
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"That is very strange," she said. "So what happened to the knezates that he never restored? Could you give that to someone now and make them a knezi?" |
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| Cetatsenia | Dec 22 2013, 10:52 PM Post #369 |
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Gavril and Gavrila both exchanged a looked with each other before shrugging. "I suppose hypozetically I could; zough it would be an incredibly unpopular opinion wiz boz ze nobility and ze people. I would be spitting on ze system of divisions zat Ioan I made. And honestly, zose Knezates have not existed in centuries, and I see no reason why I would ever need to remake one of zem." "Oh, and it is Knez," Gavrila added, "Knezi is plural. It is okay zough, you do not speak ze language. And your language is completely unrelated to ours." Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 22 2013, 10:53 PM.
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| Demoness | Dec 23 2013, 12:41 AM Post #370 |
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Jia Li. "Pardon me. We only understand languages as they relate to English and I don't believe many words end with 'z', so I assumed," she explained with a laugh. She supposed if she spoke Fenwicki better, she might be better acquainted with plurals, as her language had none, but she didn't believe Fenwicki utilized "i" as a plural either. In Morante, the "i" simply converted a noun to an adjective. "In any case, I didn't think it would be a popular decision, but I was curious. Do you keep those lands yourself or are they underneath the government's stewardship?" |
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