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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,239 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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With both Xel and Jia Li falling silent, Gavril and Andreea didn't see any need to prolong the conversation any longer. So they both fell silent as well, thinking about one thing or another. The rest of the trip was spent either in silence or short, unimportant conversation of little note. Gavrila stayed fast asleep the entire trip, and Aurel sat silently beside her.

Eventually they passed through the town, which seemed like a smaller and less-developed version of Albraustana-zid in the middle of one of the basin's forests. There were only a few buildings that were over 2 stories tall, and those that were were mostly hotels or official government buildings. They passed through it without incident, and continued on through the forest towards their destination. The farther they traveled, the denser the forest became until suddenly they drove out into an area completely open and devoid of trees. And the reason for the clearing was obvious; they had arrived.

There was a parking lot in front of the Castle itself, as well as a small visitor's center with information and restrooms. But the most noticeable thing was the Castel de Nebunie itself. It was a fairly large building built of brick and completely square in shape, with circular towers extending up at each corner. Though the Demonessian could not yet see it, the castle itself had no front. Each of the fours sides was exactly the same, with the same exact door and the same exact set of wide steps leading up to it.

Aurel carefully shook Gavrila awake, the woman slowly coming out of her sleep and looking around sleepily. She looked down at her sleeve for a quick moment, and then realizing she'd drooled on it, quickly wiped it off on her pants.

Aurel slowly made his way out of the car, opening the door for the rest of the group before Gavrila had fully come to her senses. He was joined by Lieutenant Dalca as Gavril shook his head and smiled at his cousin. The the Voivode gestured to the door with a smile, "After you."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Feb 26 2014, 12:16 AM.
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Demoness
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Jia Li evidently slept lightly, or at least she did in the car. Xel gently nudged her and she yawned and wiped her mouth. She looked briefly embarrassed that she had fallen asleep, but noting that no one seemed to care, she quickly recovered. She smiled at Gavril as she got out of the car. "Thank you," she said. Makoto got out first to help her and Xel followed.

"Wow," she said appreciatively. "It actually looks kinda normal on the outside. With the way you were describing it I was expecting something like an Escher painting." Her smile widened. "This is a wide estate to maintain too," she added as she looked around.
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Cetatsenia
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"Ze outside is totally normal, it is ze inside zat is ze fun part," Gavrila said as she stepped out of the car, a massive grin plastered across her face.

Gavril smiled and nodded his head. "Indeed, and it is larger zan it appears, since it goes underground a few stories, and zen connects to a small section of a natural cave," he said, "And as for maintaining it, ze Ban of zis area is ze one who deals wiz zat. Zough it is probably easier wiz ze money ze castle brings in from tours and whatnot."
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Demoness
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Jia Li nodded. "I imagine xe gets a lot of visitors," she agreed. She stretched out her legs and stifled a yawn before adding, "Shall we?"
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril just smiled and nodded his head. "Of course, zough first we need to meet up wiz our tour guide," he said, "Zey should over zere." He gestured to the visitor's center for emphasis.

Gavrila, however, had already begun making her way to the building with Aurel in tow. She glanced behind her at the rest of the group and grinned, "Come on!"

Gavril just smiled and Andreea shook her head and sighed, though there was a small smile on her face. Gavril lead the Demonessians over to the building itself and entered. It wasn't really anything special, it was mostly taken up by a single wide open room with a desk near the front, a wall containing some pamphlets next to that, a small gift shop on the other side of the room, and the sign for the restrooms of to the side. Gavrila was already talking to a man who looked to be in his early 30s, with a goatee and ponytail. He was dressed in a pair of khakis and a dark blue shirt that had an image of the castle with the words "Castel de Nebunie" underneath it on the shirt's breast.

As the group approached the man ceased talking to Gavrila and turned to greet the others, taking a deep breath before he did so. One could tell the man was a little nervous and excited, since he was to be the tour guide for two heads of state, but he was hiding it fairly well.

"Salutări," the man said, "I am Vasile, and I will be your guide for your tour today. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Gavril smiled at the man, and held out his hand. Vasile looked at if for a moment before realizing the Voivode meant for him to shake it, which he promptly did. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well," Gavril said. Vasile just blinked and nodded in response.
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Demoness
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Jia Li smiled gently. "Pleasure to meet you as well," she repeated. Xel bowed for her, giving a slight inclination of the head. "Oh, ano, will weapons be an issue?" she asked curiously, bringing attention to the katana Makoto carried and the firearms he and her husband wore. It clearly slipped her mind that Gavril said he'd carried a firearm and that security must have cleared it already. Perhaps because this was a "castle", customarily a residence, rather than a public place like the library.
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Cetatsenia
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Vasile shook his head. "Oh, not at all," he said, "Under normal circumstances zere are no weapons allowed in ze Castel de Nebunie, but zese are not normal circumstances."

"Yes, I already cleared zat wiz ze people higher up," Gavril said, then looked back to Vasile, "So, are we all ready to go?"

"Actually, you may want to use ze bazroom first," the tour guide said, "Zere are not any in ze Castel de Nebunie."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Feb 26 2014, 11:06 PM.
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Demoness
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Jia Li tilted her head. "Is there any indoor plumbing?" she asked curiously. Considering the time frame, it wasn't unlikely chamber pots had been used, but even some older structures were able to incorporate surprisingly modern conveniences.
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Cetatsenia
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Vasile shook his head. "Uh, no. Sorry," he said, "And I zink it would be too much work to go in and install it."
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Demoness
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"Of course. I was simply curious if it had been installed in, say, the kitchens. Some of the older structures had it," Jia Li replied. "If you excuse me, however, I will take advantage of the bathroom." She smiled and walked off. Makoto followed her, standing guard outside the bathroom.
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