Travels to Vodrak

Roleplay Library
1

Riyna Oyvesko squinted out of the coke-bottle thick lenses of her glasses as she continued working on an email to the leader of Vodrak, Mr. Butler. She sighed as she pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her muzzle and opened another stick of gum.

Timid and somewhat shy, her family always found it peculiar as to why she would choose a profession that flat-out required an open and talkative personality. She wasn’t quite aware of her shyness, however, and thought she’d be ideal for such a job. After all, she was smart and could learn about a culture rather quickly. She didn’t conform to the Vekaiyun cultures as much, so adopting a culture would be easy. Talking and socializing would just come with getting used to the job. That was a quick fix. All that mattered was her test scores, her training, and her charm, which she was able to pull off rather well when she was in a controlled environment.

She took out her old piece of gum and stuck it under her desk as she continued to type out a letter. Her office wasn’t all that spectacular. Just a desk half piled with books, and half occupied by a computer. Venetian blinds were drawn, allowing only small slits of light to come from the window. Even the floor had various papers littering the wooden floor. Why she didn’t clean it up or invest in a bookcase was anyone’s guess - she had already been warned by her superior to keep her room tidy and inviting. Hang some nice pictures. Maybe put a few plants in the room. Have some classical music in the background to increase concentration. But she didn’t care too much about that. She just wanted to do her job.

— Begin quote from ____

Dear Mr. Butler,

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Riyna Oyvesko, the Vekaiyun Foreign Officer to your nation, Vodrak. I would like to know if it’s possible that I could visit your nation some time in the near future. I think it would be a good start to our two nations getting to know one another.

With best,
Riyna Oyvesko
Vekaiyun Foreign Officer to Vodrak

— End quote

Far too informal for a Foreign Officer, probably. Too short of a message too. But again, she wasn’t even a novice when it came to handling small talk. Finalizing the grammatical checks over her message, Riyna hit ‘send’.

2

[note: most of the conversations are in vodrakian - this will be marked by italianics, as I translated into english for convienence]
Butler rubbed his eyes in disbelief. A letter? From some foreign country? And did Vodrak even HAVE embassies? He will need to take this to the emeperor at once.
Half running through the corridors of the vast spring residence of the emperor, Butler couldn’t help but notice how out of form he was. His old body was no longer as agile as it was when he served under the previous emperors… FOur emperors and still serving! That should be worthy of a medal… however he was now less the trained assassin-bodyguard he used to be, and more of a paper-work man…
He reached the big doors to the emperor’s study. These huge doors were forged from gold and in them were engraved many battles from Vodrak history, and in the middle was the coat of arms of the van Havens - a chimera engraved on a shield.
Butler looked to the men who were tasked with oppening the heavy golden doors. With a slight grunt they began to open them. Butler could already see the emperor signing some papers. Adam van Haven was difficult to describe. He certainly had an air of authority to him, comes with being an emperor, but his appearance was rather enchanting. He was not handsome for sure, but the look on his face expressed wisdom uncommon for his age - he was only 25 years old. However, what also came with being an emperor, his face expressed weariness and a certain pain. Adam hardly looked up.
-Yes Butler, what brings you to my office?- Adam said. His voice also carried that boom of authoirty and it was deep and melodical at the same time
-I have the most interesting of news my lord- Butler anwsered all the while bowing -we have just recieved a petition from some foreign minister - she wants to vist Vodrak-
Adam van Haven froze. his fountain pen fell to the desk and his face - normally an almost expressionless mask showed suprise. After a minute of silence the emperor asked:
-What? Who would possible come up with such a ludicous idea? Is our reputation not as bad as I have been led to believe?-
Butler replied as humbly as possible:
-My lord, our reputation is known. The other countries fear or detest us, aside from Serenitech which just wants to profit.-
-Don’t even mention them to me!- Adam spat -Bad enough that I must deal with them in order to not fall behind the other countries. The less said the better-

  • Yes my lord…- Butler said - It was not my intention to mention the Serenitech clan. They have no bearing on this information.-
    -Ah, yes. The diplomat? Who is he?-
    -It seems he is a she, my lord.- Butler began -She is called Riyna Oyvesko and comes from some… Ve… Vekayui? it is a rather complex name sir - too many vowels after each other…-
    -No matter Butler.- The Emperor sighed. and then said something in the most peculiar of voices - a mixture of childish amusement and the cunning of the Black Crested Falcon -Let her come - I believe one of our… best diplomats… had a problem in Vekaiyun - sadly he is away for the moment. However his disciple will be more than happy to… accomodate her request-
    Butler snickered -Indeed he shall my lord. I shall send word - I hope this doesn’t start some war…-
    -Wars, my dear Butler, are much like peace - except in war one expresses oneself truthully - whilst in peace one’s toung turns silver and we blabber pointlessly. YOu would be wise to remember this. Also, what is the status of the Borsuk and Koniczyna rebellion?-
    -Eh… The Konieczyna people have been… exterminated - their vermin kind will not pollute the face of Vodrak again. As for the Borsuk. Sir they are suprisingly well orgainized - many carry serenitechian weaponry unauthorised by the goverment. The hide in their holes and, because it is our home land, we canno declare Exterminatus.-
    -Do as you see fit Butler - inform M of the vist and have him dispatch the disciple. In the meawhile - I want the Black Shard to strike at the Borsuk “home land” - leave none alive. - The emperor said in a cold voice. Butler bowed and walked out the chamber. The door oppeners grunted again and began closing the doors. In a quick note - rather than a letter - Butler wrote to Riyna Oyvesko:

— Begin quote from ____

Dear miss Riyna Oyvesko,
Vodrak will be more than happy to accomodate your request. We will be glad to hel you learn of our grand culture. We will be expecting you.
With Friendly Regards,
Frank Alphonse Butler the 3rd,
Chief Bodyguard and Advisor in Internal Affairs to the Emperor of Vodrak.

— End quote

He put it in a posh envelope and sealed with wax and his own coat of arms, a storm crow sitting on a sword.

  • This will be fun - he said to himself and called for a boy to mail the letter.
3

Days passed, but no response was heard. Riyna was beginning to wonder if her nation was going to simply give up on the project, ignore the nation and go about their business. Blank progress reports were never good to turn in, and she couldn’t just write ‘waited for a response all day’ on them. Rather, she simply wrote ‘studying’ and braced herself for any kind of fallout from her lack of headway.

Maybe the email didn’t get through? No, it was definitely read. Maybe she should’ve wrote it in Vodrakian? But her English was much better, and she highly doubted they spoke Unonian. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be - she’d go back into the sea of hopefuls, those who studied diligently to be Vekaiyun Foreign Officers only to be put in some queue until there was a need for another one. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

But maybe it should’ve been for the better. Vodrak wasn’t necesarily a nation one wanted to go to. There wasn’t much known about it other than they seemed rather war-like in demeanor. Never mind the speculations, however - being a Foreign Officer was much better than waiting for a job, even if the nation was hostile. Plus, if she succeeded, she was sure to get a raise.

Checking her mailbox in the front of the building, she paused when she noticed a letter was in. Not junk mail, but an actual letter. She pushed her thick-lensed glasses up, then sighed when she smudged them with her finger. One hand opened the letter, while the other cleaned her lenses with the sleeve of her uniform. It was sealed with wax and, upon closer inspection, appeared to be stamped. She put her glasses back on to unblind herself and noticed it was some bird on a stick… but it was too straight to be a stick, perhaps it was a sword? Wait, of course it was a sword, it was their coat of arms. She read the letter as she walked up a flight of stairs and down a series of hallways displaying mostly murals of Vekaiyun people moving across countrysides while the other end of the hallway showed Vayan Catholic monks journeying across the continent to profess their religion. Once she made it to her room and dodged the stacks of papers on the ground, she set out to write a letter to the same person she had written to before.

— Begin quote from ____

Frank Alphonse Butler the 3rd,

Greetings. Thank you for your positive response. I will attach the appropriate guidelines to Vekaiyun foreign dealings, which includes the airplane we will be using and one of three routes we will be taking, weather pending. If your nation’s travel authority could assist me in traveling to your nation, it would be greatly appreciated. Simply respond back with a date, time, and the desired airport of arrival and we will do our best to meet those specifications.

With best,
Riyna Oyvesko
Vekaiyun Foreign Officer to Vodrak

— End quote

4

As he waited for a reply from the Vekaiyun diplomat, Butler kept himself busy by reading the various reports from the rebellion of the Borsuk. Most of them only tell of the animalistic Borsuk attacking at night, ambushing the brave soliders of Vodrak who thought against the odds and prevailed - however Butler was well aware that the truth may be a bit diffrent. The most likley story is that the Vodrakian military - told from their earliest days of service to show no mercy - simply butchered everyone that they found guilty of being a Borsuk - or anyone who helped a Borsuk hide for that matter. Of course it was gruesome and kinda evil - but the Borsuk deserve no less… Not after that day. Just as Butler contemplated the events of a day almost three years ago - at the start of the Borsuk and Koniczynka rebellion, a messegner came in.
-My lord, we have a letter for thou.- The messenger said in a slight northern accent. It was easy to tell, because the northen people accented every second syllable, whilst the southern people accented the last syllable.
-Dismissed.- Butler said taking the letter from the messenger. No matter how much he didn’t like it, in Vodrak there were some people on which plesanries were wasted, so it was generally accepted not to bother with them when speaking to errand boys or the like.
Reading the letter sent a shiver down the old man’s spine. He hardly knew anything about this diplomat - and yet they were ment to kill her in time. So sad - she seemed rather nice. But orders were orders - every Vodrakian learned about this from the earilest of age. He called for an errand boy.
-Tell the Emperor that the Vekaiyun diplomat has anwsered. We will expect here within three days time.- He said and dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand. He looked around his own office. It was poorer decorated than the one of the Emperor. The desk was only mahogany, and the walls were only covered with gold framed pictures of some of the best painters in Vodrakian history, the curtains were only velvet, and the windows were only made of silver and glass [in the emperor’s office they were made of crystal glass or diamonds - depending on the season or the guests.]. He sat down behing his desk and took his golden fountain pen and began to write.

— Begin quote from ____

Dear miss Riyna Oyvesko,
We would like you to arrive within two days after receiving this letter [so more or less three days since I sent it]. on the Royal Airport in Korsk. You should arrive around 14 o’clock - any later and you might just miss the oportunity to meet the Emperor himself, few are given the honour, but his majesty has taken an interest in you trip. I am sure you could not decline to such a proposition.
With Friendly Regards,
Frank Alphonse Butler the 3rd,
Chief Bodyguard and Advisor in Internal Affairs to the Emperor of Vodrak.

— End quote

He put down his pen and again took a fine envelope and put sealed it with red wax and his own coat of arms. Again he called a messenger and gave him the letter telling him to “hasten with the delivery”. He then sat back in his chair and fell asleep - dreaming of his past days of glory…

5

Royal Airport, Korsk, Vodrak

The Vekaiyun aircraft touched down in the Vodrakian capital after a long and rainy flight. The trek over began in the morning. Departing from Eldura, the brightening overcast sky gave way to morning rainclouds when they flew over Iruk. The rains continued off and on when they flew into Allegheny, but started to taper off some time around noon. Over here it was just overcast - no rain - but she assumed it was only a matter of time before it would rain again.

On the flight she went over her social skills, or lack thereof. Only a few hours to get herself together. The nervousness began to creep within her, but she managed to contain it fairly well over the trip.

“Kivia Oyvesko, we have stopped. Are you ready?”

She nervously inhaled and looked up at the Vekaiyun soldier. “Yes. Thank you.”

She stood from her seat and walked down the aisle of the plane. Upon having the door opened by a staff member, she moved toward the exit and began walking down the stairs provided for the plane.

6

Butler was rather nervous. Everything depended on how well he could hide the fact that they were in fact going to either kill or interrogate and then dispose of the foreign officer. He made sure everything was in order just yesterday - the bugs were in place. A smile krept onto the lips of the old man. He remembered his conversation with a neophyte assassin:

— Begin quote from ____

-Sir, the bugs have been placed in the suite.- The assassin reported nervously
-Very good - is that all?- Butler asked impatiently, he had an hour to get to a meeting with the emperor - and nobody makes the emperor wait.
-Well sir, I am quite sure we will need to change the bugs. Because the ones I’ve installed blink and beep every five minutes.-

— End quote

Yes - he never made it to the meeting in the end , he had to arrange new bugs and a more expirenced spy to take care of the installation. But now he was certain everything would work. The Emperor was awaitng their arrival, the snipers and spies were is position - what could possibly go wrong when a man so genious as Adam van Haven plans? Then, a soilder ran over to Butler. The soilder was of middle age, and clearly a low ranking officer, the look on his face showed a hint of anguish and maybe anxiousness.
-Sir…- The man said in a southern accent -Our intelligence suggest that the Borsuk will stage an attack on Blackthorn City soon - what are your orders?-
Butler froze. Just like that the whole plan was endagered - if the foreign officer would find out maybe she would deem that Vodrak isn’t safe enough for tourism and leave never to come back? Or worse - she could warn all other potential officals to avoid Vodrak. Butler had to act fast, but without the Emperor’s consent he was powerless to deal with the situation, so he just asked as calmly as he could
-Does the Duke of Blackthorn and the Emperor know?-
-Yes sir! However the Emperor wants you to decide what to do.- the soilder reported. Buytler swore under his breath - as if he didn’t have enough on his head! The foreign officer would be here any minute now, and he had to deal with a interior threat in that little amount of time! He though quickly, and after a while said:
-Deploy one squad and take a few sinpers. Do not warn the Borsuk that we have learned their plans - we can use this occasion to beat them once and for all! Fortify the city as best as possible - WITHOUT the Borsuk notcining - so no trenches or clear barricades. Got it? Good. Dismissed!- The soilder saluted and ran off. Butler felt a moment of pride - once more the Emperor asked HIM to do something, he was gaining more and more trust. He shook - now he must deal with the foreigner. The limo was waiting behind him, and he just got word that the officer was walking out of the plane - he could see her now in fact.
What? A Candidsapien? Butler almost forgot that Vekaiyun was inahabited by fox-humanoids, even though the Emperor warned him. He waved to the foreing officer and bowed, and said in a calm voice
-Hello, I am Frank Alphonse Butler the 3rd. I take it you are the officer that I’ve heard so much from?-

7

Riyna made her way down the stairs, appearing somewhat nervous due to her lack of social skills. She had tried to ignore it, but the closer she got, the more her nervousness began to creep in. From the plane emerged two more people - one lightly-armed soldiers dressed in the new fully-enclosed Vekaiyun soldier combat suits, and a male staffer, whose sole purpose was to fetch important documents and help with the delegation. The soldier remained standing on the stairs, awaiting orders.

The Vekaiyun Foreign Officer bowed in return, glad to be exposed to common Vekaiyun greeting tendencies. Or perhaps that was in their culture too - she was getting her notes mixed up already! “Good d- I mean good… good afternoon… Ve…” She paused to gather her thoughts, remembering her lines. “Vekaiyu comes in peace. However it is sometimes customary for Vekaiyu to bring along a soldier to accompany me in case there are any minor altercations. It’s tradition for nations with which we have no diplomatic relations with. With your permission, I would like for him to step on your soil.”

She bowed again nervously but was poked by her staffer, who held up a box. “Oh,” she added, pushing up her wiener. “This is a gift from Vekaiyu to your nation. It is an intricately-carved box of jaku wood etched with sayings of good luck in Unonian. Silver is inlaid in it, and inside is a box of the finest cloves from Vekaiyu. Vekaiyu prides itself in its spices, which is goes back to ancient times.”

8

Butler noticed the nervousness of his guest. He also couldn’t help but notice the lighly armed solider accompaning the envoy. He sighed. This could be a problem. He thought. However he had no time to change the plan. He nodded to an assistant to bring the gift he prepared for the emissary - a nice little bomb, he could blame the Borsuk should the Vekaiyu Gouverment have a problem. The foreign officer was already infront of Butler, so he focused on her body language - a habit he has ha dsince his bodyguard duty.
“Good d- I mean good… good afternoon… Ve…” She said , scrambling to remember whatever speech she had prepared. “Vekaiyu comes in peace. However it is sometimes customary for Vekaiyu to bring along a soldier to accompany me in case there are any minor altercations. It’s tradition for nations with which we have no diplomatic relations with. With your permission, I would like for him to step on your soil.” Butler sighed again - it couldn’t be helped then.
Before he could anwser the plenipotentray added “This is a gift from Vekaiyu to your nation. It is an intricately-carved box of jaku wood etched with sayings of good luck in Unonian. Silver is inlaid in it, and inside is a box of the finest cloves from Vekaiyu. Vekaiyu prides itself in its spices, which is goes back to ancient times.”
This made it more difficult for Butler to accept what the Emperor had ordered - the foreign politician seemed like a nice person. Just as he was about to give her his own little “present”, he noticed the box the bomb was in was emitting ticking noises. He quickly gestuered for the assistant to take it away. Think on your feet Butler! You can do this. he thought. Quickly he began talking so that the emisary won’t notice the faux pas with the box.
“Welcome to Vodrak.” he said in his rather rough english “Of course, you may bring any visitors, though I must insist that your bodyguard be careful, some of our soliders do not take too well to foreigners with weapons.” he added and forced a smile - he hoped it wasn’t too fake. He gestured towards the limo that was behind him and asked “Shall we? The Emperor doesn’t like to wait, and I am sure that it might start raining soon. Better be at the Viosna castle by that time, I assure - you are under our best protection, Vodrak doesn’t see much emissaries come…” Butler said, all the while sending a morse code to the snipers to warn them about the envoys solider-bodyguard, he made sure to describe the thickness and plating of the armour as best he could. One last order was issued: Do not shoot until commanded. A stray shot could miss the plenipotentary and cause a catastrophy, no room for error.

9

Riyna’s vulpine ears moved at the sound of errant ticking that seemed to be coming from a box. She felt like maybe asking about it, but the box was removed and she was quick to shrug it away. Rather than focus any attention on it, she struggled to maintain her composure and cut through the man’s thick accent.

“No worries about the guard,” she replied as he stepped off the stairs. “He is only ordered to react and not act.” Upon being offered the limousine, she nodded. “Yes,” was all she could muster as she once again pushed her gla@sses back up on her muzzle and walked toward the vehicle, the guard and staff member close by. “So how is the nation of Vodrak recently? I admit Vekaiyu does not have a complete picture on the nation yet, which is one of the reasons why I’m here… of course.”

10

Butler was dumb-struck. He had no idea what to anwser - how much could he tell the envoy without threatening national security? He knew one thing - the invasion plans and secret dealings had to be kept secret. However maybe…
-Vodrak is a peaceful land, my lady.- he said finally. He tried to keep polite and humble so that the emissary won’t notice his rather xenophobic approach toward the candidspaien. -However due to recent events we are at a state of civil war. Nothing to fear though, the rebels are nothing more than uncivilised animals, and soon will be dealt with. Do not fear, my lady, they would not dare attack Korsk. Although I won’t recommend, or let You go anywhere near Blackthorn. We recived word that the rebels - a clan of humans calling themselves the Borsuk, plan to attack it any day.-
He hoped that the plenipotentray won’t ask any questions regarding the matter. The Emperor planned on pushing the Borsuk out of Vodrak into the nearby wilderness, just on their south-western border, so that Vodrak could then take over the land, saying it was for the good of the national society. All of this was rather rumour though, and the Emperor hasn’t given the order yet
But when he does, we will be ready. Butler thought and grinned slightly, and entered the vehicle after the vulpine emissary.

11

Upon being shown the entrance to the limousine, Riyna and her two cohorts entered the vehicle. She waited for Butler to enter before answering his statements on the Borsuk. As Vekaiyu had just finished a civil war of their own, however, she was able to understand the difficulties facing two warring factions.

“Oh,” was all she could muster. She then tried to think of something else to said. “Vekaiyu had recently survived a civil war of its own. Progressives versus the Maxists. Progressives won, thankfully. Vekaiyu’s made great strides since the new regime had taken power.”

Her eyes were swayed by the buildings the limousine was passing by. “Nice architecture,” she commented, again trying to think of more to say, but her vocal cords remained frozen.

12

Even though he was anxious to learn more about their civil war [and maybe hear how it was bloodily ended], but he decided to take mercy on the poor vulpine - she would get her share of questions from the Emperor. Upon her comment on architecture he could only smile. The Emperor had especially chosen the route as to show off the power of Vodrak [and also because these buildings were built as sniper posts in case of an attack]. He had rather grwon to like the shy vulpine - although he knew he could not be friends, she was sentenced to death by word of the Emperor, so he was baiscally talking to a dead man [or rather woman].
After a fifteen minute drive in silence [Butler did not want to force the emissary to talk because she seemed to have problems with it] the limousine arrived before the Viosna Castle.
Any visitor to the castle would first have to ride through a park that surrounded the building [to show off power of course]. Then he’she would be greeted with an amazing sight - the front of the castle. It was built in barouqe stlye, and was decorated with nummerous statues and reliefs, in addition to many colonnades. Above the main entrance was suspended the coat of arms of the van Haven - a chimera on a golden background. The limousine stopped right in front of the grand portcullis. It was of course made of silver, but who would pay attention that it was made of such a poor metal?
Butler said calmly:
-And here we are.- He oppened the door and waited for the envoy to step out side.
-Oh, thank you Limo.- He remarked to the driver [his surname was Limo - an odd coinsidence.] -Shall we? The Emperor is expecting you.- Butler asked the pleniptentary and gestured towards the portcullis.

13

The car ride to the castle was anything but comfortable. Riyna wanted to strike conversation, but instead sat in silence as they drove their way down the avenues of the Vodrakian capital. Upon reaching the castle, they drove over the coat of arms draped over the entrance and passed a gate made of silver. Being Vekaiyun, she spotted the metal instantly. Silver was still important to Vayan Catholics, and she cringed slightly at the greened metal, covered in patina due to being exposed to the elements. Why would someone create a gate out of silver? Had the castle not been attacked in a long time? Surely they didn’t expect the gate to function well.

Upon being asked to see the emperor, Riyna nodded in affirmation. “Certainly,” she replied as she was led under the gate, her staff member and guard following in pursuit. She had to admit she was a little nervous for the encounter, and slightly intimidated by the backdrop of the castle. Nevertheless, she pressed on and moved forward.

14

Butler was surprised that the Vulpine pleniptentary didn’t marvel at the wonderful (though a bit sleazy) silver portcullis.
Though some time ago the castle did serve as a fortress-home for the kings and early Emperors, since Ravensgard [an island-fortress constructed on order of Sigismund van Haven, the first emperor, though the project wasn’t finished until twenty years after his death] was built the castle was rearranged to be a summer retreat rather than a bastion. Maybe Butler should’ve explained this and some other things on their way over? However he did not know how much he could say to the envoy…
He went on, gesturing at his guests to follow.
Viosna castle, after reconstruction, became rather large. This was because since it could no longer provide the protection needed, it had to at least give its lords enough time to retreat to the saftey of Ravensgard [however it was impossible to reach the island-bastion in under twenty minutes because of the fact that it was… well… on an island]. The obvious drawback of this was that any vistor would have to naviagte through a vast network of corridors and patios before reaching the Audience Chamber in which he/she could speak with the Emperor [although there was na guarantee that the Emperor was there]
And so, after a five mintues walk [Butler had to admit that the enovy and her guard kept good pace], they reached the characteristic large brazen doors of the Chamber.
-Remember, be utmost polite when you speak to the Emperor, and do not speak until I introduce you.- Butler urged the Vulpine -His magesty does not take to well to unmannerly behaviour. Bah, the presence of your guard might be a bit unsetteling for him, so try not to make matters worse.- Having said that, Butler began to open the doors [without waiting for an anwser - it was really unnessesary]
The chamber was rather modestly decorated [at least in comparison to the other rooms of the castle, however Butler doubted the plenitpotentary would know that.]. In the middle of it stood a big wooden table, polished to a shine [a trained eye would identify the wood as oak]. On the other side of it stood a throne-like chair [highly decorated and the kind], on which sat a man clad in black robes [the robes rather surprised Butler, they were not the standard dress of an Emperor, though Adam van Haven tended to disregard the traditions]. What struck Butler was that he could spot a hilt of a sword peering out of the robes - he hoped the emisary wouldn’t take it personaly, the Emperors always carrried the ornate sword, Requiem, at all times [it had it’s own interesting hisotry, however Butler was sure that the Emperor would be more than glad to tell it when asked]. On either side of the throne stood a guard wearing black armour [that could be identified as carbon-nano tube armour, the pride and joy of the Vodrakian Military], and wealding elegant halbeards. Behind the Emperor, on a wall, hung the map of Vodrak. On either side of the map stood a bookcase [that covered the rest of the wall]. The walls on the left and right also had wooden bookcases standing in front. There were no windows in the room, so it was light by a large candelabrum hanging from the cealing.
Butler bowed and guestered to the envoy.
-This is Riyna Oyvesko my Lord, the envoy from Vekaiyu- Butler hoped he did not mix up the name of the country.
Now let us hope that the Vulpine will know what to do… The Emperor is not only unkind towards unmannerly behaviour - he despises it. Should she show disrespect, her death will be slow and gruesome, perhaps in one of the dungeons of Viosna castle itself. Butler though and but his lip in anticipation.

15

The five-minute walk was brisk, but definitely worthwhile as she took in the sights and scenes as the procession passed over them. It had a medieval feel to it, that much was true. Still, it was definitely something she would take home with her in her report. Maybe she could get away with a photograph here or there, but she decided it might not be best to push her luck.

Upon being informed the necessity to be polite, she turned to her guard and asked him to remain in the background, close but not too close where he would be clearly visible. After all, this wasn’t even diplomacy - it was simply a meeting to familiarize one nation to another, and vise-versa (hopefully). She didn’t quite understand the reports of the hostile nature of Vodrak, but she assumed it was due to the Borsuks and, if she was in the presence of the emperor, they would surely be aiming for him and not her, should assassins be there, right?

She slowly stepped forward to the table, the glow from the candles above casting shadows upon her uniform of black, grey, and white. Not knowing the Vodrakian greeting for women off-hand, she defaulted to the common Vekaiyun one of a long and deliberate bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

16

The Emperor nodded slightly at the emmisary and, with a elegant guesture of his hand he bid his guest to sit down. He whispered something into the ear of the guard to his left. The guard nodded and said
“The Emperor is utmost pleased to make you aquaitance, Miss Oyvesko. The Emperor also asks if your trip was pleasant.”
Butler smiled - The usual routine then? he thoight and looked at the diplomat Hopefully she will see through this act, but we will see.

17

Riyna was quick to move the chair out slightly and sit down in it. She smiled slightly, then folded her hands in front of her on the table, then removed her hands from the table and set them at her side. “Yes, it was most pleasant,” she replied. “There were no problems.”

18

Butler smiled. What will be your move? He thought and looked a the Emperor. A smile flickered across his face. His guard leant down and whispered something. In turn, the Emperor whispered something into the guard’s ear.
-The Emperor expresses his relief that nothing extraordianry has happened.- The guard recited -The Emperor has heard that Borsuk activity in the area has risen, and even Korsk may not be safe. However, as long as you will do what the Emperor suggests, you should be fine.- Butler looked in amazment at the Emperor. He couldn’t possibly be planning such an atrocity. Or maybe? Who knows, Adam van Haven is anything but predictable.
The guard leant down again and listened to what the Emperor had to say. He was clearly a bit perplexed at what he heard, but he still translated [or so Butler thought]:
-The Emperor would like you to join him in a tour around Viosna castle. He would rather that no additonal guests follow you, but if your feel obliged to have your guard accompany you, the Emperor will not protest. Do you agree?-
Butler’s eyes widened. This was not expected in any way - the Emperor? Without escort? What was he up to… Butler just hoped that it wouldn’t get him killed
Last time I had to fight my way out of an enemy bastion… Maybe he cannot do worse… Butler hoped.

19

Pausing, Riyna looked at her staff member, then at the guard behind them. “Maybe if I go alone it will show I trust them and therefore they’ll be more willing to deal with Vekaiyu. It might decrease the tension at least.” She finally nodded. “Certainly, I will be willing to go without staff or guard and accompany the emperor.” She could feel the eyes of her staff member on her. “Pending my guests will be able to do something in my absence of course.”

20

Butler felt it was time for him to step in
-Why of course- he assured -we have a few shooting ranges on the premesis, and I am sure some of our sharpshooters will be more than happy to… edjucate… the Vulpine guard in proper shooting- Butler snickered. The Emperor nodded and whispered something into the ear of his translator-guard
-The Emperor believes this is a good idea.- The guard then bowed, as did the one of the other side of the Emperor, and they walked over to Butler. They gave him a slight nod and walked over to the guard and escorted him to the nearest shooting range.
The Emperor, now translator-less stood up and walked over to the emissary.
Butler knew the walk he adpoted - he tried to fill each step with pride and dignity, however sometimes this was so clearly false that everybody just wished that the Emperor accepted that he should walk normally.
Butler smiled to the Vulpine envoy. He bowed and said:
-I hope our paths cross again soon, miss Oyvesko.- he then bowed to the Emperor and walked out. HE wished the Emperor would continue his mascarde for a while longer, so that he could remain and listen to his stories, but alas that was not his plan… What was he up to?