The Summit (Elparian Only) (Open RP)

[Arells]

Hello fellow Elparians! This is the same RP as the one in the Discord. If you have already posted a response to my original letter, just copy and paste it here. Sounds good? Cool!

[Arells]

It had to be today didn't it!

Prime Minister Jasper Burke sighed as he lent over the literal foot of paperwork on his desk. The annual budget, Foreign Office reports in the double digits.

So much to do with so little time and consulting his advisors would only waste more of it.

Bureaucracy.

"Not today" he thought to himself. Even his inner voice seemed out of breath. he wanted to be gone within 3 hours, he promised.
As the daylight waned, the stack turned into a pile turned into a few scattered sheets. This was until a final ream of paper, a quartet of A4 sheets perfectly stapled at the corner, laid between him and exiting the office.

Overtime again...

He peered onto the page, similar to many he had seen that day, lines of text queuing to be read letter by letter. This final document was from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, outlining the current status of the rules governing territorial sovereignty over the oceans, as well as rules of fair passage and navigation. To the Prime Minister's surprise there were no treaties or conventions on these rules.
This alarmed the Prime minister immensely, he felt the overwhelming urge to call an emergency meeting to resolve wo issues: What do we do about this issue and why was this on the BOTTOM of his desk?!
Within two days, all members of the councils, were waiting patiently for the Prime minister's emergency statement. The hastily but professionally crafted speech outlined that the world needed these rules, and as the world's mediator, it was the duty of the kingdom to motivate larger powers to advocate for laws concerning these areas. The directive passed nearly unanimously, with only three people voting against. Viktor Kranken again.....

It was that same day that a global telegram was sent to any nation willing to listen.....

The Office of the Prime Minister of Arells

Prime Minister Jasper Burke
Central Pavilion
Liberation Ave
Northfort
Arells


My fellow Elparians,

It has come to my attention that the world is in need of certain laws and regulations. Many nations, mine included, are short of laws concerning the sovereignty of our waters. Before any disputes come to pass, it would be in the best interest of the world to hold a summit in which we could discuss this issue and find a way to fix it. This issue cannot be resolved with brute force, however, but with a communal effort and international cooperation.

It is with great optimism that I humbly invite any and all world leaders, without regard to ideology, ruling system or current diplomatic tensions, to attend an emergency summit in the diplomatic capital of our great nation to discuss matters of utmost importance.

I hope to see you presently,

Regards,

Jasper Burke
Prime Minister of the Arells

[Kefalaria]

The King of Kefalaria, Demaratus of Irakleia, sits in his ceremonial throne, inside the government building of Ionia. His moveable desk, that is more like a thin table really, sits in front of him as he looks through forms sent to him by different parts of his government. He quietly reads over them, not noticing a messenger entering the throne room. The messenger approaches the desk and king, whispers something to Demaratus, and lays a telegram upside down on the desk's face. He then quickly exits. Demaratus looks at the telegram for a while without touching it, unsure of what to do. This was the first major contact in a long time with any nation or civilization beyond Kefalaria and her islands. Finally, he gets the courage to flip it over and read it. He is able to read it slowly with the basic English he has learned from the visitors to Kefalaria, who visited back during the beginning of his reign. Once finished, he sets the telegram down and sighs as he leans back in his throne. He orders for some paper and something to write with to be brought to him, so that he may draft a response to be looked over by the Council. Once his requested materials are brought to him, he begins to write, in his non-native language, English. As he writes he is hoping that he isn’t doing anything wrong with his spelling and grammar.

To whoever receives this,
[From the high throne of Kefalaria, with approval from The Council of Kefalaria]

I am uncertain how you discovered our existence, I am also uncertain if I should be concerned with your discovery. But that is not what matters, I humbly accept your invitation. I will arrive by ship to your nation, as rapidly as I am able, and dock at the city closest to your capital, if a dock is not available at your capital. Alternatively, if you might be willing to send some sort of transport that might be faster than standard sailing, that would be greatly appreciated. I am also willing to compensate for any fees included in such a request. If you receive this, I request that you immediately reply with a map containing the location of your nation, as to allow for us to sail directly there, or reply with an expected arrival of the secondary mode of transport, if such a mode is to be provided of course.

I await your response and hope to attend your summit,
His Majesty, King Demaratus of Irakleia, Ruler of Kefalaria and Her People.

As he finishes, he sends for a map of the nation and surrounding area to be brought to him, as to allow for the hosts to locate them easier. And to, hopefully, share with his fellow nations that Kefalaria exists. Once his requested map is brought to him, he gives it to a messenger to take to the council, then to return the message to the sender, however they received the message last time.

[Minachia]

The Prime Minister, Sean Northman, and the Emperor, Octavian, were discussing what matters should be brought up in the weekly meeting of Caero-Minachia's Imperial Council, its de facto Cabinet, when an aide brought in a telegram from the Prime Minister of Arells, saying that it was urgent. They looked it over, discussing the implications of an emergency summit and whether they should send a representative. They came to the conclusion that it was of the upmost importance that the Empire retain its sovereignty over territorial waters and that it should be the first subject of the meeting.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister and the Emperor asked the Deputy Foreign Minister, Marcus Bello, who was filling in for the ill Foreign Minister, to draft a response. Bello was rather annoyed. "Is this not the ambassador to Arells's jurisdiction?" he said. "And can we not just ignore any resolution of this summit and enforce our law with our naval might?" Defense Minister Matthias von Brandt then warned that ignoring International Law was an easy way for an enemy to justify invasion, and that it would be in the Empire's best interests to keep hostility to a minimum. Bello then reluctantly agreed, but remained disgruntled for the rest of the evening.
The next day, he telegraphed this response:
^{[ooc: do note that the telegraph uses official jargon, so some titles may be different]}

The Imperial Office of Foreign Affairs of Caero-Minachia

Deputy Foreign Magistrate Marcus Bello
The Imperial Palace, Council Wing.
Palace Square
Minachaeria
Caero-Minachia

To His Excellency the Prime Minister of Arells,

We gladly accept your invitation, and will send former Ambassador Wilhelm Ackermann as a representative to Northfort by airplane. Territorial waters are a key part of any nation's economy and defense, and we seek to retain our own sovereignty over water without using force. We will pay the expenses and provide defense of our own delegate, and may provide some assistance in paying for the Summit facilities, should the Summit Committee require it.

We patiently await a response,

Marcus Bello
Deputy Foreign Magistrate of Caero-Minachia.

By the Request and on the Authority of:
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Caero-Minachia;
His Excellency the Consul of Caero-Minachia;
And in the Stead of:
The Honorable Magistrate of Foreign Affairs of Caero-Minachia.

[Chuukango]

President Frère sat at his desk, puffing on a cigar and sipping on a glass of the nation’s finest absinthe. It had been a stressful week in Portsmouth, between states’ rights protests and the usual political shit flinging. A riot in Portsmouth leaving five dead? Condemn the rioters. Did you or did you not allegedly have a sexual interaction with this hooker back in 1990? Deny deny deny. It was clockwork in the Unitary States, something always seemed to be breaking internally. He wanted something more “external” this week.
His laptop beeped, an email? Probably some other political activists bitching about states rights again. No, this was on his classified email. He opened the message, and thoroughly scanned through.

Perfect.

He promptly typed his response.

To Whomever it may concern
From the desk of President Albert Joseph Frère, the Unitary States of Chuukango.

As President of a fine nation such as yours, and one who prides himself in being the President of a level-headed and diplomatic nation in such a chaotic world it is with much honor that I do accept your invitation.

However, given the current political status of the USC, I do not feel fully confident in leaving my post. Hence, I will be sending one of my best diplomats to attend in my place- inasmuch as you deem this acceptable. Unless I hear word otherwise, I will be making preparations to send one Alexandria Smith to Arells as soon as we are able.

I do much hope that this is fruitful, and that we may bring more stability to this chaotic world.

Regards, Albert J. Frère, President of the Unitary States of Chuukango
Dirigo

[Arells]

It was an autumnal day in Northfort, the sun was out, and the birds were singing, a mix of golden brown and red leaves were falling to the ground. Winter was well on the way. Prime Minister Jasper Burke stepped out of his office and made his way to the entrance of the Northfort Palace, plenty on his mind, territorial sovereignty over the oceans had been an issue for a long time, the sad fact was that not everyone had realized it early on. Still progress was on its way and he was pleased with the nations that had agreed to come to this summit. The household staff were on hand, the briefings had been attended, the planning sessions worked through now there was nothing to do other than make the attempt. Jasper had been to enough of these meetings to know that there were likely going to be a few bumps in the road but he was optimistic about their chances.

Arriving at the front door he found Arells' chief diplomat Esme
"The waiting is always the worst." Jasper said
"Really?" Esme asked
"Of course it is." Jasper said "Nervous?"
"I'm just the welcoming committee." Esme said "You're the one who has to negotiate this thing."
"It's been a long time coming." Jasper said "Now let's see who turns up."

[Kefalaria]

Demaratus of Irakleia, King of Kefalaria and her people, stands in front of the palace with a small battalion of soldiers for his security. The soldiers, remaining in a circle like formation around Demaratus, scan the grounds and anyone and everyone on them. Demaratus himself looks at the palace in admiration.

"Such beauty. It is a lovely home." He mumbles in his native Greek.

How they got onto the grounds, made it all the way here from where the docked on foot, and didn't get stopped or reported to any military or police is nothing short of a miracle. They stand before the front, or what they assume is the front, door(s) to the palace, waiting for someone to invite them in or open the door. They had seen someone in the windows near the entrance but felt it would be rude to impatiently tap on the window to get their attention. So they waited.

[Minachia]

Diplomat Wilhelm Ackermann reclined in his plane seat, looking over several Imperial telegrams over a Minachian sitcom playing on his TV. It had only been a few months since his last assignment - he used to be the Ambassador to a now-collapsed nation - but it felt like it had been ages since he was last aboard an Air Corps jet. Truth be told, he was happy to be back on a diplomatic mission - his family was, as usual, at each others' throats, and his position at the Foreign Ministry was getting quite boring. Although, he was concerned that he was being sent to a country that did not yet have a Minachian Embassy, so he wouldn't have any inside knowledge on the government or its interests, nor would there be any backup if the summit went sour.

"It's just a meeting over territorial waters, what could go wrong?" the optimist in him said.
"We could start an entire global war over oil, that's what could go wrong," the pessimist in him said.

Soon, however, an aide entered his private quarters and informed him that they would be landing soon. As the city of Northfort came into view, gleaming from the sun and with red and yellow patches from the leaf change, Wilhelm became resigned to the fact that this would not be the getaway he had hoped for, and that he would have to do whatever it took to maintain the Empire's interests.

[Arells]

Jasper gave the guards the signal to open the doors. As the heads of state approached the entrance Jasper neatly snapped to attention and in a swift practiced motion whipped his silver sword into a salute before sheathing it again. "It is our honour to welcome you to our country. We are very excited to meet you." Jasper said. "Allow me to introduce my Chief Diplomat, Esme Sarnin." As rehearsed a servant stepped forward with a silver tray bearing a crystal cut jug full of ice and water, several glasses sat on the tray. The servant poured water into the glasses and presented it to the group, "Please" Esme said with a beaming smile, "I'm sure it's been a long day and your journey now over, please accept a drink".

"If you'd come with us" Jasper fell into step alongside the group with Esme at the opposite side. "I rather enjoy any chance I can to get out of the Palace so you'll have to excuse the unorthodox eating conditions. I think some of you'll find it quite a lovely anyhow. But before we get to the food" Jasper's eyes lit up, "We must give you the tour." The group soon set off with Esme playing hostess, offering a constant top up of drinks and assorted foods such as fresh dates and olives. Jasper kept up the small talk attempting to find out the latest news of each country, while periodically pointing out the history and intricacies of the rooms they were visiting. It took nearly an hour of walking before the tour was finished.

The group stopped at one of the many exits of the palace. "Now we feast!" Jasper exclaimed as he pushed the massive double doors open. A massive carefully manicured lawn was all one could see for acres. A swimming pool lay not too far from the doors, the sound of children playing and splashing could be heard. Jasper gestured to them,"My niece and her friends". A canopy billowed in the breeze and low slung tables and cushions were laid out, a firepit blazing in the center. "Please. Take a seat." Jasper allowed the heads of state to seat themselves leaving only himself standing. He went over to a cabinet and picked out a silver box. "Please, accept this as a token of our continued cooperation." the box contained gold globes about the size of a tennis ball, and carved onto its surface was a map of Elparia with each nation engraved and the borders made out of flecks of precious stones. "I am very keen for our nations to become great friends" he said clapping his hands together. Soon a steward brought a huge pot of tea, an assortment of Arellian wine, a pile of bread and a plate of smoked meats and cheeses. Another steward brought about meter long metal forks and handed one to each member of the group. Jasper picked up a piece of bread spearing it onto the prongs and then held it against the heat of the open fire. He continued asking about things in their respective countries as though this was the most natural thing in the world, satisfied with his toasting he removed the bread, picked up a piece of ham and wrapped the bread around it, only when the fireside toasted ham sandwich had been consumed did he turn to business.

"Now it's wrong to start proper talks without a halt put to hunger" he explained, "Help yourself as we talk." "I think it would be best if we started laying out the rules, I.E. you own the sea a 20 miles from your coast etcetera." "What do you all think?"