From A to Z [IC, MT, ATLAS ONLY]

[Brytene]

Castle Oakhall, Lundene

---

The Zerinite delegation was expected to arrive in around an hour. A runway had been slated for their jet ahead of time, and a pair of helicopters awaited to transport them over the ancient city and to the lofty Castle Oakhall, where they would set down on The Pasture, the open sward of green just inside the Outer Curtain, where Bretwalda Cenwulf Teorell himself would be waiting to greet them.

In the meantime, Bretwalda Teorell was sat in his solar, gazing out over the bustling city. Lundene was a beautiful city, with many of its older precincts boasting slate stone or plaster-and-oak buildings that were centuries old, while even many of the newer buildings were in attractive neo-classical sandstone. Here and there a modernist building poked through, towers of glass and steel, whilst everywhere leafy promenades, ponds, canals and parks gave the city a vibrant feel.

Taking a sip of mead, he scowled. Gods knew Brytene needed more allies. Carloso had abandoned them, and Atlas seemed a darker and less stable place than it had this time last year. War loomed in Tenburg, threatening to drag half the region down with it, and perhaps the Zerinites felt the grip of that same uncertainty.

An aide knocked on his door, and he grunted his assent for them to enter.

"Sir, the Zerinite delegation just landed at Lundene International. They'll be here in ten minutes."

Nodding, he stretched out his legs and then rose, finishing his mug and tossing it onto the table. Glancing down at his tunic, he decided he should change, and tugged on a rich navy blue tunic with gold lacing, before throwing a brown fur cloak over his shoulders and fastening it with a brooch showing the rampant bear of his house. Running a hand through his thick beard, he shrugged, adjusted his belt, and then set off for the Pasture, where a gaggle of soldiers and dignitaries were already awaiting the arrival of the Zerinites...

[Zerinfrium]

Castle Oakhall Lundene Helipad

The ride from airport to Oakhall was decent enough. The Flight on the Primir's private jet was wonderful despite her hatred of flying. She sobered upon the landing. Accompanied by Praetor of State Geralt kept her entertained his quips about their plan of action amused her. Telling her that there were clauses in the signing of the KP that they could loop hole around. Amusing. Praetors always seemed to amuse her, or make her want to use her personal pistol to end either their yapping or her misery. Nonetheless it was good to be visiting the beautiful islands of Brytene. To think her ancestors from long ago ransacked this islands like a girl after a prom night. The helicopter ride was quick thank the gods. Slowly landing she stepped out accompanied by her Secretary, and two guards. She walked forward to the people standing there waiting for her. Smiling kindly.

"So, shall we begin?" she said the best she could in the common tongue.

[Brytene]

The Pasture, Castle Oakhall
Lundene

---

Cenwulf had never met the Primir personally, though he was of course familiar with her through news pieces and briefings. She was a small, slight lady with large eyes and neat, straight hair, thickly accented but precise enough in her speech.

Once upon a time, as King, he might have expected some kind of obeisance, but he himself had done away with all the royal trappings and airs in 2015. He was still a tyrant, in the classical sense, elected for life, but he was no longer some kind of avatar of the Gods - he was just a man, chosen by his people to lead them. Half-a-dozen marines, unarmoured and in their ceremonial uniforms, red jackets and white breeches with black turnbacks and cuffs and white crossbelts. Gold buttons and lacing glittered in the thin sunlight, whilst on their heads were black bicornes athwart, also edged with gold. They had shouldered KA-17 battle rifles, the latest Kuribayashi Arms produce, chambered in 5.56×45mm. At their hips were short, wide-bladed seax swords with brass pommels and hilts.

Other than the guards, behind the Bretwalda were a variety of officials and aides. Cenwulf himself extended a meaty paw, heavy with rings, for a handshake.

"Primir Valentingr," he said, his voice booming in the high, thin air around them. A stiff breeze ruffled their hair and toyed with the grass underfoot "welcome to Brytene. I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

[Zerinfrium]

The Pasture, Castle Oakhall Lundene Helipad

She smiled as her smaller hand clasped his.

"As much as the wine would allow. Tried some Bryt styles see what kind of welcome i'd get. Strong willed with a large hand." She said jokingly

She had always maintained a joking attitude of sorts to diplomatic meetings. Ease the tensions and get them low on guard before she makes a demand or request. She looked into his eyes with her blue pearls. Of course she was wearing her military uniform as Commander in Chief of the entire Defense Force. Her hands were bare of rings, her entire body was in fact bare of any sort of jewelry aside from her in regulation bracelet. A gift from a certain ex leader, as well as in regulation earrings. Despite being semi immune to them she always staying in the books.

"It is a pleasure to make an acquaintance with a fellow leader. Albeit whose pleasure it is can be decided at the end of these talks." She sniped as she let go. "Shall we begin? I am dying to see what we will be served as we discuss a most important matter."

[Acronius]

Jules Patry, President of the Union of Acronian Kingdoms
Lundene, Confederacy of Brytene
15:33, 18 February 2019
___

A pair of soft chimes echoed through the Acronia Prime, the personal aircraft of the President of the Acronian Union. Ladies and gentlemen, we have just begun our descent to Lundene International Airport. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened; we estimate to land in seven minutes. Jules Patry awoke, still cocooned in the plush bedding of the aircraft's master bedroom. The poor man couldn't catch a break. It had only been four days since the former Senator for the Department of Thauvy had assumed the presidency, thus finally delivering the long overdue culmination of months of exhaustive debate and discourse within the National Assembly, in what had perhaps been the longest and most extreme case of politicking and filibustering in Acronian history.

The 42-year old begrudgingly relinquished the comfort of his bed, his thoughts lingeringly yearning to return to the soft upholstery as he retreated into the ensuite bathroom, ignoring the overhead seatbelt warning. A splash of tepid water helped wake him to his senses. Satisfied enough with the face looking back at him from the mirror, he shut off the tap, drying his face and redoing the French cuffs on his poplin dress shirt. This would be the first major event in Patry’s tenure as President – and quite frankly, he didn’t really want any part of it. Yes, he recognized the importance of this summit – it would be his first encounter with the other leaders of the Acronia-Brytene-Castarcia Defense Entente, and more importantly it could potentially see a new member in the alliance; a welcome hypothetical given the geopolitical situation of Atlas. But the eleven-month crisis back home had left him exhausted.

It was not difficult to forget that the Soft War was still in full swing, given the quasi-detente global geopolitics currently enjoyed – not difficult, but not easy either. There was always something – something that that all too familiar notion of war could cling on to with even the slightest of grasps; something to prevent itself from slipping away into irrelevance. The Fale Ocean had practically never been a concern for Acronia since the Second Great War, and yet, on its opposite end, their longstanding Carlossian allies' espousal of fascism spelled a significant cooling of relations between the two nations. Just off their coast, another one of Acronia's time-honored allies, the Republic of Valdiu, had crumbled. Elsewhere, Tenburg too teetered on the brink of civil war. There was always something these days. War was simultaneously extinct and omnipresent.

A unneded digression, Patry thought to himself, almost as if to scold himself. Trivial speculation on matters unrelated to the situation at hand was of no use right now. As the president disembarked from the aircraft and was transferred into a helicopter headed for Castle Oakhall, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to the meeting ahead, and rightfully so. He had perhaps ample grounds to feel a tinge of anxiety, but it was largely unfounded. Despite his comparatively young age as a politician, Patry's skills as a diplomat were tried and tested. His success in ascending to the presidency was proof enough of this – after all, it took no less than an ingenuously-crafted combination of multi-partisanship, tact, and cleverness for the 42-year-old to generate a senatorial majority coalition transecting multiple parties in support of him. It was a miracle of political engineering, befitting only a true diplomat. The completion of the helicopter's journey interrupted Patry's train of thought, and the president rejoined terra firma, striding gracefully towards the figures ahead.

[Brytene]

The Pasture, Castle Oakhall
Lundene

---

Cenwulf smiled at the Zerinite's levity, but then nodded over her shoulder. "In just a moment, yes."

He waited for Jules to close the gap, the man's crisp suit snapping a little in the downdraft of the helicopters, and then closed the last few steps himself. He had spoke to President Patry on the phone, congratulating him on his electoral victory and going through the standard rigmarole of introducing himself to the new head of state of one of Brytene's closest allies, but they had not yet met in person.

"Mr President!" he boomed, enfolding Patry's outstretched hand in both of his own "it is a pleasure indeed. Bienvenue en Brytene!". His French was, frankly, appalling, but he at least didn't butcher the accent on the few phrases he did know.

"May I introduce Primir Valentingr of Zerinfriom, who is here to convince us to let her nation join our merry band of amigos," he said cheerfully, accidentally confusing Spanish for French, Spanish being another language he spoke roughly five words of.

[Lyonine Empire]

Airspace over Brytene
Lyonine Delegation

Astolfo liked travelling abroad and frankly wished he was given the opportunity more often than he was. Sure he could take a holiday overseas whenever his duties were light enough at home and there were of course Imperial Tours on missions of importance. Still nothing invigorated the old sovereign like a trip. Due to the nature of this one his wife, the Hegezarin Izelda wouldn’t be present. No, instead he had to share his time with the First Councilor. Not a man the sovereign quite liked but then again that was mostly because the First Councilor was a man that had, at least in his younger days, been a republican. Thankfully that movement had mostly fallen to the wayside.

“Gentlemen we will be landing at the airport in approximately fifteen minutes.” The intercom clicked off as the captain toggled the seat belt lights throughout the jet*. Astolfo buckled himself in and stared out the window at the beautiful landscape below.

“Truly magnificent” He muttered to himself as the descent into Brytene began. A few seats away from him was the First Councilor of the Empire. The Right Honorable Lauro Paleri, a man of about sixty with hair that was black though peppered with grey. Not a fan of flying whatsoever his knuckles were about as white as humanly possible as he gripped the seat.

The situation of this summit was not exactly the one that the Empire wanted to find itself in. The prospect of a new member to the Entente was nice but the prospective member being Zerinite Federation was not exactly great. The distance alone didn’t make it appealing, or the idea of adding a nation to the Entente that was quite literally in the backyard of another political alliance. The last thing the Entente need do at this time was necessarily upset the balance of power in the region and tip off hostilities. Regardless Astolfo and Lauro had come to Brytene to hear out the last bit of the Federation’s efforts to join the Entente.

Oakhall Castle, Lundene

The castle and city nearby were both stunning. Somewhat reminiscent of those back home in the Empire. It wasn’t difficult to see the figures on the field below. A small dossier had been assembled for Astolfo and Lauro on the plane that covered all the people that were going to be present. The Secretary of State would normally accompany the two on this kind of trip but she was back in the Empire helping to coordinate with the Secretaries for War and for Intelligence the necessary actions to extract the civilians and VIPs that had been trapped in the Pepper Atoll at the outbreak of violence there.

Upon landing, Astolfo stepped out of the helicopter first as was precedence. He had forgone any kind of crown as this wasn’t his realm and instead settled for a nice black suit with the standard white sash that held a lion sigil on it and small diamonds the length of the sash that were blue. His white hair matched his beard, both of which were immaculately kept.

Lauro turned his attention to the door thankful to be on the ground once more and he truly had to resist the urge to drop to his knees and kiss the ground. Lauro was a round man though he was more than capable of walking good distances without dying. Some called him jovial and friendly though other simply thought of him as a politician. He was more than capable of holding his own in debates as he had shown in Congress time and time again. He had also shown a proclivity towards the finer things in life and a scandal was rocking his administration about perceived corruption to the point that he had confided in only those closest to him that following this summit he would ask the Hegezar to dismiss Congress for fresh elections.

The pair made their way the short distance to where their host stood and Astolfo truly beamed while Lauro made only a half smile.

*The Jet is a DH-106 Comet 4

[Zerinfrium]

The Pasture, Castle Oakhall Lundene Helipad

It seemed she had been the first to arrive. Many national leaders flocking around. a light blush filling her face. She was actually young for a national leader after all. Not as young as the man who gave her the bracelet upon her wrist. She simply smiled as the Praetor of State told her their names, what they have done etc etc. By the Christ god she wanted to smack him, as she already sat through briefings. She wasn't fangirling but couldn't believe she was around so many powerful persons. She was use to being one of two, at most three, and even after that use to being the most powerful person in the room. Here she was surrounded suddenly. By Odin's beard she just wanted to be in a dim room, sitting at a table, speaking about the matter at hand. She hates being outside for to long.

"So my fellow heads of state and others, shall we head inside and discuss a most important matter?" she said, her accent showing, but perfect in execution of the common language.

She figured enough time has been spent for the dignitaries to be talking to their acquaintances that they should take whatever talks inside, that way she can just get some proper air conditioning. Her blood simply hated this heat.

[Brytene]

The Pasture, Castle Oakhall
Lundene

---

As the Lyonine Hegezar and his First Councilor stepped out onto the Pasture, Cenwulf raised a hand in greeting. He had already met Astolfo - although Brytene and the Lyonine Empire were geographically the most distant members of the Entente, they were still allies and fellow members and he had always found Astolfo to be a pleasant conversationalist.

"And Hezegar Astolfo, welcome!" he said, clapping his hands, before turning to gesture expansively towards the broad oaken doors of the Great Hall. "Primir Valentingr is quite right, there is hot food and good drink awaiting us! Shall we begin?"

Making their way out of the chill breeze and into the warmth of the Great Hall, they were greeting with the rich scent of woodsmoke and the flicker of tallow candles and fires. Overhead, fire-blackened timbers were visible behind the light curl of smoke, whilst along the walls various tapestries and mounted heads betrayed the ancient origins of the hall. Along a thick oak table stood high-backed, carved chairs with plush, worn red cushions. There were two dozen seats, and the Bretwalda's heavy throne, made of heavily stained yew wood and carved with ornate scenes, of feasting, battle, farming and sailing.

At each seat was a glass and a ceramic tankard, with carafes of iced water and stone jugs of what proved to be a weak mead at intervals along the table. At each place was also a thin sheaf of papers and a lacquered white and red pen.

The papers proved to be a copy of the basic tenets of the Acronius-Brytene-Castarcia Defense Entente. Although there were several pages of more detailed information, the front page displayed the emblem of the Entente, and in Fraktur font listed the following;

• The Entente shall defend one another's territory in the event of foreign aggression
• The Entente shall engage in collective bargaining
• The Entente shall encourage the sharing of technologies
• The Entente shall develop joint education programmes
• The Entente shall allow for ease of movement for its citizens
• The Entente shall protect and encourage democracy
• The Entente shall advocate for human rights for all

Taking his seat and pouring himself a mug of mead, Cenwulf gestured for his guests to sit too.

"So, we are here to discuss the potential admission of the nation of Zerinfriom to the ranks of our Entente. Madam Primir, if you would like to make your opening statement?"

[Zerinfrium]

The Negotiating Room

She was glad to finally be inside. She took her spot, making sure the POS was a good arms distance away from her. Reading over the requirements. Easy enough to abide by. She nodes at Cenwulf. Standing up. Perfect and presentable body posture. Taking a deep breath she opens her mouth to speak.

"Yes I would. Thank you. It seems to me that as we argue with Chazicaria about forcing us to conduct a 'semi' blockade of Tenburg the decisions of a Emperor's decisions still haunts us to this day. Despite having lasted for a few decades up to that point during our war with Stasnov Chazicaria refused to send us aid and intervene as per the agreements of the Kruppstadt Pact. Now they are attempting to force us into a war we do not wish to be involved in. A aggressive war. Not in self defense as is the modern Zerinite way. It seems we stand at a crossroads. As much as many other wish if the Pact is broken we must have allies there. For security and ease of mind. Zerinfrium has a defense force, not a offensive one, and it seems warmongers disagree. I wish for Zerinfrium to join the Defense Entente to provide both a guaranteed ally and friend, to those of you whose nations we have shared at least friendly relations with for years. No I am not asking to simply have my nation join you as a ease of mind; we wish to join the Defense Entente to provide both further security to both parties, and to abide by the basic tenets of the Entente. My fellow leaders of the free world. I beseech you to admit The Federation into the entente."

She took a sip of water followed by a taste of the mead. It was good despite being a weak mead. The POS whispered in her ear and she nodded in shocking agreement. Yes this is in fact the best bet for a secured future for the Federation.

[Lyonine Empire]

Oakhall Castle, Lundene
Beginning of the Drukening

Astolfo was pleased by such a warm welcome. He had always appreciated the warm atmosphere of such a fairly chilly place. The people, especially Cenwulf had also been so hospitable each time he had visited, that Brytene definitely had a special place in the Hegezar’s heart. Astolfo reached for his stomach as a slight growl ensued at the mention of food. He had opted to avoid eating earlier under the impression there would in fact be some here.

Upon taking their seats Astolfo turned to Lauro and a devilish grin filled his expression before going stone cold serious, “Lauro you will finish that tankard by the time the food arrives.” Another grin came. Lauro though looked absolutely mortified, he preferred a good vintage from the vineyards on Hespilon or from the slopes of Mount Atlas. Mead was not something the man wanted and didn't think drinking on the job was a good idea, Astolfo however was certainly not someone he wanted to say no to. With a somewhat shaky arm Lauro proceeded to work his way through the drink. Astolfo too began to drink though more slowly than his civilian counterpart.

Their attention was soon drawn to the document in front of them though they had each read through it on the way along with having been appraised of previous negotiations. The situation wasn't one that the Empire liked nor wanted. In truth they would likely be abstaining or straight up voting no for Zerinfriom to join the Entente. Having to pledge to defend a nation outside of Elysia was not ideal and not something the Empire wanted the Entente to have to commit to. Adding further salt to that wound was the fact that it was the Empire’s belief that if they were to bring Zerinfriom into the Entente then it would stir up more unnecessary trouble with the other major blocks that the Federation was near. Not to mention the fallout and hostility that would likely ensue from the breakup of the KP with Chazicaria.

All the thoughts going through Astolfo’s mind and for the moment at least he was silent on the matter wishing to hear the input of his fellow leaders of the Entente before actually voicing the Empire’s stance on the matter. That said it hadn't exactly been a closely kept secret during the prior negotiations that the Empire was not really on board with the Federation’s attempt to join the Entente.

[Brytene]

The Great Hall, Castle Oakhall
Brytene

---

Cenwulf listened patiently, watching the others as well as the Primir to gauge their reactions. Astolfo in particular was doing a splendid job of masking his general negativity towards the prospect of Zerinite entry into the Entente.

Taking another sip of mead to gather his thoughts before speaking, seeing that no-one else had anything to say just yet.

"Thank you, Madam Primir. My first query for you would be to ask about Zerinfriom's relations with its immediate neighbours, in particular Stasnov and Gorbatov, and how Chazicaria is expected to react in the event Zerinfriom were to remove itself from the KP and join the Entente?"

[Zerinfrium]

The Great Hall, Castle Oakhall
Brytene

---

Valentingr nodded and understood the question taking a sip of water before speaking.

"Well other than the war during the reign of the Dictator we have since attempted to maintain at least peaceful relations with Stasnov, but that doesn't mean they aren't tense every now and then as expected, but nothing has been on the brink of war for the past several years. We are also on the brink of opening embassies in each other's capitals. In regards to Gorbatov, we are dead neutral."

She paused for a moment before speaking about Chazicaria.

"In regards to the KP, there is no chance in Hel that they would dare to cross the Zentrum if we were to remove ourselves from the KP. We have no plans to currently but are prepared to as always."

She hoped she landed a bulls eye on this. There would be no threatening of war if they were to join. She believes in this. She just hopes her fellow leaders agreed.

[Lyonine Empire]

Oakhall Castle, Lundene

The mead was honestly quite lovely, still for Astolfo it didn’t hold a torch to Arlesian Wines. The poor First Councilor seemed to be a bit woozy by this point. He had indeed finished his drink in a rather fast fashion at the behest of the Hegezar. Now he was needing to step out for a moment or three. The rather plump man with a sickly disposition at this point asked to be shown to the restrooms so he might recover. He made his way out swiftly.

Astolfo now took the opportunity to respond to the Zerin Primir, “Madam if I am not mistaken Chazicaria wouldn’t need to cross the Zentrum as they already station soldiers in your nation.” He said before taking a sip of his mead. “Furthermore why would you treat with the Entente about membership if you had no intention or plan to depart the KP? I mean wouldn’t it be stress that was simply not necessary for our nations and yours if we either had you all in or out?” He stated. The situation wasn’t ideal.

The man finished off his mug of mead before taking some water. “I definitely commend you on the steps to normalize relations with Stasnov by opening embassies. Avenues for dialogue will go a long way to reducing confrontation.” Astolfo turned his attention to his host, "I must say on another note though that this mead is quite wonderful."

“My query that I’d like to pose is what benefit would we have by exposing our flank by adding your nation as a member? Clearly other than the economic and military gains as those would be immediate, what would the long term benefit for this alliance be?” He asked. The man was old, he was also no stranger to foreign policy and understood the basic benefits that another nation would give by joining with the Entente. Strength in numbers was something the Empire had learned the hard way on more than one occasion.

[Zerinfrium]

The Great Hall, Castle Oakhall
Brytene

---

Valentingr paused. Thinking shortly but smartly. She looked Astolfo with the dead seriousness look she was infamous in Zerinite politics for. Her cold demenour that made many a man and woman dampen their clothes in fright.

"Everyone here knows it. From the representatives from noble Brytene, to the men of Acronia, and you yourself your Sir Hegezar. Peace is always the better option. What better way to secure it then to out maneuver your enemy so that they might think twice. Zerinfrium has a love for it's friends and allies. Astronea, Chazicaria, and even our dealings with members of the Entente on a nation to nation basis. Should things heat up our troops shall be the vanguard. Holding out against the bear until those who we show kindness and prosperity towards to arrive. Should they ditch they add a sickle to their hammer and want to bring forth the fear communism back into the minds of the west. We must stand ready. Not a pact to slow them down, but an alliance to block the Vastava Pact's encroachment on our nations ideas of freedom. Even if they do not challenge us with hammer and sickle in the future, but with the red rose of socialism. Their sheer hatred towards the GESA and us will seem like its not your issue until they are landing on your shore. Bombing your cities. The Entente looked the other way when our nation was attacked. Why would you get involved if it wasn't you being attacked? However if one nation attacks a member of the Entente all of you are attacked. I assure you. You will want us and the KP by extension on your side if they step across the fine line in the dirt."

Geralt smiled. A rousing speech from the iron lady of the north. He nodded in approval, and added.

"What the Primir is saying is that us joining would be a deterrent. Not even the VP can handle the combined arms of the West as well as the Kruppstadt Pact. Even now Astronea is attempting the join the KP and despite the heating relation our chances of leaving are slim. In fact we will be meeting with leaders of the KP to stabilize the situation. Even the leaders of the Vastava Pact must know that they shouldn't attack us despite our uneasy.. feelings towards each other. Pushing us from Observer to member will cause peace in the long term. Stasnov will think twice of attacking us with it's lackey nations. by being a member of both the Entente and the KP chances of war against Zerinfrium are slim. You need not worry about Stasnov so long as we are within the ABCDE."

Valentingr looked at Geralt nodding. An impressive Praetor this one is. Strange how he speaks so calmly to those in power.

[Lyonine Empire]

Oakhall Castle, Lundene

Astolfo listened first to the Primir and then to the other individual. Their points were well received but then brought about other concerns that Astolfo and by extension the Empire had. “Madame Primir, one issue that would need to be addressed if you were to ‘double dip’ per se would be the issues of the technological sharing and economic freedoms that would be afforded to your nation should you be admitted.” He was after all pointing out a bit of an issue.

“By being in the Entente you would be privy to classified information and surely technologies more willingly shared among our members. This then could in turn find its way back into the hands of your other KP nations. That would not be intended nor ideal for the Entente. The economic freedoms are less of a concern but still, if you maintained a free trade agreement with our nations and should you have one with the KP states then you would essentially be passing on non-approved goods into our areas. Again that could more easily be dealt with, though would still warrant concern.” Astolfo was not fond of always playing devil’s advocate as some would call it. Nonetheless with the incapability of the First Councilor and his timely absence, it fell to Astolfo to do so. He had rather enjoyed the narrative spun by the Primir but was still grounded in the realities of a nation being in the Entente and another alliance.

[Brytene]

The Great Hall, Castle Oakhall
Brytene

---

Cenwulf scowled at Valentingr's tone. The man spoke as if World War III was around the corner, when in fact Entente relations with Stasnov and the Vastava Pact had never been warmer. Aligning the Entente with the fledgling Kruppenstadt pact would distance the Vastava Pact, consequently emboldening GESA and disturbing the global balance of power.

He spoke, his voice loud and his tone blunt. "We are not afraid of Stasnov, nor do we have reason to be. Every time I talk to one of you people, I find you slavering at the mouth for war, and now you're conjuring images of rabid Soviet gopniks storming the beaches of Brytene!"

He slumped back in his chair, his ire suddenly deflating, as if he had expended all his outrage in that one short outburst. He gestured vaguely at a table behind him, and an attendant placed a plate of small pastries in front of him - some kind of bacon and cheese confection. He took a bite from one and chewed as he stared at Valentingr, clearly arranging his next sentence in his mind. He gulped down the morsel and then leaned forward, his voice lower this time.

"I had high hopes for you, but your words here have confirmed our worst fears. Admitting Zerinfriom to the Entente would be signing up for a war, a war that none of us need nor want. I vote nay to the admission of Zerinfriom and encourage my fellows here to do the same."

That said with an expansive gesture around the room, he settled back and went to work on what was left of the pastry.